XML 153 R41.htm IDEA: XBRL DOCUMENT
v2.4.1.9

Investment Securities (Tables) | 12 Months Ended
--- | ---
Dec. 31, 2014
Table Text Block [Abstract] |
Schedule of Available for Sale Securities by Type | The following is a summary of investment securities as of December 31:
|  | 2014 |  | 2013 |  |  | 2012
|  |  |  |  | Gross |  | Gross |  | Estimated |  |  |  |  | Gross |  | Gross |  | Estimated |  | Estimated
|  |  |  | Unrealized | Unrealized |  | Fair |  |  | Unrealized | Unrealized |  | Fair |  |  | Fair
Description of Securities (Millions) |  |  | Cost | Gains | Losses |  | Value |  | Cost | Gains | Losses |  | Value |  |  | Value
State and municipal obligations |  | $ | 3,366 |  | $ | 129 |  | $ | (2) |  | $ | 3,493 |  | $ | 4,060 |  | $ | 54 |  | $ | (79) |  | $ | 4,035 |  | $ | 4,474
U.S. Government agency obligations |  |  | 3 |  |  | ― |  |  | ― |  |  | 3 |  |  | 3 |  |  | ― |  |  | ― |  |  | 3 |  |  | 3
U.S. Government treasury obligations |  |  | 346 |  |  | 4 |  |  | ― |  |  | 350 |  |  | 318 |  |  | 3 |  |  | (1) |  |  | 320 |  |  | 338
Corporate debt securities |  |  | 37 |  |  | 3 |  |  | ― |  |  | 40 |  |  | 43 |  |  | 3 |  |  | ― |  |  | 46 |  |  | 79
Mortgage-backed securities (a) |  |  | 128 |  |  | 8 |  |  | ― |  |  | 136 |  |  | 160 |  |  | 5 |  |  | (1) |  |  | 164 |  |  | 224
Equity securities (b) |  |  | ― |  |  | 1 |  |  | ― |  |  | 1 |  |  | 29 |  |  | 95 |  |  | ― |  |  | 124 |  |  | 296
Foreign government bonds and obligations |  |  | 350 |  |  | 9 |  |  | ― |  |  | 359 |  |  | 272 |  |  | 5 |  |  | (1) |  |  | 276 |  |  | 149
Other (c) |  |  | 50 |  |  | ― |  |  | (1) |  |  | 49 |  |  | 50 |  |  | ― |  |  | (2) |  |  | 48 |  |  | 51
Total |  | $ | 4,280 |  | $ | 154 |  | $ | (3) |  | $ | 4,431 |  | $ | 4,935 |  | $ | 165 |  | $ | (84) |  | $ | 5,016 |  | $ | 5,614
Represents mortgage-backed securities guaranteed by Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac or Ginnie Mae. Primarily r epr esents the Company’s investment in the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) as of December 31, 2013 and 2012. Other comprises investments in various mutual funds.
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value | The following table provides information about the Company’s investment securities with gross unrealized losses and the length of time that individual securities have been in a continuous unrealized loss position as of December 31:
|  |  |  | 2014 |  | 2013
|  | Less than 12 months |  | 12 months or more |  | Less than 12 months |  | 12 months or more
|  |  |  |  |  |  | Gross |  |  |  |  |  | Gross |  |  |  |  | Gross |  |  |  |  | Gross
|  |  |  | Estimated | Unrealized | Estimated | Unrealized |  | Estimated | Unrealized | Estimated | Unrealized
Description of Securities (Millions) |  | Fair Value | Losses | Fair Value | Losses |  | Fair Value | Losses | Fair Value | Losses
State and municipal obligations |  | $ | ― |  | $ | ― |  | $ | 72 |  | $ | (2) |  | $ | 1,320 |  | $ | (63) |  | $ | 106 |  | $ | (16)
Foreign government bonds and obligations |  |  | ― |  |  | ― |  |  | ― |  |  | ― |  |  | 208 |  |  | (1) |  |  | ― |  |  | ―
U.S. Government treasury obligations |  |  | ― |  |  | ― |  |  | ― |  |  | ― |  |  | 166 |  |  | (1) |  |  | ― |  |  | ―
Mortgage-backed securities |  |  | ― |  |  | ― |  |  | ― |  |  | ― |  |  | 35 |  |  | (1) |  |  | ― |  |  | ―
Other |  |  | ― |  |  | ― |  |  | 33 |  |  | (1) |  |  | 30 |  |  | (1) |  |  | 17 |  |  | (1)
Total |  | $ | ― |  | $ | ― |  | $ | 105 |  | $ | (3) |  | $ | 1,759 |  | $ | (67) |  | $ | 123 |  | $ | (17)
Available for Sale Securities Ratio of Fair Value to Amortized Cost | The following table summarizes the gross unrealized losses due to temporary impairments by ratio of fair value to amortized cost as of December 31:
|  | Less than 12 months |  | 12 months or more |  | Total
|  |  |  |  |  | Gross |  |  |  |  |  |  | Gross |  |  |  |  |  |  | Gross
Ratio of Fair Value to |  | Number of | Estimated | Unrealized |  | Number of | Estimated | Unrealized |  | Number of | Estimated | Unrealized
Amortized Cost (Dollars in millions) |  | Securities | Fair Value | Losses |  | Securities | Fair Value | Losses |  | Securities | Fair Value | Losses
2014: |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
90%–100% |  | ― |  | $ | ― |  | $ | ― |  | 15 |  | $ | 105 |  | $ | (3) |  | 15 |  | $ | 105 |  | $ | (3)
Total as of December 31, 2014 |  | ― |  | $ | ― |  | $ | ― |  | 15 |  | $ | 105 |  | $ | (3) |  | 15 |  | $ | 105 |  | $ | (3)
2013: |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
90%–100% |  | 228 |  | $ | 1,665 |  | $ | (53) |  | 6 |  | $ | 24 |  | $ | (2) |  | 234 |  | $ | 1,689 |  | $ | (55)
Less than 90% |  | 13 |  |  | 94 |  |  | (14) |  | 5 |  |  | 99 |  |  | (15) |  | 18 |  |  | 193 |  |  | (29)
Total as of December 31, 2013 |  | 241 |  | $ | 1,759 |  | $ | (67) |  | 11 |  | $ | 123 |  | $ | (17) |  | 252 |  | $ | 1,882 |  | $ | (84)
Contractual maturities of investment securities | Contractual maturities and weighted average yields f or investment securities, excluding equity securities and other securities, as of December 31, 2014 we re as follows:
|  |  |  |  |  | Due after 1 |  | Due after 5 |  |  |  |  |
|  |  | Due within | year but |  | years but |  | Due after |  |  |
(Millions) |  | 1 year |  | within 5 years |  | within 10 years |  | 10 years |  |  | Total
State and municipal obligations(a) |  | $ | 182 |  | $ | 74 |  | $ | 233 |  | $ | 3,004 |  | $ | 3,493
U.S. Government agency obligations |  |  | ― |  |  | ― |  |  | ― |  |  | 3 |  |  | 3
U.S. Government treasury obligations |  |  | 66 |  |  | 264 |  |  | 8 |  |  | 12 |  |  | 350
Corporate debt securities |  |  | 6 |  |  | 34 |  |  | ― |  |  | ― |  |  | 40
Mortgage-backed securities(a) |  |  | ― |  |  | 2 |  |  | ― |  |  | 134 |  |  | 136
Foreign government bonds and obligations |  |  | 307 |  |  | 7 |  |  | ― |  |  | 45 |  |  | 359
Total Estimated Fair Value |  | $ | 561 |  | $ | 381 |  | $ | 241 |  | $ | 3,198 |  |  | 4,381
Total Cost |  | $ | 560 |  | $ | 374 |  | $ | 225 |  | $ | 3,071 |  |  | 4,230
Weighted average yields(b)(c) |  |  | 2.50 | % |  | 2.07 | % |  | 6.71 | % |  | 6.81 | % |  |
The expected payments on state and municipal obligations and mortgage-backed securities may not coincide with their contractual maturities because the issuers have the right to call or prepay certain obligations. Average yields for investment securities have been calculated using the effective yield on the date of purchase. Yields on tax-exempt investment securities have been computed on a tax-equivalent basis using the U.S. federal statutory tax rate of 35 percent.

