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All Information in the preceding tables is presented on a basis prepared in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (GAAP), unless otherwise indicated. Certain reclassifications of prior period amounts have been made to conform to the current period presentation. | | |
(A) | | Represents net income, less (i) earnings allocated to participating share awards of $12 million, $11 million, $13 million, $11 million and $16 million in Q4'19, Q3'19, Q2'19, Q1'19 and Q4'18, respectively; and (ii) dividends on preferred shares of $20 million, $21 million, $19 million, $21 million and $19 million in Q4'19, Q3'19, Q2'19, Q1'19 and Q4'18, respectively. |
(B) | | Within assets, "other" includes the following items as presented in the Company’s Consolidated Balance Sheets: Other loans (including merchant financing loans), Premises and equipment and Other assets; and within liabilities, "other" includes the following items: Accounts payable and Other liabilities. |
(C) | | Return on average equity and return on average common equity are calculated by dividing one year period net income/net income attributable to common shareholders by one year average total shareholders’ equity/average common shareholders' equity, respectively. Refer to Appendix I for components of return on average equity and return on average common equity. |
(D) | | Current ratios represent preliminary estimates as of the date of the Fourth Quarter 2019 Earnings Release and may be revised in the Company’s 2019 Form 10-K for the period ended December 31, 2019. |
(E) | | Supplementary Leverage Ratio is calculated by dividing Tier 1 capital by total leverage exposure under Basel III. Leverage exposure, which reflects average total consolidated assets with adjustments for Tier 1 capital deductions, average off-balance sheet derivatives exposures, securities purchased under agreements to resell and credit equivalents of undrawn commitments that are both conditionally and unconditionally cancellable. |
(F) | | Presented for the purpose of calculating the Tier 1 Leverage Ratio. |
(G) | | Billed business represents transaction volumes (including cash advances) on cards and other payment products issued by American Express (proprietary billed business) and cards issued under network partnership agreements with banks and other institutions, including joint ventures (GNS billed business). In-store spending activity within GNS retail cobrand portfolios, from which we earn no revenue, is not included in billed business. Billed business is reported as United States or outside the United States based on the location of the issuer. |
(H) | | Cards-in-force represents the number of cards that are issued and outstanding by American Express (proprietary cards-in-force) and cards issued and outstanding under network partnership agreements with banks and other institutions, including joint ventures (GNS cards-in-force) except for GNS retail cobrand cards that have no out of store spend activity during the prior 12 months. Basic cards-in-force excludes supplemental cards issued on consumer accounts. |
(I) | | Average discount rate calculation is generally designed to reflect the average pricing at all merchants accepting American Express cards and represents the percentage of proprietary and GNS billed business retained by the Company from merchants it acquires, or from merchants acquired by third parties on its behalf, net of amounts retained by such third parties. |
(J) | | Average fee per card is computed based on proprietary net card fees divided by average proprietary total cards-in-force. |
(K) | | Other includes foreign currency impact on balance sheet re-measurement and translation. |
(L) | | The Company presents a net write-off rate based on principal losses only (i.e., excluding interest and/or fees) to be consistent with industry convention. In addition, as the Company's practice is to include uncollectible interest and/or fees as part of its total provision for losses, a net write-off rate including principal, interest and/or fees is also presented. |
(M) | | See Appendix II for calculations of net interest yield on average Card Member loans, a non-GAAP measure, and net interest income divided by average Card Member loans, a GAAP measure, and the Company's rationale for presenting net interest yield on average Card Member loans (refer to Footnotes "T" and "U"). |
(N) | | GCP reflects global, large and middle market corporate accounts. GCP delinquency data for periods other than 90+ days past billing is not available due to system constraints. GCP Net loss ratio represents the ratio of GCP charge card write-offs, consisting of principal (resulting from authorized transactions) and fee components, less recoveries, on Card Member receivables expressed as a percentage of gross amounts billed to corporate Card Members. |
(O) | | FX-adjusted information assumes a constant exchange rate between the periods being compared for purposes of currency translation into U.S. dollars (i.e., assumes the foreign exchange rates used to determine results for Q4'19 apply to the period(s) against which such results are being compared). The Company believes the presentation of information on an FX-adjusted basis is helpful to investors by making it easier to compare the Company's performance in one period to that of another period without the variability caused by fluctuations in currency exchange rates. |
(P) | | Effective Q1'19, we moved intercompany assets and liabilities, previously recorded in the operating segments, to Corporate and Other. Prior period amounts have been revised to conform to the current period presentation. |
(Q) | | Primarily represents interest expense attributable to maintaining our corporate liquidity pool and funding Card Member receivables. |
(R) | | Primarily represents interest income attributable to Other loans, interest-bearing deposits and the fixed income investment portfolios. |
(S) | | Adjusted net interest income is a non-GAAP measure that represents net interest income attributable to our Card Member loans (which includes, on a GAAP basis, interest that is deemed uncollectible), excluding the impact of interest expense and interest income not attributable to our Card Member loans. The Company believes adjusted net interest income is useful to investors because it represents the interest expense and interest income attributable to our Card Member loan portfolio and is a component of net interest yield on average Card Member loans, which provides a measure of profitability of our Card Member loan portfolio. |
(T) | | Net interest income divided by average Card Member loans, computed on an annualized basis, a GAAP measure, includes elements of total interest income and total interest expense that are not attributable to the Card Member loan portfolio, and thus is not representative of net interest yield on average Card Member loans. |
(U) | | Net interest yield on average Card Member loans is a non-GAAP measure that is computed by dividing adjusted net interest income by average Card Member loans, computed on an annualized basis. Reserves and net write-offs related to uncollectible interest are recorded through provisions for losses, and thus not included in the net interest yield calculation. The Company believes that net interest yield on average Card Member loans is useful to investors because it provides a measure of profitability of the Company's Card Member loan portfolio. |
(V) | | Reflects changes in the tax method of accounting for certain expenses, the resolution of certain prior years' tax items and an adjustment to the Company's 2017 provisional tax charge related to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. |
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