Company Description
Capital One Financial Corporation (NYSE: COF) is a financial holding company in the finance and insurance sector, with a primary focus on credit card issuing and related lending activities. According to company disclosures, Capital One is headquartered in McLean, Virginia and operates as a Fortune 500 institution whose common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol COF. The company is included in the S&P 100 index, reflecting its role among large U.S. public companies.
Capital One describes itself as offering a broad spectrum of financial products and services to consumers, small businesses and commercial clients through a variety of channels. Based on the provided information, its activities span credit card lending, auto loans, consumer banking and commercial banking. The firm also engages in commercial lending and, following its acquisition of Discover in an all-stock transaction completed on May 18, 2025, it reports an expanded credit card business and a modest personal loan business. Credit card lending is identified as the primary driver of the bank’s revenue.
Business model and core activities
Capital One operates as a diversified financial services holding company. It conducts its business through subsidiaries, including Capital One, N.A., which is the principal banking subsidiary referenced in multiple disclosures. The company reports that it maintains branches and Cafés located primarily in New York, Louisiana, Texas, Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia. Through these physical locations and other distribution channels, Capital One offers financial products and services to retail and commercial customers.
Within its lending operations, Capital One highlights several major categories:
- Credit card lending – identified as the largest contributor to revenue, including domestic card operations and, after the Discover acquisition, an expanded card portfolio.
- Auto loans – provided through its Consumer Banking segment, with detailed loan information reported in its financial supplements.
- Consumer banking loans – including non-auto consumer lending activities.
- Commercial banking loans – serving business and institutional clients.
The company’s financial supplements and earnings releases outline segment reporting for Credit Card, Consumer Banking and Commercial Banking businesses, indicating that these are key organizational and reporting segments.
Scale and regulatory status
Capital One’s public filings and news releases report substantial balances of deposits and total assets. For example, company communications state that, as of various reporting dates in 2025, Capital One and its subsidiaries held hundreds of billions of dollars in deposits and total assets. These figures underscore its role as a large U.S. banking organization. The company is subject to U.S. banking and securities regulation and reports capital ratios such as the Common Equity Tier 1 (CET1) capital ratio under the Basel III Standardized Approach in its financial supplements.
Capital One has multiple classes of securities registered under Section 12(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. In addition to its common stock, it lists depositary shares representing interests in several series of Fixed Rate Non-Cumulative Perpetual Preferred Stock (Series I, J, K, L and N) and 1.650% Senior Notes due 2029, all traded on the New York Stock Exchange. The company also issues senior notes with fixed-to-floating rate features, as disclosed in its 8-K filings related to debt offerings.
Capital One and Discover
Capital One’s financial supplements state that it completed the acquisition of Discover in an all-stock transaction on May 18, 2025, pursuant to a merger agreement dated February 19, 2024. The company notes that Discover results and statistics are included in its consolidated reporting from that date forward. Management commentary in earnings materials refers to a Discover integration process and related integration expenses, intangible amortization and fair value mark amortization, which are presented as adjusting items in non-GAAP reconciliations.
Following this acquisition, Capital One indicates that its credit card portfolio and average loans increased, and that it now has a modest personal loan business alongside its existing card and lending operations. The company also references a Community Benefits Plan associated with the Discover acquisition, which includes a multi-year commitment to community investments and lending, such as initiatives to expand access to affordable housing and homeownership.
Deposits, funding and capital
Company disclosures report that Capital One funds its activities in part through deposits gathered across its banking franchises. Period-end and average deposit balances, as well as interest-bearing deposit rates, are detailed in its quarterly financial supplements. The firm also raises funds through the issuance of senior notes and preferred stock, as evidenced by 8-K filings describing public offerings of fixed-to-floating rate senior notes due 2031 and 2036, and multiple series of preferred stock represented by depositary shares.
Capital One provides information on its capital adequacy, including its CET1 capital ratio and other regulatory capital measures, in tables accompanying its earnings releases. These disclosures are intended to help users assess its capital position under applicable regulatory frameworks.
Shareholder returns and stock information
Capital One has a history of paying quarterly dividends on its common stock since it became an independent company on February 28, 1995, as stated in its dividend announcements. The company also declares quarterly dividends on several series of non-cumulative perpetual preferred stock (Series I, J, K, L, M and N, and, in a later announcement, Series O), with each preferred share often represented by a specified fraction through depositary shares.
