Capital One is a leading credit card issuer and in 2011 aggressively moved to expand its financial service offerings through acquisitions. In 2011 the bank acquired the US online banking operations of ING Direct, as well as the private label credit card portfolio of HSBC Holdings.

The transition of the company from a monoline business of credit card issuance to become a full financial service retail bank began in 2005. In 2011 the bank had more than 1,000 retail branches in the South and Atlantic US regions and was the fifth largest US bank by deposits. Although retail branches are limited to the two regions, Capital One can issue cards nationally with a leading online banking platform.

The bank derives nearly 5% of its revenue from overseas credit issuance in the UK and Canada making it adversely susceptible to developed world economic performance. Beyond credit and retail operations, Capital One operates auto-lending and limited mortgage operations.

Capital One has struggled to recover from the global recession and high delinquencies. Traditionally the bank has had higher charge-off rates due to the targeting of riskier consumers at higher interest rates. The limitation of operations and geographic involvement prior to 2009 further contributed to the company's poor performance during the recession. Capital One's recent focus has been to diversify to other consumer lending products to increase cross-selling opportunities and maintain consistent revenue during contracting economic periods.

The credit card division of Capital One generated income of US$2.3 billion in 2010, a significant increase from US$978 million in 2009. The difference can be attributed to acquisitions and increased consumer spending as the initial economic recovery gained momentum. Into 2011 the credit card division has continued to expand with declining delinquencies and greater cards in distribution.

The Capital One Financial in Consumer Finance (World) Company Profile offers detailed strategic analysis of the company's business, examining its performance in the Consumer Finance industry. The report examines company shares by region and sector, product developments, market and distribution strategies, challenges from the competition and future prospects. Use it to understand opportunities and threats facing the business and the factors driving success.

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