Lenders collected an estimated $25 billion in additional interest income last year by raising the average margin on annual percentage rates, or the amount above the prime rate, according to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

The blockbuster merger proposal will be reviewed at a time when the Biden administration is expressing skepticism about consolidation. Its analysis will have to account for markets dominated by both big banks and the likes of Visa and Mastercard.

The median interest rate that large credit card issuers charged consumers with good credit in the first half of 2023 was 28.2%, compared with 18.15% at smaller banks and credit unions, according to a study by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which is on a campaign against excessive fees.

The stable outlook is an indication that — at least for some lenders — the much-feared cycle of cardholders defaulting on their obligations in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic may not turn out to be so bad.

The collateral has a high principal payment rate, 63.1%, for the eleven months ended November 2023. It also had payment rates of 66.7% and 59.0% for the twelve-month averages for 2022 and 2021, respectively.

The AAA ratings also stem from a 5.5% base-case loss rate, a 22.5% base-case payment rate, a 15.0% base-case yield, and a 3.0% purchase rate assumption.

The A1 and A2 notes have a revolving period during which investors will receive fixed-rate and floating-rate payments, respectively.

The collateral pool had an average account balance of $1,620, lower than that of credit card securitization trusts that the Big Six banks sponsor, and the ABS notes benefit a 26% subordination level.

As U.S. credit card balances continue to march above $1 trillion, the number of newly delinquent credit card users now exceeds the pre-pandemic average and millennials and those with student or auto loans are driving the increase in past-due payments, the New York Fed said.

On average the receivables have a balance of $971, a WA average percentage rate of 32.88%, and a WA age of 24 months. Also, cardholders might pay an annual membership of up to $75.