In an 8-K dated October 20, 2025, Capital One disclosed that its Board authorized the repurchase of up to $16 billion of its common stock, replacing a prior authorization. The company notes that repurchases may be conducted through open market purchases or privately negotiated transactions, including the use of Rule 10b5-1 plans, and that the timing and amount of repurchases depend on factors such as market conditions, growth opportunities, capital position and regulatory considerations.
Customer segments and channels
Across its news releases and filings, Capital One consistently states that it serves consumers, small businesses and commercial clients. It delivers products and services through multiple channels, including branches, Cafés and digital or other distribution methods. While the specific mix of channels is not detailed in the provided materials, the repeated reference to a variety of channels indicates a multi-channel approach to reaching its customer base.
Community and housing initiatives
Capital One, together with the Capital One Foundation and partners such as Lever for Change, has announced initiatives aimed at expanding access to affordable housing and homeownership in the United States. One such initiative, Scaling Pathways to Homeownership, is described as a $25 million Open Call intended to identify and support solutions that expand access to affordable homeownership. This effort is part of a five-year, $265 billion Community Benefits Plan associated with the Discover acquisition, focused on creating affordable housing, supporting consumers, growing small businesses and investing in community infrastructure.
Company communications also reference prior financing activity for affordable rental housing and grantmaking to nonprofit organizations working on housing and homeownership-related issues. These activities are presented as part of Capital One’s broader community investment and philanthropic efforts.
Auto finance and industry insights
Capital One’s auto finance business is reflected in its Consumer Banking and Auto loan disclosures, and the company publishes research such as the Capital One Car Buying Outlook. The 2025 edition of this survey-based report discusses trends in car buyer trust in dealers and the role of digital tools in the car buying experience. While the survey findings are based on responses from U.S. car buyers and dealers rather than Capital One customers specifically, the report illustrates the company’s engagement with the auto market and its interest in understanding consumer and dealer behavior.
Partnerships and card programs
Capital One also participates in co-branded and partnership-based card programs. For example, a joint announcement with T-Mobile describes the launch of the T-Mobile Visa credit card, issued by Capital One, N.A. under a license from Visa. The card is positioned as a way for T-Mobile customers to earn rewards in the form of T-Mobile Rewards on purchases, including enhanced rewards on qualifying purchases at T-Mobile and rewards that can be applied toward T-Mobile bills, devices and accessories. The program is integrated into T-Mobile’s digital ecosystem and leverages Capital One’s card technology, including features such as virtual card numbers, contactless chips, digital wallet integration, fraud protection and the ability to lock and unlock cards through the Capital One Mobile App.
Earnings reporting and investor communications
Capital One regularly reports its financial results through quarterly earnings releases and associated financial supplements, which are furnished to the SEC on Form 8-K. These materials include consolidated statements of income and balance sheets, segment summaries, loan and deposit statistics, allowance for credit losses, and reconciliations of non-GAAP measures such as adjusted net income, adjusted net interest margin and adjusted efficiency ratios. The company also furnishes monthly charge-off and delinquency metrics for its lending portfolios via 8-K filings under Item 7.01.
Earnings releases are typically accompanied by investor conference calls and webcasts, which are accessible through the company’s website. Capital One also participates in financial services conferences hosted by investment banks, where it presents to investors and analysts. Information about these events, including webcast access and replay availability, is disclosed in 8-K filings.
Corporate structure and securities
Capital One Financial Corporation functions as the parent holding company for its banking and financial subsidiaries. Its securities registered under Section 12(b) include:
- Common Stock (par value $0.01 per share), trading under the symbol COF on the NYSE.
- Depositary shares representing fractional interests in various series of Fixed Rate Non-Cumulative Perpetual Preferred Stock (Series I, J, K, L and N), each series trading under a distinct NYSE symbol.
- 1.650% Senior Notes due 2029, trading under the symbol COF29 on the NYSE.
In addition, the company issues other senior notes and preferred stock series that may not be exchange-listed in the same manner but are described in its 8-K filings and related indenture documents. Legal opinions and indenture supplements related to these securities are filed as exhibits to the relevant 8-Ks.
Status and listing
Based on the most recent SEC filings provided, Capital One’s common stock and multiple series of preferred stock depositary shares remain listed on the New York Stock Exchange. There is no indication in the supplied materials of delisting, deregistration, bankruptcy or cessation of operations. The company continues to file current reports on Form 8-K, report earnings, declare dividends and conduct capital markets transactions.