Charge offs and delinquencies decline for Capital One

Capital One Financial's latest regulatory filing showed that it had to write off fewer accounts as being uncollectable, as consumers may have been more conscientious in paying down their credit card debt, according to a report from Dow Jones Newswires. The company's charge off rate slipped to 5.87 percent in March, down from 5.91 percent in February.

In addition, the amount of credit card debt on which consumers were 30 days or more behind in payments slipped as well, to just 3.59 percent, the report said. That's down from 3.83 percent in February, and may be a positive sign for the lender, which has seen charge offs oscillate slightly in the first few months of the year. Often, 30-day delinquencies are considered indicative of future charge off rates.

Consumers may be having a better time paying their credit card debt. However, some experts believe charge off rates are not the result of better financial practices, but rather the nation's most troubled borrowers having been flushed from the credit system by past charge offs.