Capital One Case Study Essay

In consumer l fetch uping, e rattling product is evolving in the aforesaid(prenominal) direction as cite visiting tease-toward large, national-scale consolidators replacing topical anesthetic, face-to-face lend. That evolution has happened in point of reference cards. Its well under way in auto finance, owes, and home equity. Its coming more(prenominal) slowly in installment lending. So consumer lending, a major(ip) part of the asset side of banking, is all flowing toward national consolidators like swell one. -RICHARD D. FAIRBANK, CEO AND CHAIRMAN, chief city ONE FINANCIAL CORPORATIONUnited Kingdom, the Hfs Group, to strengthen its Global Financial serve (GFS) subsidiary in the British securities industry. As of April 2005, it possessed sufficient liquidity ($21 billion) and capital ($9.2 billion)4 to enable its famous chump to expand into new marts and seize the right opportunities for remunerative growth. Although the come withs acquisition of Hibernia in exhibit 2005 provided it an luck to enter the fast-developing Texas markets of Houston and Dallas, it might face stiff competition from new(prenominal)wise large confidence companies, much(prenominal) as Citigroup and J.P. Morgan. enceinte superstar Financial Corporation is a diversified bank holding confederation, with a 2005 market value of $18.92 billion. It provides a gamut of financial services through its main subsidiaries-Capital wiz Bank, Capital unitary FS.B. (which offers consumer and mercenary lending and consumer deposit products), and Capital adept Auto Finance Inc (COAF). From a small local bankcard issuer in 1995, the company has transformed itself into one of the largest financial institutions in the United States by continuallyintroducing a steady stream of products. It features one of the most recognized brands in the industry, which it leverages along with its strategies of direct marketing, risk analysis, and discipline technology to grow and diversify into new(prenominal) backinges.Ranked 206th in the Fortune 500 list in 2005,2 the company has been gradually transforming itself from a credit card company to an institution that provides banking and other financial services to consumers. By January 2005, it was the 31st largest deposit institution in the United States with $25.6 billion3 in touch on-bearing deposits. Capital angiotensin-converting enzyme has been on the path of diversification from the late 1990s and has made three acquisitions between 2004 and 2005 Onyx Acceptance Corporation, eSmartloan, and Hibernia content Bank. It has likewise acquired a home equity brokerage house company in theCapital unmatchable is the twenty percentage largest credit card provider in the United States5 and one of the largest issuers of MasterCard and Visa credit cards. It was founded as a wholly owned subsidiary of Virginia- insensibled Signet Bank when Richard D. Fairbank, CEO and chairman of Capital wholeness, was invited by the b ank to train its bankcard division.It began its operations in 1953, the corresponding year MasterCard International was formed. Fairbank and the former vice chairman of Capital genius, Nigel Morris, cognise that traditional banks offered loans with ex represent focusing on the customers-like analyzing their risk characteristics. They decided that by using technology and data exploit techniques in the conclusiveness- making process of providing credit, the bank could charge the appropriate interest rates more accurately and earn greater profits. In 1994, Capital One was spun off from Signet as a public credit card company and established itself in McLean, Virginia. It had an initial public offering of 7,125,000 sh atomic number 18s of common bourgeon in the United States and Canada, at a price of $16 per sh are,6 which was managed by J.P. Morgan Securities Ine., Goldman, Sachs & Co. and Barney Ine. It is a part of the S&P 500 index, and also trades on the New York Stock Exchan ge with the symbol COF This case was written by Susmita Nandi, under the direction of Sumit Kumar Chaudhuri, ICFAI Business School Case Development Centre. It is intended to be used as the basis for class discussion rather than to illustrateeither effective or ineffective discourse of a focus situation. The case was compiled from 25 published sources. 