Is this crack a concern?

[Jeffrey R. Pope]

"Cracks" are not much of a concern to me. The cause of the crack(s) is more at issue.

[Bob Elliott]

Rusted lintels expand.

[Kenton H. Shepard, CMI]

There are two conditions, both related to moisture:

1. The flaking of the bricks to the right of the lintel and the gap above the lintel indicate that the lintel is has rusted. Rusted steel expands by a factor of about 17x.

2. The diagonal crack is more often an indication of soil movement. We can't see the termination of the downspout located at this corner, but the fact that there is one increases the chance that at some point this downspout has routed runoff to the foundation, causing soil to expand or consolidate or both.

The big question with cracks is whether the conditions that caused them are now stable, or does a condition exist that will cause cracking to continue, and if so, what's the potential for serious damage?