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Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2026
Accounting Policies [Abstract]  
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
NOTE 1—SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
The Company
Capital One Financial Corporation, a Delaware corporation established in 1994 and headquartered in McLean, Virginia, is a diversified financial services holding company with banking and non-banking subsidiaries. Capital One Financial Corporation and its subsidiaries (the “Company” or “Capital One”) operate as a global payments provider and diversified financial institution, delivering a broad array of financial products and services to consumers, small businesses and commercial clients through digital channels, branch locations, cafés and other distribution channels.
As of March 31, 2026, Capital One Financial Corporation’s principal operating subsidiary was Capital One, National Association (“CONA”). On May 18, 2025 (the “Closing Date”), Discover Financial Services (“Discover”) merged into Capital One and Discover Bank merged into CONA. See “Note 2—Business Combinations” for additional information. The Company is hereafter collectively referred to as “we,” “us” or “our.” CONA is referred to as the “Bank.”

We offer credit cards, debit cards, bank lending, treasury management and depository services, auto loans, and other consumer lending products in markets across the United States (“U.S.”). We service banking customer accounts through digital channels and our network of branch locations, cafés, call centers and automated teller machines (“ATMs”). Additionally, through the acquisition of Discover, we acquired new products including personal loans as well as the Discover Network, the PULSE Network and Diners Club (collectively, the “Global Payment Network”).

We also offer credit card products and certain other services outside of the U.S. principally through Capital One (Europe) plc (“COEP”), an indirect subsidiary of CONA organized and located in the United Kingdom (“U.K.”), and through a branch of CONA in Canada. Both COEP and our Canadian branch of CONA have the authority to provide credit card loans. In addition, we offer Global Payment Network services globally.
Our principal operations are organized for management reporting purposes into three major business segments, which are defined primarily based on the products and services provided or the types of customer served: Credit Card, Consumer Banking and Commercial Banking. We provide details on our business segments, the integration of any recent material acquisitions into our business segments, and the allocation methodologies and accounting policies used to derive our business segment results in “Note 13—Business Segments and Revenue from Contracts with Customers.”
Basis of Presentation and Use of Estimates
The accompanying unaudited interim consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the U.S. (“U.S. GAAP”). The preparation of the consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the consolidated financial statements and in the related disclosures. These estimates are based on information available as of the date of the consolidated financial statements. While management makes its best judgments, actual amounts or results could differ from these estimates. In the opinion of management, all normal, recurring adjustments have been included for a fair statement of this interim financial information.
These unaudited interim consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements, and related notes thereto, included in Capital One Financial Corporation’s 2025 Annual Report on Form 10-K (“2025 Form 10-K”). We have described relevant updates to the significant accounting policies presented in 2025 Form 10-K below. The following policies for investment securities are included as the Company began classifying certain newly acquired debt securities as held-to-maturity during the three months ended March 31, 2026.
Investment Securities
Our investment securities portfolio consists of the following debt securities: U.S. government-sponsored enterprise or agency (“GSE” or “Agency”) and non-agency residential mortgage-backed securities (“RMBS”), agency commercial mortgage-backed securities (“CMBS”), U.S. Treasury securities and other debt securities. The accounting and measurement framework for our investment securities differs depending on the security classification.
We classify investment securities as available for sale or held to maturity based on our investment strategy and management’s assessment of our intent and ability to hold the securities until maturity. Securities that we may sell prior to maturity in response
to changes in our investment strategy, liquidity needs, interest rate risk profile or for other reasons are classified as available for sale. Securities that we have the intent and ability to hold until maturity are classified as held to maturity.
We report investment securities available for sale on our consolidated balance sheets at fair value with unrealized gains or losses recorded, net of tax, as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income (“AOCI”). We report investment securities held to maturity at amortized cost, net of allowance for credit losses. The amortized cost basis of investment securities reflects the amount for which the security was acquired, adjusted for accrued interest, amortization of premiums, discounts, and net deferred fees and costs, any applicable fair value hedge accounting adjustments, collection of cash, and charge-offs. Investment securities transferred into the held to maturity category from the available for sale category are recorded at fair value at the date of transfer. Any unrealized gains or losses at the transfer date are thereafter included in AOCI. Such unrealized gains or losses are amortized over the remaining life of the security and are expected to offset the amortization of the related premium or discount created upon the investment securities transfer into the held to maturity category, with no expected impact on future net income.