2005, ICFAI Business School Case Development Centre. No part of this publication may be copied, stored, transmitted, reproduced, or distri stilled in any form or strong suit whatsoever without the permission of the copyright owner.Between 1994 and 2004, the company grew at an annual compound rate of 29 percent/ some(prenominal) in terms of its EPS and the number of customers. In 2004, its earnings were $1.5 billion, and the EPS was at $6.21.8 At the end of 2004, the company and its subsidiaries held 48.6 million accounts and $79.9 billion9 in managed loans outstanding, which grew by 12 percent ($8.6 billion) over the previous ye ar (see uncover 1). It had 17,760 employees in inch 2005. The bank offers 7,00010variations of its MasterCard and Visa cards, each one is customized to appeal to different customer preferences and needfully by combining product features such as different backgrounds and colors, along with varied annual theatrical role rates, credit limits, fees, and rewards programs. Capital Ones pricing dodging is based on the risk take aim of its customers.It offers platinum and gold cards to its preferred customers with slender credit history and a wide enjoin of secured and unsecured cards to customers with limited or poor credit history. The company also provides a part of consumer products like auto finanCing, mortgage services, credit insurance, and home-equity loans. Customizations of credit cards at Capital One are made with the support of its Information-Based Strategy (IBS), which uses sophisticated data-mining techniques to match its credit cards (its combination of interest rat es, fees, rewards, and other conditions) with targeted customers based on their credit scores, credit uses, and other parameters. IBS is the fusion of one of the worlds largest databases, education dodges, a well-trained team of analysts and statisticians, and advanced scoring models. The companys decision-making process is made efficient by bringing together marketing, credit, risk, and information technology. It selects its most paying customers and the appropriate rate by using the austere testing of econometric and time series models.The credit ratings of customers is based on the Fair Isaac Corporation (FICO) scores, which are used to predict payment risk by looking at several variables, including credit history. TheIBS system uses FICO scores to divide its customers into three groups of super-prime (with excellent credit history), prime (average credit history), and sub-prime (with poor or very little credit history). Through the use of IBS, the company has been able to lo cate a group of students who were not included in the mailing lists of other credit card companies because these students, mostly unemployed and little or no credit histories, were considered high risk.Capital Ones strategy of sending credit card applications, which were tailored to the needs of these students, proved effective, as 70 percent of the applications were filled and mailed back, thus creating a new market for the company. IBS has also helped Capital One avoid customers who do not pay interest charges on loans. The charge-off rate (for bad debt) of Capital One is the industrys lowest, and for 2004 was at 4.37 percent, compared to 5.32 percent in the previous year.Capital Ones GFS particle offers a portfolio of diverse products to both domestic and transnational consumers. In the domestic market, the GFS segment includes installment lending, health care finance, mortgage lending services, and small business lending services. GFS has been on a growth curve and in 2004, it accounted for 27 percent of Capital Ones total managed loans, which are comprised of reported loans and off-balance sheet securitized loans. It also accounts for 14 percent of its earnings. Its international portfolio in the first place consists of credit card business in the United Kingdom and Canada, valued at $8.2 billion and $2.4 billion,12 respectively. Capital One is the United Kingdoms seventh largest credit card issuer, and among the top ten of the same in Canada. In January 2005, the company completed the formalities to acquire a British equity brokerage firm called Hfs Group to strengthen its power in the United Kingdom. Although Capital One had holdings in France and southwestward Africa, it exited these markets due to lack of growth opportunities.Capital One generated strong earnings and loan growth over again in 2004, as it has each year since its initial public offering ten years ago. The company is well positioned for continued success in 2005 in both our Us. cre dit card and our growing and profitable diversification businesses. -RICHARD D. FAIRBANK, CHAIRMAN CAPITAL AND CEO, CORPORATION ONE FINANCIALCapital One grew at 30 percent14 (see Exhibit 2, on page 68) between 1994 and 2004 by issuing credit cards at entrancing interest rates. Most of its business is conducted via direct mail (junk-mail solicitations), although it also markets its products through television and Internet (http// web .capitalone.com). It expanded its credit card operations in Canada, Europe, and South Africa in the late 1990s. At the same time, the company also made strategic keeps toward diversifying its portfolio by entering into financing of automobiles and other motor vehicles, mortgage and home equity loans, insurance, and other consumer lending products.Although 60 percent of its total managed loans is in its credit cards business (see Exhibit 