POWER OF ATTORNEY


         The  undersigned  hereby  constitutes  and appoints  John G.  Finneran,
  Jr.,  Frank R.  Borchert,  III,  Polly A. Nyquist and
Frederick L. Williams, each of them, as the true and lawful attorneys-in-fact
(with full power of substitution and revocation in each) to:

(1)      execute, for and on behalf of the undersigned, any and all statements
         and reports required or permitted to be filed by the undersigned, in
         any and all capacities, under Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange
         Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules promulgated thereunder (the
         "Act") with respect to the beneficial ownership of the securities of
         Capital One Financial Corporation (the "Company"), including without
         limitation Forms 3, 4, 5, and Form 144 required to be filed by the
         undersigned under Rule 144 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended;

(2)      do and perform any and all acts for and on behalf of the undersigned
         which may be necessary or desirable to complete and execute any such
         statements and reports and file such statements and reports, with all
         amendments, supplements and exhibits thereto, with the Securities and
         Exchange Commission, the New York Stock Exchange and/or any other stock
         exchange or any similar authority and to deliver copies thereof to the
         Company;

(3)      take any other action of any type whatsoever in connection with the
         foregoing which, in the opinion of such attorney-in-fact, may be of
         benefit to, in the best interest of, or legally required by, the
         undersigned, it being understood that the documents executed by such
         attorney-in-fact on behalf of the undersigned pursuant to this Power of
         Attorney shall be in such form and shall contain such terms and
         conditions as such attorney-in-fact may approve in his or her
         discretion; and
(4)      request and receive from any broker (i) periodic reports detailing the
         undersigned's retail holdings of Capital One's securities held in his
         or her account(s) and, (ii) confirmations of acquisitions or
         dispositions of the company's securities, or other derivative
         instrument based on any of the company's equity affected by such broker
         in or through his or her account(s), with no obligation to receive
         further approval from the undersigned for such request(s).

         The undersigned hereby grants to each such attorney-in-fact full power
and authority to do and perform any and every act and thing whatsoever
requisite, necessary, or proper to be done in the exercise of any of the rights
and powers herein granted, as fully as the undersigned could do if personally
present, with full power of substitution or revocation, and hereby ratifies and
confirms all that such attorneys-in-fact shall lawfully do or cause to be done
by virtue of this Power of Attorney. The undersigned acknowledges that the
foregoing attorneys-in-fact, acting in such capacity at the request of the
undersigned, are not assuming, nor is the Company assuming, any of the
undersigned's responsibilities to comply with Section 16 of the Act.

         This Power of Attorney shall remain in full force and effect until the
undersigned is no longer required to file statements or reports under Section
16(a) of the Act with respect to holdings of and transactions in securities
issued by the Company, unless earlier revoked by the undersigned in a signed
writing delivered to the foregoing attorneys-in-fact.



         IN  WITNESS  WHEREOF,  the  undersigned  has  caused  this  Power  of
 Attorney  to  be  executed  as  of  this 15 day  of_August____, 2005.




Name:  Peter A. Schnall


ACKNOWLEDGEMENT FOR POWER OF ATTORNEY

STATE OF _Virginia_____)

CITY/COUNTY OF ___Fairfax__)


The   foregoing   instrument   was   acknowledged
before   me   this   _15th_   day   of   ___August____, 2005
by Peter A. Schnall



Notary Public  Kathlyn Edwards
My commission expires __September 30, 2006.