Unamortized premiums, discounts and other basis adjustments for investment securities are generally recognized in interest income over the contractual lives of the securities using the interest method. However, premiums on certain callable investment securities are amortized to the earliest call date. We record purchases and sales of investment securities on a trade date basis. Realized gains or losses from the sale of investment securities are computed using the first-in first-out method of identification, and are included in non-interest income in our consolidated statements of income. We elect to present accrued interest for investment securities within interest receivable on our consolidated balance sheets.
An individual available for sale security is impaired when the fair value of the security is less than its amortized cost basis. For impaired securities that we have both the intent and ability to hold, the securities are evaluated to determine if a credit loss exists. The allowance for credit losses on our investment securities is recognized through our provision for credit losses. For investment securities classified as available for sale, this allowance is limited by the unrealized losses of a security measured as the difference between the security’s amortized cost basis and fair value. See further discussion below under the “Allowance for Credit Losses - Investment Securities” section of this Note.
If we intend to sell an available for sale security in an unrealized loss position or it is more likely than not that we will be required to sell the security prior to recovery of its amortized cost basis, any allowance for credit losses is reversed through our provision for credit losses and the difference between the amortized cost basis of the security and its fair value is recognized in our consolidated statements of income.
We charge off any portion of an investment security that we determine is uncollectible. The amortized cost basis, excluding accrued interest, is charged off through the allowance for credit losses. Accrued interest is charged off as a reduction to interest income. Recoveries of previously charged off principal amounts are recognized in our provision for credit losses when received.
Allowance for Credit Losses - Investment Securities
For our investment securities held to maturity and the vast majority of our securities available for sale, we have determined that there is no risk of impairment due to credit factors. These investment securities include high-quality debt instruments that are issued and guaranteed by the United States (“U.S.”) government or issued by GSEs or Agencies, certain foreign sovereign governments or supranational organizations. Accordingly, no allowance for credit losses is recognized for these investment securities. Management performs periodic assessments to reevaluate this conclusion by considering any changes in historical losses, current conditions, and reasonable and supportable forecasts.
For our remaining securities available for sale, we maintain an allowance for credit losses that represents management’s current estimate of expected credit losses over the contractual terms. When an investment security available for sale is impaired due to credit factors, we recognize that impairment through the provision for credit losses in our consolidated statements of income and correspondingly establish an allowance for credit losses on our consolidated balance sheets. Credit losses recognized in the allowance for credit losses are limited to the amount by which the investment security’s amortized cost basis exceeds its fair value. Investment securities in unrealized gain positions do not have any allowance for credit losses as the investment security could be sold at its fair value to prevent realization of any credit losses. We exclude accrued interest from the fair value and amortized cost basis of an investment security for purposes of measuring impairment. Charge-offs of uncollectible amounts of investment securities are deducted from the allowance for credit losses.
We evaluate impairment on a quarterly basis at the individual security level and determine whether any portion of the decline in fair value is due to a credit loss. We make this determination through the use of quantitative and qualitative analyses. Our qualitative analysis includes factors such as the extent to which fair value is less than amortized cost basis, any changes in the security’s credit rating, past defaults or delayed payments, and adverse conditions impacting the security or issuer. A credit loss exists to the extent that management does not expect to recover the amortized cost basis.
For investment securities which require further assessment, we perform a quantitative analysis using a discounted cash flow (“DCF”) methodology and compare the present value of expected future cash flows to the security’s amortized cost basis. Projected future cash flows reflect management’s best estimate and are based on our understanding of past events, current conditions, reasonable and supportable forecasts, and are discounted by the security’s effective interest rate adjusted for prepayments. The allowance for credit losses for investment securities reflects the difference by which the amortized cost basis exceeds the present value of future cash flows and is limited to the amount by which the security’s amortized cost basis exceeds its fair value. See “Note 3—Investment Securities” for additional information.