Post by @Barchart
91% credible (95% factual, 80% presentation). The claim that US credit card delinquencies have reached a 14-year high is supported by Federal Reserve data, with rates at approximately 12% in 2024. However, the presentation omits key economic factors like inflation and interest rates, which impacts the framing and overall credibility.
Analysis Summary
The post highlights a significant rise in serious credit card delinquencies, with unpaid balances for at least 90 days hitting the highest level in 14 years, based on Federal Reserve data. This trend indicates growing financial stress among US consumers amid economic pressures. Supporting chart from Bloomberg confirms the upward trajectory since 2021, peaking around 12% in 2024.
Original Content
The Facts
The claim is supported by official data from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, with multiple sources confirming the delinquency rate for 90+ days unpaid balances reached approximately 12% in 2024, the highest since 2010-2011. No contradictions found in recent reports. Verdict: True
Benefit of the Doubt
The author advances a cautionary perspective on consumer debt and economic health, using alarmist language like 'hit their highest level' to draw attention to potential market risks and encourage engagement with financial data. Key omissions include underlying causes such as inflation, rising interest rates, and post-pandemic spending habits, as well as positive counterpoints like overall debt levels relative to income or recovery trends in other sectors. This selective emphasis on the negative trend shapes reader perception toward viewing the economy as precarious, potentially driving traffic to Barchart's analytical tools without broader context.
Visual Content Analysis
Images included in the original content
VISUAL DESCRIPTION
A line graph in red depicting the percentage of US credit card balances that are 90+ days delinquent from 2004 to 2024, showing a sharp peak during the 2008 financial crisis (around 13%), a decline to lows near 3-4% in the 2010s, and a recent rise starting in 2021 to approximately 12% in 2024. The chart includes axis labels, a title, source attribution to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, and Bloomberg branding at the bottom.
TEXT IN IMAGE
US Credit Card Delinquent Balances Continue to Tick Higher Unpaid credit card balances for at least 3 months rose to highest in 14 years 14% 12 10 8 6 Percent of Balance 90+ Days Delinquent 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022 2024 Source: Federal Reserve Bank of New York Note: Percent of Balance 90+ Days Delinquent Bloomberg
MANIPULATION
No signs of editing, inconsistencies, or artifacts; the graph appears to be a standard, unaltered financial chart with consistent scaling and data points.
TEMPORAL ACCURACY
The chart data extends to 2024, aligning with recent economic reports up to mid-2025; the post's context and provided search results confirm this as the latest available Federal Reserve data, making it timely for 2025 discussions.
LOCATION ACCURACY
The chart explicitly references US credit card data from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, matching the post's focus on US financial metrics with no geographical discrepancies.
FACT-CHECK
The graph accurately reflects Federal Reserve data on 90+ day delinquencies, corroborated by sources like FRED (St. Louis Fed) and Bloomberg reports showing rates at 12.31% in Q1 2025, the highest since 2011; no misleading scales or axes detected.
How Is This Framed?