3, on page 68), the company is gradually increasing its operations in other business segments. In 1998, Capital One b ought Amerifee, a company that provided financing for elective surgeries such as orthodontic, vision, and cosmetic procedures. It became a wholly owned subsidiary of Capital One in May 2001. Amerifee is a market leader known for introducing Orthodontists Fee and Dental Fee plans in 1993 and 1998, respectively. These fee plans are the largest diligent payment plans in(dollars in millions, except per-share data)Reproductive Endocrinologists and infertility clinics. IS The subsidiary formally became Capital One Healthcare Finance in April 2005. Capital One soon realized that the auto financing market is double that of the creditcard market, and therefore it has a strong growth potential in that segment. This market is highly fragmented and no company holds more than 20 percent16 of the market share. It provided an opportunity to Capital One Auto Finance Ine. (COAF) to introduce innovative offers and increase its market share. COAF added $163.8 millionl? to the companys earnings in 200 4, and has continued to be on a high growth curve. To strengthen its market position in the automobile finance segment, the company acquired ONYXAcceptance Corporation (Onyx) for $191 millionl8 (in an all cash transaction) on January 11, 2005. It also acquired InsLogic, an insurance brokerage firm, from Onyxs management team.The purchase strengthened the Auto Finance subsidiary of Capital One and compound its dealer relationships, coastto-coast market penetration in the United States, and its product line among the prime borrowers. Onyx is based in Foothills, California, and provides automobile loans to certain independent and franchise dealerships all over the United States. Onyx claims to sacrifice purchased and securitized $10 billionl9 in auto loans since its inception in 1993, and allow add 12,000 new dealerships to Capital Ones list. accord to David R. Lawson, Capital Ones executive vice president, and president of COAF, This transaction combines two strong franchises wit h antonymous strengths.Onyxs significant and long-standing presence with California dealerships coupled with its strong prime product offering fills out both COAFs product line and geographic footprint. Together, we expect to realize significant revenue and monetary value synergies20 This acquisition may make COAF the second largest auto lender in the United States. COAF has denote that it has raised its car loan limit to $100,00021 (previously $75,000) for direct-toconsumer vehicle loans that have originated from its Website (http//capitaloneautofinance.com) in February 2005. This move was made in response to the growing demand for luxury cars such as Corvette by Chevrolet, so that the company can get more business from this customer segment. This extension is limited to only those with excellent credit histories (super-prime customers). The vice president of COAF, Brian Reed, said, Car buyers have more choices than ever today at the high end of thecar spectrum, so weve adjusted our limit to offer consumers greater flexibilit/22 The competitive reinforcement of COAF is that the loan process takes place on the Internet and requires no legacy fees.Also, its IBS system allows it to charge alter interest rates depending on the customers risk levels. In February 2005, Capital One purchased eSmartloans .com for $one hundred fifty-five million,23 one of the largest online providers of home equity loans mortgages in the United States. Headquartered in Overland Park, Kansas, the company offers a change of products that are marketed and delivered directly to homeowners. The purchase is meant to broaden Capital Ones offering of consumer loans and deepen its position in the growing US. home equity market. Larry Klane, Capital Ones executive vice president of Global Financial Services, said, eSmartloan has succeeded in building a scalable technology political platform, a highly proficient sales team, and an outstanding reputation for customer service and speed to close.By combining these strengths with Capital Ones powerful national brand, access to 47 million accounts, and expertise in direct marketing, we will enhance the growth of our home equity lending business24 In early show 2005, Capital One announce its decision to purchase Hibernia National Bank. Hibernia is the largest bank in lanthanum,2s with 316 branches in atomic number 57 and Texas, and $17.4 billion26 in deposits. It provides a wide assortment of financial products and services through its banking and non-banking subsidiaries that ranges from deposit products, small business, mercantile, mortgage, backstage and international banking, to trust and investment management, brokerage, investment banking, and insurance. Capital One paid a 24 percent premium over Hibernias closing linage price of $26.57 