X
- Definition Represents table summarizing the gross unrealized losses due to temporary impairments by ratio of fair value to amortized cost. + References No definition available. + Details
Name: | axp_AvailableForSaleSecuritiesRatioOfFairValueToAmortizedCostTextBlock
Namespace Prefix: | axp_
Data Type: | nonnum:textBlockItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration

X
- Definition Tabular disclosure of maturities of an entity's investments as well as any other information pertinent to the investments. + References No definition available. + Details
Name: | us-gaap_InvestmentsClassifiedByContractualMaturityDateTableTextBlock
Namespace Prefix: | us-gaap_
Data Type: | nonnum:textBlockItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration

X
- Definition Tabular disclosure of the reconciliation of available-for-sale securities from cost basis to fair value. + References No definition available. + Details
Name: | us-gaap_ScheduleOfAvailableForSaleSecuritiesReconciliationTableTextBlock
Namespace Prefix: | us-gaap_
Data Type: | nonnum:textBlockItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration

X
- Definition For all investments in an unrealized loss position, including those for which other-than-temporary impairments have not been recognized in earnings (including investments for which a portion of an other-than-temporary impairment has been recognized in other comprehensive income), a tabular disclosure of the aggregate related fair value of investments with unrealized losses and the aggregate amount of unrealized losses (that is, the amount by which amortized cost basis exceeds fair value). + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 320 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 6 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=27724398&loc=d3e27290-111563 + Details
Name: | us-gaap_ScheduleOfUnrealizedLossOnInvestmentsTableTextBlock
Namespace Prefix: | us-gaap_
Data Type: | nonnum:textBlockItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration

X
- Details
Name: | us-gaap_TableTextBlock
Namespace Prefix: | us-gaap_
Data Type: | xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration