How Have Outstanding Card Balances For The Largest U.S. Card Lenders Changed Over The Last 5 Quarters?
Total outstanding card balances for the 6 largest U.S. card lenders has fluctuated noticeably over the last five quarters – increasing between Q2 2015 and Q4 2015 before slumping in Q1 2016. The card loan portfolio was just under $580 billion for Q2 2016.
The figures above are taken from quarterly earnings reports for individual card issuers, and represent the average card balance over a particular quarter.
The Q1 slump can be partially explained by the seasonal nature of card balances, as card usage peaks in the last quarter (especially the holiday season) following which people pay off a bulk of their card balances in the first quarter. Another factor that contributed to the sharp decline in Q1 2016 was American Express’s decision to move its Costco and Jetblue card portfolios to held-for-sale. The Costco portfolio returned as a part of the total figure for the second quarter, though, as Citigroup acquired it from AmEx in June.
As card spending continues to grow and as economic conditions improve, we expect card balances for each of these issuers to grow steadily in the future.
See the links below for more information about the largest U.S. commercial banks:
- What Was The Total Size Of Outstanding Domestic And Foreign Loans For The Largest U.S. Banks In Q2 2016?
- How Has The Total Loan Portfolio Of The Largest U.S. Banks Changed Over The Last 5 Quarters?
- How Much In Domestic And Foreign Deposits Did The Largest U.S. Banks Hold In Q2 2016?
- How Have Total Deposits For The Largest U.S. Banks Changed Over The Last 5 Quarters?
- How Have The Loan-To-Deposit Ratios For U.S. Banks Trended Over Recent Quarters?
- What Was The Market Share Of The Largest U.S. Card Issuers In Terms Of Outstanding Balances For Q2 2016?
Notes:
1) The purpose of these analyses is to help readers focus on a few important things. We hope such lean communication sparks thinking, and encourages readers to comment/ ask questions on the comment section
2) Figures mentioned are approximate values to help our readers remember the key concepts more intuitively. For precise figures, please refer to the full Trefis analysis for JPMorgan Chase | Bank of America | Citigroup | Capital One | American Express | Discover
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