as on environ 4, or $33 per share,27and a total of$5.3 billion for the purchase.The nuclear fusion reaction is expected to cost $175 million in restructuring expenses and re sult in near-term synergies of$135 million.28 According to Fairbank, This acquisition is a natural extension of the diversification strategy we have been pursuing for some time. The transaction brings together two financial companies with complementary strengths and represents a get long-term value proposition for shareholders of both companies. Hibernias leading market share in Louisiana and its promising Texas branch expansion create not only a solid growth platform as we continue to expand, but also an additional source oflowercost patronage. Additionally, we believe our national brand, 48 million accounts, broad product offerings, asset generation capabilities, and market expertise will drive profitable growth in branch banking 29 Capital One wanted to purchase a commercial bank with a strong management team and a large local market share. Hibernia has both these qualities as well as the potential to expand extensively into Texas markets. Currently it has only 109 branches in Texas, but the cities of Dallas and Houston are number 2 and 3 in terms of fastest growing markets in the resistance cities, a seemingly untapped potential for capturing market share in that region.30 The main advantage of purchasing Hibernia is that Capital One gains access to a lower cost of funding at 1.38 percent against a rate of 4.24 percent.3l One third of Capital Ones funding is obtained from the deposits in its fully owned Internet bank at 4 percent, which is higher than that paid by any of its rivals.The rest of it comes from securitization, which is uncivilised as well as costlier than its other avenues of sourcing funds. It can increase ratio of funding from deposits from the previous 30 percent to 40 percent,32 to support its lending operations in the areas of credit cards, auto finance and mortgages. acquiring Hibernia is also expected to increase its profit margins due to decreased interest expenses and bring stability to its businesses of consumer lending and other financial products. It now has the ability to use Hibernias brick -and- mortar branches as a innovation pad to market its range of offerings in combination with its IBS techniques. The deal also provides Capital One with the opportunity to enter the debit -card market and also introduce its own home equity credit line. early(a) in the twenty-first century, the US. credit card industry witnessed a high level of competition and was also going through a phase of consolidation. For example, J.P. Morgan integrated with Chase in 2000, and the have group merged with Bank One in July 2004 to form the second largest US. bank holding company with a combined asset base of $1 one million million33 and 19.1 percent of the total credit card market share. The US. consumer debt amount of $2.1 trillion (Federal Reserve Bank data) in January 2005 was mostly due to the top ten credit card companies, which held 85 percent of the market share.34 Market share of Capital One in the credit card segmen tfell from 7.2 percent in 200Ys to 6.8 percent (see Exhibit 4) in 2004.Capital One was left with no innovative ideas such as being the first bank to offer automatic balance transfers, which could catch business from other banks. The rise in personal bankruptcies and the economic recession between 2001 and 2004, coupled with the intensity level of the credit card market diminished growth opportunities for Capital One in that market. Thisnecessitated its diversification into other consumer lending operations through different distribution channels such as Hibernia. Capital One has been bombarding the Internet, radio, and television with its advertisement, Whats in your wallet? with one of the versions featuring the famous Hollywood comedian David Spade (Appendix 1). It spent $285 million on advertisements, a total marketingexpense of $1.3 billion36 in 2004 and $5.4 million in January 2005,37 which was more than competitors such as American Express. In a consumer survey conducted by USA Todays weekly poll, 30 percent of the people disliked the advertisement, while 12 percent liked it a lot suggesting that it did not receive the popularity it wanted.It was opined that the advertisement expense has been eating into Capital Ones profits. other potential hurdle for Capital One is its potentially risky source of funding from securitization. It pools together the loans it originates and invests pieces from that gathering in different securities. Because the investment is dependent on the stock market price fluctuations, this source of funding involves a great deal of uncertainty and risks of monetary loss. It has also amassed a large portfolio of sub-prime customers as it relies on its IBS system to guide it toward greater profit