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Regulatory Matters and Capital adequacy | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2011
Regulatory Capital Requirements Under Banking Regulations [Abstract] |
Regulatory Matters and Capital Adequacy | NOTE 23 regulatory matters and capital adequacy The Company is supervised and regulated by the Federal Reserve and is subject to the Federal Reserve's requirements for risk-based capital and leverage ratios. The Company's two U.S. b ank operating subsidiaries, Centurion Bank and FSB (collectively, the “Banks”), are subject to supervision and regulation, including similar regulatory capital requirements by the FDIC and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC). On July 21, 2011, pursuant to the Dodd-Frank Reform Act, supervision and regulation of FSB was transferred from Office of Thrift Supervision (OTS) to the OCC. The Federal Reserve's guidelines for capital adequacy define two categories of risk-based capital: Tier 1 and Tier 2 capital (as defined in the regulations). Under the risk-based capital guidelines of the Federal Reserve, the Company is required to maintain minimum ratios of Tier 1 and Total (Tier 1 plus Tier 2) capital to risk-weighted assets, as well as a minimum leverage ratio (Tier 1 capital to average adjusted on-balance sheet assets). Failure to meet minimum capital requirements can initiate certain mandatory, and possibly additional, discretionary actions by regulators, that, if undertaken, could have a direct material effect on the Company's and the Banks' operating activities. As of December 31, 2011 and 2010, the Company and its Banks met all capital requirements to which each was subject. Further, the most recent regulatory notification categorized the Company and its Banks as well-capitalized institutions under the prompt corrective action regulations. No conditions or events have occurred since that notification that have caused management to believe any change in the Company's or its Banks' capital classification would be warranted. The following table presents the regulatory capital ratios for the Company and the Banks:
|  |  |  | Tier 1 |  |  | Total |  | Tier 1 capital |  | Total capital |  | Tier 1 |
(Millions, except percentages) |  |  | Capital |  |  | capital |  | ratio |  | ratio |  | leverage ratio |
December 31, 2011: |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| American Express Company |  | $ | 14,881 |  | $ | 17,271 |  | 12.3 | % | 14.3 | % | 10.2 | %
| American Express Centurion Bank |  | $ | 6,029 |  | $ | 6,431 |  | 18.8 | % | 20.1 | % | 19.1 | %
| American Express Bank, FSB |  | $ | 6,493 |  | $ | 7,363 |  | 17.4 | % | 19.8 | % | 18.4 | % (a)
December 31, 2010: |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| American Express Company |  | $ | 13,100 |  | $ | 15,528 |  | 11.1 | % | 13.1 | % | 9.3 | %
| American Express Centurion Bank |  | $ | 5,771 |  | $ | 6,170 |  | 18.3 | % | 19.5 | % | 19.4 | %
| American Express Bank, FSB |  | $ | 5,586 |  | $ | 6,424 |  | 16.3 | % | 18.8 | % | 16.1 | % (a)
Well-capitalized ratios(b) |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 6.0 | % | 10.0 | % | 5.0 | % (c)
Minimum capital ratios(b) |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 4.0 | % | 8.0 | % | 4.0 | %
(a) FSB leverage ratio represents Tier 1 core capital ratio (as defined by OCC regulations applicable to federal savings banks), calculated simil arly to Tier 1 leverage ratio. (b) As defined by the regulations issu ed by the Federal Reserve, OCC and FDIC. (c) Represents requirements for banking subsidiaries to be considered “well capitalized” pursuant to regulations issued under the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Improvement Act. There is no “well capitalized” definition for the Tier 1 leverage ratio for a bank holding company. RESTRICTED NET ASSETS OF SUBSIDIARIES Certain of the Company's subsidiaries are subject to restrictions on the transfer of net assets under debt agreements and regulatory requirements. These restrictions have not had any effect on the Company's shareholder dividend policy and management does not anticipate any impact in the future. Procedures exist to transfer net assets between the Company and its subsidiaries, while ensuring compliance with the various contractu al and regulatory constraints. As of December 31, 2011, the aggregate amount of net assets of subsidiaries that are restricted to be transferred to American Express' Parent Company (Parent Company) was approximately $9.4 billion. BANK HOLDING COMPANY DIVIDEND RESTRICTIONS The Company is limited in its ability to pay dividends by the Federal Reserve wh ich could prohibit a dividend that would be considered an unsafe or unsound banking practice. It is the policy of the Federal Reserve that bank holding companies generally should pay dividends on common stock only out of net income available to common shareholders generated over the past year, and only if prospective earnings retention is consistent with the organization's current and expected future capital needs, asset quality and overall financial condition. Moreover, bank holding companies are required by statue to be a source of strength to their insured depository institution subsidiaries and should