diff --git a/node/pkg/db/accountant.go b/node/pkg/db/accountant.go
index 458def819b..2883ec4d59 100644
--- a/node/pkg/db/accountant.go
+++ b/node/pkg/db/accountant.go
@@ -92,9 +92,9 @@ func (d *Database) AcctGetData(logger *zap.Logger) ([]*common.MessagePublication
 		})
 	}
 
-	// See if we have any old format pending transfers.
+	// Any pending transfers in the old format are long since obsolete. Just delete them.
 	if err == nil {
-		oldPendingTransfers := []*common.MessagePublication{}
+		oldPendingTransfers := []string{}
 		prefixBytes := []byte(acctOldPendingTransfer)
 		err = d.db.View(func(txn *badger.Txn) error {
 			opts := badger.DefaultIteratorOptions
@@ -116,7 +116,7 @@ func (d *Database) AcctGetData(logger *zap.Logger) ([]*common.MessagePublication
 						continue
 					}
 
-					oldPendingTransfers = append(oldPendingTransfers, pt)
+					oldPendingTransfers = append(oldPendingTransfers, pt.MessageIDString())
 				} else {
 					return fmt.Errorf("unexpected accountant pending transfer key '%s'", string(key))
 				}
@@ -126,20 +126,14 @@ func (d *Database) AcctGetData(logger *zap.Logger) ([]*common.MessagePublication
 		})
 
 		if err == nil && len(oldPendingTransfers) != 0 {
-			pendingTransfers = append(pendingTransfers, oldPendingTransfers...)
 			for _, pt := range oldPendingTransfers {
-				logger.Info("updating format of database entry for pending vaa", zap.String("msgId", pt.MessageIDString()))
-				err := d.AcctStorePendingTransfer(pt)
-				if err != nil {
-					return pendingTransfers, fmt.Errorf("failed to write new pending msg for key [%v]: %w", pt.MessageIDString(), err)
-				}
-
-				key := acctOldPendingTransferMsgID(pt.MessageIDString())
+				key := acctOldPendingTransferMsgID(pt)
+				logger.Info("deleting obsolete pending transfer", zap.String("msgId", pt), zap.String("key", string(key)))
 				if err := d.db.Update(func(txn *badger.Txn) error {
 					err := txn.Delete(key)
 					return err
 				}); err != nil {
-					return pendingTransfers, fmt.Errorf("failed to delete old pending msg for key [%v]: %w", pt.MessageIDString(), err)
+					return pendingTransfers, fmt.Errorf("failed to delete old pending msg for key [%v]: %w", pt, err)
 				}
 			}
 		}
diff --git a/node/pkg/db/accountant_test.go b/node/pkg/db/accountant_test.go
index 868a9c648b..93f5e29ea4 100644
--- a/node/pkg/db/accountant_test.go
+++ b/node/pkg/db/accountant_test.go
@@ -4,7 +4,6 @@ import (
 	"bytes"
 	"encoding/binary"
 	"os"
-	"sort"
 	"testing"
 	"time"
 
@@ -201,7 +200,7 @@ func TestAcctGetData(t *testing.T) {
 	assert.Equal(t, *msg2, *pendings[1])
 }
 
-func TestAcctLoadingOldPendings(t *testing.T) {
+func TestAcctLoadingWhereOldPendingsGetDropped(t *testing.T) {
 	dbPath := t.TempDir()
 	db, err := Open(dbPath)
 	if err != nil {
@@ -210,6 +209,8 @@ func TestAcctLoadingOldPendings(t *testing.T) {
 	defer db.Close()
 	defer os.Remove(dbPath)
 
+	logger := zap.NewNop()
+
 	tokenBridgeAddr, err := vaa.StringToAddress("0x0290fb167208af455bb137780163b7b7a9a10c16")
 	require.NoError(t, err)
 
@@ -249,27 +250,20 @@ func TestAcctLoadingOldPendings(t *testing.T) {
 	err = db.AcctStorePendingTransfer(pending2)
 	require.Nil(t, err)
 
-	logger := zap.NewNop()
+	// When we reload the data, the first one should get dropped, so we should get back only one.
 	pendings, err := db.AcctGetData(logger)
 	require.NoError(t, err)
-	require.Equal(t, 2, len(pendings))
-
-	// Updated old pending events get placed at the end, so we need to sort into timestamp order.
-	sort.SliceStable(pendings, func(i, j int) bool {
-		return pendings[i].Timestamp.Before(pendings[j].Timestamp)
-	})
+	require.Equal(t, 1, len(pendings))
 
-	assert.Equal(t, *pending1, *pendings[0])
-	assert.Equal(t, *pending2, *pendings[1])
+	assert.Equal(t, *pending2, *pendings[0])
 
-	// Make sure we can reload the updated pendings.
+	// Make sure we can still reload things after deleting the old one.
 	pendings2, err := db.AcctGetData(logger)
 
 	require.Nil(t, err)
-	require.Equal(t, 2, len(pendings2))
+	require.Equal(t, 1, len(pendings2))
 
-	assert.Equal(t, pending1, pendings2[0])
-	assert.Equal(t, pending2, pendings2[1])
+	assert.Equal(t, pending2, pendings2[0])
 }
 
 func (d *Database) acctStoreOldPendingTransfer(t *testing.T, msg *common.MessagePublication) {