margins (related to greater risk), without incurring heavy losses. Due to federal regulations and a great many of its customers defaulting on their loans, Capital One had to shift away from subprime to a greater proportionality of prime and super-prime customers.This change led to smaller margins as the company offered an introductory rate of 9.9 percent to its super-prime customers vis-a-vis a rate of25.9 percent3s charged to sub-prime customers who are associated withhigh probability of delinquency. In July 2002, the company disclosed its decision to tighten controls over its loan disbursements (mainly to sub-prime lenders) to meet the banking regulators demands, leading to a 40 percent decline39 in its shares in one day (Appendix 2). Management of Hibernias branch banking and its non-consumer lending operations, after the merger is complete, might pose a challenge for Capital One because it lacks experience in those fields.The non-consumer lending portfolio consists of commercial and industrial loans (C&I) and commercial real-estate (CRE) loans. Hibernias combined portfolio of C&I and CRE is worth $4 billion,40 and its small business portfolio is valued at $3.2 billion. The challenge will be to efficiently inte grate Hibernia into its system and strategy, which includes in club of its retail branch banking, and follow of its business and asset integration plans. For the short term, it might need to rely on Hibernias management team in making any strategic decisions. Part of the strategic long-term vision, as announced by the company is to expandfurther into the state of Texas, especially in Dallas and Houston, and establishnew branches there. In expanding in that direction, Capital One is likely to face stiff competition from several major players in the credit card and banking industry such as JP Morgan, Citigroup, Bank of America, and American Express.It may be unenviable for Capital One to steal any business away from these giants, even with its innovative ideas and products, because the bigger players have strong presence in that region. Analyst and credit rating agencies like Fitch have warned that Capital Ones growth depends on its ability to aggreSSively defend and maintain market positions in the states of Louisiana and Texas. Fairbanks said, Were well positioned to continue our profitable growth. Financially, weve never been stronger. Our flagship credit card business is thriving.Were successfully taking IBS, the strategy that made Capital One a winner in credit cards and auto finance, to new businesses. And, we have a powerful brand and huge customer base to fuel our growth and diversification. Our people have pulled together to make Capital One the strong, diversified company it is today. And I am confident that they will sustain our momentum as we enter our second ex as a public companyM. McNamee, 2005, Capital Ones concrete step, http//www .businessweek.com, March 11. http//wwwfortune.com. http//wwwcapitalone.com. ibidem N. Slaughter, 2005, Capital One shells out http//wwwfoolcom, March 7 1994, Capital One financial corporation completes initial public offering, http//wwwbusinesswire.com. http//wwwfortune.com. Ibid. 2005, Capital One to acquire Hiber nia Corporation for $5.3 billion in stock and cash, http//biz.yahoo.com, March 6. M. McNamee, 1999, Capital One Isnt there more to life than plastic? http//wwwbusinessweek.com. http//wwwcapitalone.com. Ibid. http//wwwcapitalone.com. 2005, A capital idea, http//wwweconomist.eom, http//wwwcapitalonehealthcarefinance.com. Ibid. http//wwwcapitalone.com. Ibid. http//wwwonyxacceptance.com. http//wwwcapitalone.com. 2005, Capital One announces new online auto loanlimit of $100,000, http//wwwpwrebdireCl.com. February 25. Ibid. March 10. November 22. November 15.http//wwwmccollpartners.com . http//wwwcapitalone.com. Louisiana is one of the southern-most located between Texas and Mississippi. A capital idea, op. cil.states in the U.S. and is2005, Capital One buying Hibernia for $5.3B, http//wwwcnnmoney. com, March 7 http//wwwCapitalone.com. Capital One to acquire Hibernia Corporation for $5.3 billion in stock and cash, op. cil. Capital Ones concrete step, op. cil. A capital idea, op. cil. Ibid . 1 Locke, 2005, Bank One, JPMorgan merger ups the ante in Colorado banking game, http//wwwbizjournals.com. A capital idea, op. cil. March 25K. Maguire, 2005, Capital One rolls with the punches, http//news.yahoo.com, March 21 http//wwwcapitalone.com. M. McCarthy, 2005, Capital Ones Whats in your wallet? ads filling airwaves, http//wwwusatoday.com. March 13. S. Maranjian, 2005, How to owe $40,000 by doing nothing, http//wwwfoolcom, February 11. R. Barker, 2003, Whos minding the store at Capital One? http//wwwbusinessweek.com. March 24. 2005, Fitch places Capital One on rating watch positive Hibernia on watch negative, http//wwwbloomberg.com. March 7 http//wwwcapitalone.com.