Compute credit-card portfolio profit and breakeven

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Quick Overview

This question evaluates financial modeling, unit-economics calculation, breakeven analysis, and basic risk/expected-loss estimation relevant to a Data Scientist, testing competency in statistics & math and algebraic derivation within financial analysis.

Compute credit-card portfolio profit and breakeven

Company: Capital One

Role: Data Scientist

Category: Statistics & Math

Difficulty: medium

Interview Round: Onsite

A bank is evaluating a new credit card. Segments: A: 30,000 customers, capture rate 20%, avg annual spend per captured customer = $100,000. B: any population, capture rate 0% (ignore for revenue). C: 150,000 customers, capture rate 5%, avg annual spend per captured customer = $20,000. Assumptions: revenue = 3% of cardholder spend; default/charge-off cost = 1% of spend; acquisition cost = $200 per active card (one-time, paid at activation); fixed annual cost = $10,000,000. a) Compute total annual spend captured, gross revenue, costs, and profit. b) Name two additional costs you would include (e.g., rewards/cashback, servicing) and explain directionally how they change profit. c) A partnership adds 5,000 new customers, each spending $40,000/year; recompute annual profit. d) First year only, each new customer gets a $500 signup bonus paid at activation. Assume spend accrues uniformly, retention is indefinite, no discounting, and the $200 acquisition cost and $500 bonus are both paid immediately. At what time (years, 2 decimals) does the incremental $500 break even? Sketch the cumulative net profit curve over time and label breakeven. e) Derive the default rate r (as a function of parameters) that makes profit exactly zero.

Overview: This question evaluates financial modeling, unit-economics calculation, breakeven analysis, and basic risk/expected-loss estimation relevant to a Data Scientist, testing competency in statistics & math and algebraic derivation within financial analysis.

Read the full Capital One Data Scientist interview experience this question came from

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Oct 13, 2025
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A bank is evaluating a new credit card. Segments: A: 30,000 customers, capture rate 20%, avg annual spend per captured customer = 100,000.B:anypopulation,capturerate0100,000. B: any population, capture rate 0% (ignore for revenue). C: 150,000 customers, capture rate 5%, avg annual spend per captured customer = 20,000. Assumptions: revenue = 3% of cardholder spend; default/charge-off cost = 1% of spend; acquisition cost = 200peractivecard(one−time,paidatactivation);fixedannualcost=200 per active card (one-time, paid at activation); fixed annual cost = 10,000,000. a) Compute total annual spend captured, gross revenue, costs, and profit. b) Name two additional costs you would include (e.g., rewards/cashback, servicing) and explain directionally how they change profit. c) A partnership adds 5,000 new customers, each spending 40,000/year;recomputeannualprofit.d)Firstyearonly,eachnewcustomergetsa40,000/year; recompute annual profit. d) First year only, each new customer gets a 500 signup bonus paid at activation. Assume spend accrues uniformly, retention is indefinite, no discounting, and the 200acquisitioncostand200 acquisition cost and 500 bonus are both paid immediately. At what time (years, 2 decimals) does the incremental $500 break even? Sketch the cumulative net profit curve over time and label breakeven. e) Derive the default rate r (as a function of parameters) that makes profit exactly zero.

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