By contrast, there are "sloppy payers," who pay only some bills on time; "abusers," who are defiant about paying; and "distressed borrowers," who simply do not have the means to pay.

I think we are seeing some consumer behavior change where people are paying attention to their financial situation, keeping an eye on keeping their [credit] score intact," said Christopher Brendler, an analyst at Stifel Nicolaus. "Credit card [companies] make a lot of money on sloppy payers, people who pay you but pay you late. The worst case for credit card companies is when everyone who pays you late charges off.

Early payment delinquencies and other types of accounts viewed as most likely to go seriously delinquent must be pursued aggressively, while customers who are routinely "sloppy payers" likely require little or no expensive collection activity.