Biases, omissions, and misleading presentation techniques detected
Fails to include underlying economic factors like inflation and interest rates that explain the delinquency rise, altering interpretation of the trend's severity
Problematic phrases:
"Serious Credit Card Delinquencies... hit their highest level in 14 years"What's actually there:
Delinquency rate ~12% in 2024, true peak since 2010, but driven by known pressures like post-pandemic spending
What's implied:
Sudden unexplained surge indicating broad economic failure
Impact: Leads readers to perceive isolated financial peril without understanding causal context, heightening undue alarm
Omits positive indicators such as stable overall debt levels relative to income or improvements in other economic sectors
Problematic phrases:
"hit their highest level in 14 years"What's actually there:
Delinquencies high but total consumer debt manageable per income; some sectors show recovery
What's implied:
Widespread and unchecked consumer crisis
Impact: Skews perception toward a one-dimensional view of economic downturn, ignoring balanced evidence
Presents the negative trend in isolation, fostering a cautionary narrative without multi-faceted analysis
Problematic phrases:
"Serious Credit Card Delinquencies (unpaid balances for at least 90 days) hit their highest level in 14 years"What's actually there:
Data accurate but selectively negative amid author's typical optimistic bias
What's implied:
Imminent economic risks dominate without counterbalance
Impact: Encourages biased reader interpretation of consumer health as precarious, potentially driving engagement with promotional tools
Uses dramatic phrasing to imply immediate crisis from a gradual trend
Problematic phrases:
"hit their highest level"What's actually there:
Trend building since 2021, not sudden event
What's implied:
Breaking, urgent development
Impact: Creates false sense of immediacy, prompting reactive rather than analytical responses
Sources & References
External sources consulted for this analysis
https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/DRCCLACBS
https://www.consumerfinance.gov/about-us/blog/credit-card-delinquencies-are-higher-than-in-2019-because-lenders-took-on-more-risk/
https://www.reddit.com/r/EconomyCharts/comments/1l6ct85/serious_credit_card_delinquencies_unpaid_balances/
https://ycharts.com/indicators/us_credit_card_accounts_late_by_90_days
https://www.stlouisfed.org/publications/regional-economist/2023/aug/deja-vu-recent-rise-credit-card-debt-delinquencies
https://www.stlouisfed.org/on-the-economy/2025/may/broad-continuing-rise-delinquent-us-credit-card-debt-revisited
https://www.reddit.com/r/EconomyCharts/comments/1kwk8vc/serious_delinquencies_90_day_unpaid_balances_are/
https://www.silive.com/news/2025/09/young-adult-credit-card-delinquencies-surge-to-alarming-levels.html
https://ohiocapitaljournal.com/2025/10/07/ohios-young-people-struggle-with-credit-card-debt-new-fed-analysis-shows
https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/economy/20250925/credit-card-delinquencies-hit-11-yr-high-amid-economic-slowdown
https://wallethub.com/edu/cc/credit-card-statistics-by-state/134516
https://www.nbcnews.com/business/consumer/credit-card-delinquency-rates-hit-nearly-12-year-high-rcna163466
https://www.nbcnews.com/business/consumer/credit-card-balances-jump-record-level-consumers-fall-behind-paymento-rcna137900
https://www.foxbusiness.com/economy/us-credit-card-defaults-soar-highest-level-14-years
https://x.com/Barchart/status/1962294751513940361
https://x.com/Barchart/status/1924211564153831528
https://x.com/Barchart/status/1931568969153937814
https://x.com/Barchart/status/1761154057593643081
https://x.com/Barchart/status/1922822363617415236
https://x.com/Barchart/status/1823201425796497868
https://www.stlouisfed.org/on-the-economy/2025/may/broad-continuing-rise-delinquent-us-credit-card-debt-revisited
https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/DRCCLACBS
https://www.pymnts.com/debt/2025/federal-reserve-data-shows-card-balances-decline-q1-90-day-delinquencies-surge/
https://www.newyorkfed.org/newsevents/news/research/2025/20250213
https://www.federalreserve.gov/econres/notes/feds-notes/predicting-credit-card-delinquency-rates-20250228.html
https://www.newyorkfed.org/microeconomics/hhdc
https://www.philadelphiafed.org/surveys-and-data/2024-q1-large-bank
https://khou.com/article/money/houston-worst-young-adult-credit-card-delinquency/285-fc067839-f64e-48ad-97bb-c9362d1440bf
https://www.pymnts.com/debt/2025/federal-reserve-data-shows-card-balances-decline-q1-90-day-delinquencies-surge/
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/credit-card-90-day-delinquencies-102100280.html
https://www.cnbc.com/select/credit-card-delinquent-record-high/
https://www.nbcnews.com/business/consumer/credit-card-delinquency-rates-hit-nearly-12-year-high-rcna163466
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/credit-card-delinquencies-surge-americans-184949298.html
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-04-10/credit-card-delinquency-rates-were-worst-on-record-in-fed-study
https://x.com/Barchart/status/1962294751513940361
https://x.com/Barchart/status/1924211564153831528
https://x.com/Barchart/status/1931568969153937814
https://x.com/Barchart/status/1941163317126722008
https://x.com/Barchart/status/1927159277992411323
https://x.com/Barchart/status/1924278676356558941
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