Roman Tiraspolsky / Getty Images
Commitment to Our Readers
GOBankingRates' editorial team is committed to bringing you unbiased reviews and information. We use data-driven methodologies to evaluate financial products and services - our reviews and ratings are not influenced by advertisers. You can read more about our editorial guidelines and our products and services review methodology.
Reviewed
by Experts
Trusted by
Millions of Readers
Capital One has become a household name due to its popular banking, credit card and auto financing services. With awide selection of travel and rewards cards and no-fee checking and savings accounts, Capital One has found its way into many people’s lives and wallets. But have you ever wondered who owns Capital One? Here’s an in-depth look into the company’s history, business profile and financial services.
Who Owns Capital One?
Capital One is an independent publicly traded company. It’s a subsidiary of Capital One Financial Corp., which was established in 1994 by Richard Fairbank, the current chairman and CEO. Fairbank earned his undergraduate and graduate degrees from Stanford University. In 1987, Fairbank was working as a strategy consultant when he thought up the concept of Capital One. He spent the next few years making his idea a reality.
Fairbank’s business began as a credit card and personal banking institution. In 1998, Capital One Bank began offering auto financing, and in 2005, it expanded into commercial banking. Today, Capital One’s headquarters is located in the Capital One Tower in McLean, Virginia, with corporate offices in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, India, Mexico and the Philippines.
Fairbank has a current net worth of about $1.1 billion, according to The World’s Real-Time Billionaires from Forbes.
Capital One Business Profile
As the ninth-largest bank in the U.S., Capital One has hundreds of branch locations, over 50,000 full-time employees and more than 100 million customers. In 2022, the company’s revenue was over $34 billion. Capital Onetrades on the New York Stock Exchange and is part of the S&P 100.
Banking Reimagined
In pursuit of its mission to build “a different kind of bank,” Capital One has transformed how and where customers bank. It was the first major bank to eliminate no-fee overdraft protection, for example, and it has expanded the brick-and-mortar experience beyond branches to Capital One cafes and airport lounges.
Technology Transformation
Ten years ago, Capital One began a technology transformation — a total, from-the-ground-up rebuild of its company and customer-facing technical infrastructure. The company was fully cloud based by 2021. Eleven years in, Capital One noted in its annual report that it is poised to leverage machine learning and artificial intelligence to continue introducing new products, reducing credit losses and fraud, improving risk management outcomes and creating positive experiences for customers.
Major Competitors
Capital One’s main competitors are other large commercial banks that provide similar services. They include the Big Four — Chase, Citi®, Bank of America and Wells Fargo — as well as American Express, U.S. Bank and PNC.
Capital One Financial Services
Capital One has three operating segments — one for each category of financial services: Credit Card, Consumer Banking and Commercial Banking.
Credit Card
Capital One started as a credit card company, and it stays true to its roots 29 years later by offering an impressive selection of cash-back and travel rewards cards for consumers and small businesses. In addition to its own credit cards, Capital One offers co-branded cards through partnerships with BJs, Pottery Barn, Williams Sonoma, West Elm and other well-known companies. Capital One also offers secured credit cards and cards for students.
The credit card segment is Capital One’s largest, netting $22.36 billion in revenue in 2022 and comprising 65% of the company’s net revenue for that year.
Consumer Banking
Capital One’s consumer banking segment offers deposit accounts and auto loans to its customers. Its primary deposit accounts, like CD accounts and checking accounts are branded 360, and they have no monthly or overdraft fees and no minimum balances. The bank also has a convenient mobile app and over 70,000 ATMs.
For small businesses looking to open an account, Capital One provides deposit accounts and loans catering to their needs.
Capital One doesn’t make personal or home loans, but it does offer auto financing and refinancing for new and used vehicles. With Capital One Auto Navigator, you can find your new car and pre-qualify for a loan. And you can read car reviews and compare vehicles to help you select your next vehicle.
Consumer banking is Capital One’s second-largest income producer. Its net revenue was $9.43 billion in 2022, which was 28% of the company’s total net revenue.
Commercial Banking
Capital One’s commercial banking segment provides lending and depository, capital markets and treasury management services to companies in a wide range of industries, including aerospace/defense/government services, healthcare, finance, technology and energy.
With $3.6 billion in net revenue in 2022, commercial banking is Capital One’s smallest segment, driving 10% of total net revenue.
FAQ
Capital One is one of America's largest banks, providing deposit and lending products to consumers, small businesses and large corporations. A company this size has a lot of moving parts, so it's natural that consumers would be curious about how it's structured. Here's what they're asking:
- Who is Capital One owned by?
- Capital One is owned by Capital One Financial Corporation, a financial services holding company.
Who is the largest shareholder of Capital One?
- Institutions hold 91% of Capital One shares, and the largest institutional investor is Vanguard Group Inc., according to Yahoo Finance.
- Is Capital One owned by Wells Fargo?
- No, Capital One is unrelated to Wells Fargo.
- Is Capital One affiliated with Chase Bank?
- Capital One is not affiliated with Chase Bank -- i.e., JPMorgan Chase. However, it did acquire Chevy Chase Bank years ago. Although the names sound similar, Chevy Chase Bank was named after Chevy Chase, Maryland, the Washington, D.C., suburb located near its headquarters.
Nicole Valentine contributed to the reporting for this article.
Editorial Note: This content is not provided by any entity covered in this article. Any opinions, analyses, reviews, ratings or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the author alone and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any entity named in this article.
Information is accurate as of Feb. 27, 2024.
Our in-house research team and on-site financial experts work together to create content that’s accurate, impartial, and up to date. We fact-check every single statistic, quote and fact using trusted primary resources to make sure the information we provide is correct. You can learn more about GOBankingRates’ processes and standards in our editorial policy.
- Capital One. "Annual Report."
- Federal Reserve. 2023. "Large Commercial Banks."
- Forbes. 2024. "Richard Fairbank."
