Major credit-card lenders reported lower delinquency rates today, as fewer Americans fell behind on payments, in another sign that the economic recovery is gaining momentum.
Bank of America Corp., Discover Financial Services and Capital One Financial Corp. said the rate of late payments on their credit cards fell to the lowest levels this year in October.
Delinquencies are the first sign that consumers have stopped paying their bills, and are indicators of future losses. They have fallen to the lowest rates this year at the nation’s top credit-card lenders, signaling that American consumers have recovered from the worst of the severe financial crisis.
The U.S. Commerce Department provided more positive evidence for the economy today when it reported that sales at retailers rose more than expected in October.
But uncertainty remains, as persistently high unemployment slows the rate of recovery at consumer lenders. Overall charge-off rates have improved at most banks, but remain high by historical standards. Loan portfolios are still shrinking, with consumers reluctant to take on new debt.
Bank of America, for example, said in a regulatory filing today that its charge-off rate inched back up above 10 percent in October, after falling to 9.99 percent in September.
The nation’s largest consumer bank still has the nation’s worst credit-card loss rate, but it has improved from more than 13 percent at the beginning of 2010. The company’s delinquency rate in October fell to 5.60 percent from 5.71 percent.
Lenders file monthly credit-card performance reports with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
Discover said in a separate filing today that its charge-off rate fell to 6.83 percent in October, from 7.15 percent in September.
Like American Express Co., Discover lends directly to consumers, but also competes with Visa Inc. and MasterCard Inc to process credit-card transactions for other banks. The company said its delinquency rate fell to 4.34 percent in October, from 4.41 percent in September.
Capital One said charge-offs fell sharply in October, to 7.26 percent from 8.38 percent in September. The bank has reduced its loss rate from over 10 percent at the beginning of the year.
But Capital One’s delinquency rate only improved slightly, falling to 4.45 percent from 4.53 a month earlier.
JPMorgan Chase & Co., Citigroup Inc. and American Express were also expected to report their monthly credit-card performance data today. (Reuters)
