How to Read the Fed's Bank Charge-Off and Delinquency Rates — Flows, Stocks and Loan Categories

As of 25 October 2026 (KST); latest data: second quarter of 2026, in the Federal Reserve Board's charge-off and delinquency rate tables, which show "Last update: August 25, 2026". The About page (last updated May 2, 2011) states: "Data for each calendar quarter become available approximately sixty days after the end of the quarter." The pages read show no date for the next update. Primary sources: https://www.federalreserve.gov/releases/chargeoff/chgallsa.htm and https://www.federalreserve.gov/releases/chargeoff/delallsa.htm^[1][2][3][4]

Comparison basis: quarterly rates for all insured U.S.-chartered commercial banks, seasonally adjusted, as published to two decimals and not rounded further here; changes are this page's calculations in percentage points. Charge-off rates are flows over a quarter relative to average loans, annualized; delinquency rates are stocks relative to end-of-period loans. All four documents are Federal Reserve Board publications and count as one issuer record.^[2][3][4]

In three lines

1. The Fed publishes quarterly charge-off rates (net losses written off, annualized) and delinquency rates (loans 30+ days past due or in nonaccrual) for commercial banks.
2. In 2026:Q2 the seasonally adjusted charge-off rate on total loans and leases was 0.55% and the delinquency rate 1.42%; credit cards had 3.82% and 2.85%, the highest among the loan categories shown in these tables (this page's comparison).
3. Compared with 2025:Q2, both total rates and both credit card rates were lower, while the residential real estate delinquency rate was higher (1.86% vs 1.78%).^[2][3]

Charge-offs. "Charge-offs are the value of loans and leases removed from the books and charged against loss reserves. Charge-off rates are annualized, net of recoveries."^[1]

Delinquency. "Delinquent loans and leases are those past due thirty days or more and still accruing interest as well as those in nonaccrual status." "They are measured as a percentage of end-of-period loans."^[1][3]

Formulas (About page, last updated May 2, 2011). "Charge-off rates for any category of loan are defined as the flow of a bank's net charge-offs (gross charge-offs minus recoveries) during a quarter divided by the average level of its loans outstanding over that quarter." "As published, these ratios are multiplied by 400 to express them as annual percentage rates." "The delinquency rate for any loan category is the ratio of the dollar amount of a bank's delinquent loans in that category to the dollar amount of total loans outstanding in that category."^[4]

Coverage and categories. "Banks are insured U.S.-chartered commercial banks." "Residential real estate loans include loans secured by one- to four-family properties, including home equity lines of credit." "Commercial real estate loans include construction and land development loans, loans secured by multifamily residences, and loans secured by nonfarm, nonresidential real estate."^[2]

Charge-offs vs delinquencies. In 2026:Q2 residential real estate loans had a charge-off rate of 0.00% but a delinquency rate of 1.86%; credit cards had 3.82% and 2.85%. The two rates are on different bases (an annualized flow over average loans versus a share of end-of-period loans), so one is not a share of the other (published values).^[2][3]

Quarter vs year. From 2026:Q1 to 2026:Q2 most rates in the key table moved by 0.06 percentage points or less; against 2025:Q2 the largest change shown is the credit card charge-off rate, down 0.37 percentage points (this page's calculations).^[2][3]

Now vs the highest values in the tables. The highest credit card charge-off rate in the table is 10.54% (2009:Q4) and the highest total delinquency rate 7.35% (2010:Q1), both from tables starting in 1985, against 3.82% and 1.42% in 2026:Q2 (published values; highest-in-table rankings are this page's reading).^[2][3]

Negative and -0.00 charge-off rates. Charge-off rates are, in the Fed's words, "Charge-off rates are annualized, net of recoveries". The seasonally adjusted table displays -0.00 for residential real estate in 2026:Q1 and 2025:Q2; the displayed values alone do not establish the underlying gross charge-offs or recoveries.^[1][2]

Seasonally adjusted vs not. The release has separate seasonally adjusted and not seasonally adjusted tables, and tables for the 100 largest banks and other banks; this page uses the seasonally adjusted all-bank tables. "The 100 largest banks are measured by consolidated foreign and domestic assets."^[2][3]

Source data. "Source. Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC) Consolidated Reports of Condition and Income" (the quarterly Call Reports).^[2]