US Consumer Loan Delinquencies Hit Multi-Year and Record Highs
As seen on the 24/7 Wall St. homepage on November 11, 2026.
Auto loan delinquencies at a record 5.7% land while big banks have been trimming loan loss provisions, a gap that gets expensive if consumer credit keeps deteriorating into next quarter's earnings.
12.9% of credit card balances in the US are 90+ days delinquent, near the highest since 2011. 10.9% of student loan balances are now 90+ days delinquent, the highest since 2019. 5.7% of auto loan balances are now 90+ days delinquent, the highest level on record. https://t.co/zn6v5SSBdt
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Credit stress across American households is now showing up simultaneously in three major loan categories, and in each case the numbers have reached levels not seen in years or ever. Auto loan delinquencies of 90 days or more have hit 5.7% of outstanding balances, a figure that has never been higher in the available data.
Credit card delinquencies at the same 90-plus-day threshold stand at 12.9%, near the worst readings since 2011, and student loan delinquencies have climbed to 10.9%, the highest since 2019. The deterioration spans every major consumer credit category at once.
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The auto loan figure draws particular attention because big banks have recently been trimming their loan loss provisions, essentially betting that credit quality would hold or improve. A record delinquency rate on auto loans puts that assumption under pressure, and the gap between what banks have set aside and what borrowers are actually delivering becomes more expensive to close the longer the trend continues.
Investors will be watching what these numbers mean heading into the next round of bank earnings reports. If consumer credit keeps deteriorating at this pace, institutions that reduced their reserves will revisit those decisions, which would weigh directly on earnings.