XML 76 R15.htm IDEA: XBRL DOCUMENT
v2.4.0.8

Asset Securitizations | 9 Months Ended
--- | ---
Sep. 30, 2014
Asset Securitizations [Abstract] |
Asset Securitizations | 6. Asset Securitizations The Company periodically securitizes Card Member receivables and loans arising from its card business through the transfer of those assets to securitization trusts. The trusts then issue securities to third-party investors, collaterali zed by the transferred assets. For information on the Company’s asset securitizations and related account ing policies, refer to Note 7 on page 80 of the Annual Report. The following table provides information on the restricted cash held by the American Express Issuance Trust II (the Charge Trust) and the American Express C redit Account Master Trust (the Lending Trust) as of September 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013, included in O ther assets on the Company’s Consolidated Balance Sheets:
(Millions) |  | 2014 |  | 2013
Charge Trust |  | $ | 1 |  | $ | 2
Lending Trust |  |  | 43 |  |  | 56
Total |  | $ | 44 |  | $ | 58
These amounts relate to collections of Card Member receivables and loans to be used by the trusts to fund future expenses and obligations, including interest paid on investor securities, credit losses and upcoming debt maturities. American Express Trave l Related Services Company, Inc. (TRS), which is a consolidated subsidiary of the Company, is the primary beneficiary of both the trusts. E xcluding its consolidated subsidiaries, TRS owns approximately $1.0 billion of subordinated securities issued by the Lending Trust as of September 30, 2014. Under the respective terms of the Charge Trust and the Lending Trust agreements, the occurrence of certain triggering events associated with the performance of the assets of each trust could result in payment of trust expenses, establishment of reserve funds, or in a worst-case scenario, early amortiza tion of investor securities. During the nine months ended September 30, 2014 and the year ended December 31, 2013, no such triggering events occurred.

X
- Details
Name: | axp_AssetSecuritizationsAbstract
Namespace Prefix: | axp_
Data Type: | xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration

X
- Definition This disclosure of financial assets transferred to a trust (for example, cardmember receivables and loans) whereby the trust then issues securities to third-party investors and these securities are collateralized by the transferred assets. The nature of any restrictions on assets reported by an entity in its statement of financial position that relate to a transferred financial asset is also disclosed. The required disclosures may be provided in more than one note to the financial statements, as long as the GAAP disclosure objectives are met. + References No definition available. + Details
Name: | axp_AssetSecuritizationsTextBlock
Namespace Prefix: | axp_
Data Type: | nonnum:textBlockItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration