U.S. credit card debt climbed to $1.26 trillion in the second quarter of 2026, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York's Quarterly Report on Household Debt and Credit. The $21 billion quarterly increase left total card debt just shy of the $1.28 trillion peak reached in the fourth quarter of last year. Total U.S. household debt edged down $13 billion to $18.8 trillion, with mortgage balances falling $74 billion to $13.1 trillion, while auto loan balances rose $28 billion to a record $1.71 trillion. New York Fed researchers cautioned that a rise in the share of card balances at least 90 days delinquent to 12.8% reflects a backlog of old charged-off debts lingering on credit reports rather than a broad deterioration in current repayment behavior. About 60% of the roughly 175 million Americans with credit cards do not pay off their balances each month, a pattern researchers said points to a K-shaped economy.
