US Credit Card Delinquencies Fall as Balances Dip Seasonally in Q1 2026

In Q1 2026, the delinquency rate for credit cards issued by commercial banks, with 30-plus days overdue, fell to 2.92%, seasonally adjusted, marking the lowest level since Q2 2023. This figure is down from 3.06% a year earlier and 3.17% two years prior, as reported by the Federal Reserve. Equifax noted that the 60-plus days delinquency rate for all credit cards, including subprime and private label, decreased to 2.97%, down from 3.09% last year. Fitch Ratings indicated that for prime cardholders, this rate dropped to 0.94%, below pre-pandemic levels. The New York Fed's Household Debt and Credit report revealed that credit card balances fell by $28 billion to $1.25 trillion in Q1, although they increased by $70 billion year-over-year. Meanwhile, "other" consumer loans, such as BNPL, remained stable at $562 billion, with a 3.7% annual rise. The revolving credit balance-to-disposable income ratio decreased to 7.72%, and aggregate credit limits increased by $60 billion to a record $5.5 trillion, with unused credit at $4.23 trillion. The proportion of consumers with third-party collection entries stayed around 5%, significantly lower than the 14% post-Great Recession.