Consumers’ credit card debt habits spell profits for lenders

Lenders such as Capital One Financial and Discover are expected to make sizeable profits in the coming months as they have seen instances of delinquent and defaulted credit card debt decline considerably, according to a report from financial news site The Street. That trend is expected to continue into the future as well, as consumers get a better handle on their finances.

"Credit quality has been pretty impressive for the last 18 months or so," Chris Brendler, an analyst with investment banking firm Stifel Nicolaus, told the news site. "Delinquencies and charge-offs are falling as they should be falling, and Capital One will be one of the primary beneficiaries of that this quarter."

However, there is also some concern as to whether consumers will continue to utilize credit at roughly the same rate they did prior to the national recession, the report said. Many may be unwilling to deal with credit card debt as a result of past money problems.

Many consumers have already begun to become more comfortable with credit card debt again, as the amount borrowed has increased slightly in recent months.