Capital One Lead Credit Card Brand.

WESTBURY, N.Y. -- Capital One is the leading credit card issuer brand, according to the Issuer Brand Index (IBI monitored in Cardbeat(R), a syndicated market research tracking study run by Auriemma Consulting Group (ACG). The IBI is designed to capture the brand strength of credit card issuers in 4 different categories: Card Usage, Brand Awareness, Quality and Brand Characteristics. Each category has an equal contribution to the total score, contributing up to 25 points for a maximum possible score of 100 points.

IBI
Brand            Card Usage  Awareness Quality Characteristics  Score
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Capital One        10.53        15.95   16.02      16.60        59.10
Citibank            6.97        15.63   16.66      17.29        56.55
Discover            7.34        16.45   15.85      16.62        56.26
American Express    6.43        15.69   16.69      17.25        56.06
Chase               9.71        14.12   15.48      16.69        56.00
Bank of America     7.66        12.87   16.09      16.61        53.23
Sears               1.29        16.01   16.89      15.69        49.88
MBNA                5.63        12.23   15.04      15.97        48.86
Wells Fargo         8.18         9.71   14.42      15.49        47.79
U.S. Bank           7.12         7.27   13.70      15.53        43.61
Target              3.17         8.31   14.31      16.16        41.94
Providian           6.32         8.85   12.92      13.82        41.91
National City       8.28         5.39   12.81      14.89        41.37
HSBC/Household      6.40         7.13   13.73      13.99        41.24
Bank One            3.68        10.40   14.12      15.22        40.21
Juniper             4.51         4.52   11.68      14.28        34.99

With the exception of Capital One, the overall IBI score for the top 5 issuers is very similar, with 1/2 a point separating issuers #5 from #2. Not surprisingly, these issuers are fierce competitors, have products that are widely held by consumers, and are generally regarded as the major players in the credit card industry.

Based on these facts, it is logical to assume that these issuers would be fairly homogenous. Upon further examination of issuers #2-5, certain distinguishing characteristics become evident. Chase's high card usage score stands out at 9.71. Discover's brand awareness score is significantly higher than its direct competitors, due to its dual role as issuer and association. Citibank and American Express had the highest quality and brand characteristics scores.

Cardbeat is a syndicated market research study published monthly by ACG that provides insights into how consumer perceptions impact credit card acquisition and usage. 1,402 consumers were surveyed between December 2005 and February 2006 regarding their opinions on the strength of the leading credit card brands. ACG is a management consulting firm, specializing in the payments and lending industry. For further information, contact Megan Bramlette at 516-333-4800 or [e-mail].