not maintain dividend levels that undermine their ability to do so. On an annual basis, the Company is required to develop and maintain a capital plan, which includes planned dividends over a two-year horizon, and to submit the capital plan to the Federal Reserve for approval. BANKS' DIVIDEND RESTRICTIONS In the year ended December 31, 2011, Centurion Bank and FSB paid dividends from retained earnings to its parent of $1.5 billion and $550 million, respectively. No dividends were paid in 2010 and 2009. The Banks are subject to statutory and regulatory limitations on the ir ability to pay dividends. The total amount of dividends which may be paid at any date, subject to supervisory considerations of the Bank s' regulators, is generally limited to the retained earnings of the respective bank. As of December 31, 2011 and 2010, the Banks' retained earnings, in the aggregate, available for t he payment of dividends were $4.6 billion and $3.6 b illion, respectively. In determining the dividends to pay its parent, the Banks must also consider the effects on applicable risk-based capital and leverage ratio requirements, as well as policy statements of the federal regulatory agencies. In addition, the Banks' banking regulators have authority to limit or prohibit the payment of a dividend by the Banks under a number of circumstances, including, if, in the banking regulator's opinion, payment of a dividend would constitute an unsafe or unsound banking practice in light of the financial condition of the banking organization.

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- Definition The entire disclosure for banks, savings institutions, and credit unions, for regulatory capital requirements imposed by the Federal Reserve System (FRB), the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), the Office of Thrift Supervision (OTS) or for any state imposed capital requirements, as applicable. The disclosure may include (1) a description of regulatory capital requirements (a) for capital adequacy purposes and (b) established by the prompt corrective action provisions of Section 38 of the Federal Depository Insurance Act; (2) the actual or possible material effects of noncompliance with such requirements; (3) whether the entity is in compliance with the regulatory capital requirements including (a) required and actual ratios and amounts of Tier 1 leverage, Tier 1 risk-based, and total risk-based capital, tangible capital (for savings institutions), and Tier 3 capital for market risk (for certain banks and bank holding companies), (b) factors that may significantly affect capital adequacy; (4) the prompt corrective action category in which the entity was classified as of its most recent notification; (5) whether management believes any conditions or events since notification have changed the entity's category. Also may include additional information that might be disclosed in situations where substantial doubt about the entity's ability to continue as a going concern for a reasonable period of time. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 942 -SubTopic 505 -Section 50 -Paragraph 1G -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6918689&loc=SL5958577-112826 Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 942 -SubTopic 505 -Section 50 -Paragraph 1B -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6918689&loc=SL5958570-112826 Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 942 -SubTopic 505 -Section 50 -Paragraph 1 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6918689&loc=SL5958568-112826 Reference 4: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 942 -SubTopic 505 -Section 50 -Paragraph 1E -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6918689&loc=SL5958574-112826 Reference 5: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 942 -SubTopic 505 -Section 50 -Paragraph 1H -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6918689&loc=d3e65071-112826 Reference 6: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher AICPA -Name Audit and Accounting Guide (AAG) -Number AAG-DEP -Chapter 17 -Paragraph 15, 16, 17 -IssueDate 2006-05-01 -LegacyDoc This reference is SUPERSEDED by the Accounting Standards Codification effective for interim and annual periods ending after September 15, 2009. This reference is included to help users transition from the previous accounting hierarchy and will be removed from future versions of this taxonomy. Reference 7: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 942 -SubTopic 505 -Section 50 -Paragraph 1C -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6918689&loc=SL5958572-112826 Reference 8: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 942 -SubTopic 505 -Section 50 -Paragraph 1F -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6918689&loc=SL5958575-112826 Reference 9: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 942 -SubTopic 505 -Section 50 -Paragraph 1D -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6918689&loc=SL5958573-112826 Reference 10: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 942 -SubTopic 505 -Section 50 -Paragraph 1A -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6918689&loc=SL5958569-112826 + Details
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