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2mo ago

U.S. Credit Card Balances Top $1.25 Trillion as 13% of Balances Are 90+ Days Delinquent

High interest rates have pushed borrowing costs up, leaving a small group of cardholders with much larger overdue balances.

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Roughly half of American credit cardholders pay their balance in full every month.
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Overview

  • A Federal Reserve Bank of New York report showed that about 13% of U.S. credit card balances were 90 or more days overdue in the first quarter of 2026, with total card debt near $1.25 trillion.
  • Average credit card annual percentage rates rose from roughly 14.6% in February 2022 to about 21% by early 2026, which has increased the cost of carrying balances.
  • Multiple analyses find the jump in delinquent dollars reflects larger unpaid balances among already-delinquent borrowers rather than a big rise in the number of people missing payments.
  • Other consumer credit strains are emerging with auto-loan 90+ day delinquencies at record highs while mortgage delinquencies remain far below levels that drove the 2008 crisis.
  • About half of cardholders still pay their balances in full each month, but experts say the concentrated stress among vulnerable borrowers could weigh on household spending and merit close monitoring by lenders and policymakers.