Consumer Credit Stress: What The Data Really Shows

RIA · Sep 25, 2026

A viral stat claims credit card delinquencies just hit their worst level since 2008. However, the New York Fed's own data shows the opposite, and the real consumer credit stress is hiding exactly where the headlines aren't looking. A number has been making the rounds all year, and it's misleading. The claim: roughly 13% of credit card balances are 90 days or more past due, the worst since 2008. Here's the twist. That number is real, and it comes straight from the New York Fed. It just doesn't mean what the scary charts say it means. Sorting the real signal from the viral one matters because…