such as disruption of financial markets, market capacity, and demand for securities offered by Credco as well as any regulatory changes. Many of these risks and uncertainties are beyond Credco’s control.
Credco’s current funding strategy for 2009 is to raise funds to maintain sufficient cash and readily-marketable securities that are easily convertible to cash in order to, at a minimum, meet seasonal and other working capital needs for the next 12 months. Working capital needs include maturing debt obligations, both long and short term, changes in receivables and other asset balances, as well as operating requirements.
Credco’s liquidity and funding strategy is designed to maintain appropriate and stable debt ratings from the major credit rating agencies, Standard & Poor’s (S&P), Moody’s Investor Services (Moody’s), Dominion Bond Rating Service (DBRS), and Fitch Ratings (Fitch). However, Credco is not immune to the impact on corporate ratings arising from the uncertainty in financial markets and the weakening economic environment. The most recent updates that the rating agencies have provided on Credco’s ratings are as follows:
A downgrade in Credco’s long-term debt rating could result in paying higher interest expense on Credco’s unsecured debt, as well as higher fees related to its committed lines of credit. In addition to increased funding costs, a lower long-term debt rating could also reduce Credco’s borrowing capacity in the unsecured term debt capital markets.
Credco’s short-term funding requirements have historically been met primarily by the sale of commercial paper. Credco’s commercial paper is a widely recognized name in the money markets and is supported by a diverse base among short-term investors. Credco has readily sold the volume of commercial paper necessary to meet its funding needs as well as to cover the daily maturities of commercial paper issued. During the first half of 2009 and all of 2008, Credco had continuous access to the commercial paper markets. Its commercial paper issuances after mid-September 2008 were issued at shorter weighted average maturities than Credco’s historical trend, consistent with the changes in issuance maturities occurring across the overall commercial paper market, as reported by the Federal Reserve. During this period, Credco has significantly reduced its reliance on the commercial paper market.
On October 7, 2008, the Federal Reserve Board established the Commercial Paper Funding Facility (CPFF). The CPFF provides three-month liquidity to U.S. issuers of commercial paper through a special purpose vehicle (SPV), which purchases three month unsecured and asset-backed commercial paper directly from eligible issuers using financing provided by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Credco is eligible to have up to $14.7 billion of commercial paper outstanding with the SPV at any one time. Credco continues to be eligible
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to participate in the CPFF based on its current short-term ratings assigned by Moody’s and Fitch. The commercial paper must be rated at least A1/P1/F1 by two or more major nationally recognized statistical rating organizations to qualify for participation in the CPFF. The CPFF is currently set to expire at February 1, 2010. At June 30, 2009, Credco had no commercial paper outstanding with the CPFF.
Based on the maximum available borrowings under committed third party bank credit facilities and term liquidity portfolio investment securities, Credco’s total back-up liquidity coverage of net short-term borrowings was in excess of 100 percent at June 30, 2009 and December 31, 2008.
Long-term Funding Programs
Long-term debt is raised through the offering of debt securities in the United States and international capital markets. Long-term debt is generally defined as any debt with an original maturity greater than 12 months.
Credco had the following long-term debt outstanding:
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(Billions) | | Quarter ended June 30, 2009 | | Year ended December 31, 2008 | |
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Long-term debt outstanding | | $ | 17.9 | | $ | 20.0 | |
Average long-term debt | | $ | 18.7 | | $ | 21.2 | |
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Credco also has the ability to issue debt securities under shelf registrations filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The shelf registration statement filed with the SEC is for an unspecified amount of debt securities to be issued from time to time. During the six months ended June 30, 2009, Credco did not issue any debt securities from its U.S. shelf registration. At June 30, 2009, Credco had $10.6 billion of debt securities outstanding issued under the SEC registration statements.
Credco, in conjunction with certain subsidiaries of American Express, has established a program for the issuance of debt instruments outside the United States to be listed on the Luxembourg Stock Exchange. The maximum aggregate principal amount of debt instruments outstanding at any one time under the program cannot exceed $50.0 billion. At June 30, 2009, $3.0 billion was outstanding under this program, of which $2.5 billion was issued by Credco.
Credco established a program in Australia for the issuance of debt securities from time to time of up to approximately $4.8 billion. During the six months ended June 30, 2009, no notes were issued under this program. At June 30, 2009, approximately $4.1 billion was available for issuance under this program.
During the first quarter of 2008, a new shelf prospectus was filed and became effective in Canada for a medium-term note program providing for the issuance from time to time, in Canada, of up to approximately $3.0 billion of notes by American Express Canada Credit Corporation (Cancredco), an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Credco. All notes issued under this shelf registration will be guaranteed by Credco. During the six months ended June 30, 2009, no notes were issued under this program. The financial results of Cancredco are included in the consolidated financial results of Credco.
The most restrictive limitation on dividends imposed by the debt instruments issued by Credco is the requirement that Credco maintain a minimum consolidated net worth of $50 million. There are no significant restrictions on the ability of Credco to obtain funds from its subsidiaries by dividend or loan. Additionally, there are no limitations on the amount of debt that can be issued by Credco.
Credco paid cash dividends of $75 million to TRS during the six months ended June 30, 2009. Additionally, Credco paid cash dividends of $125 million to TRS on August 10, 2009.
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Liquidity Strategy
Credco seeks to ensure that it has adequate liquidity in the form of cash and readily-marketable securities easily convertible into cash, as well as access to cash and cash equivalents, to continuously meet its business needs, sustain operations, and satisfy its obligations for a period of at least 12 months without access to the unsecured debt capital markets. This objective is managed by accessing capital to finance business growth through a broad and diverse set of funding programs, and maintaining a variety of contingent sources of cash and financing.
As a result of Credco’s funding activities during 2008, Credco raised funds that substantially exceeded its 2008 and 2009 funding needs. The excess was invested with the purpose of increasing the amount of cash and readily-marketable securities Credco holds. The availability of these funds raised in 2008 meant that Credco had no requirement to access the term debt markets in the first half of 2009.
The upcoming approximate maturities of Credco’s long-term debt are as follows:
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Quarter Ending: | | | | |
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September 30, 2009 | | $ | 1.5 | |
December 31, 2009 | | | 1.1 | |
March 31, 2010 | | | — | |
June 30, 2010 | | | 1.4 | |
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Total | | $ | 4.0 | |
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The amount of cash and readily-marketable securities Credco expects to maintain will be substantially greater than its historical levels of holdings. Credco expects to incur higher net interest cost of carry on these amounts, which will be dependent on the amount Credco actually maintains, as well as the difference between its cost of funding these amounts and their investment yields.
Cash and Readily-Marketable Securities
At June 30, 2009, Credco had cash and cash equivalents of approximately $5.6 billion as well as $2.7 billion of longer-term readily-marketable securities. These investments are limited to high credit quality, highly liquid short-term instruments, as well as longer term, highly liquid instruments, such as U.S. Government Sponsored Enterprises’ obligations. These instruments are managed to either mature prior to the maturity of borrowings that will occur within the next 12 months, or are sufficiently liquid that Credco can sell them or enter into sale/repurchase agreements to immediately raise cash proceeds to meet liquidity needs.
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Committed Bank Credit Facilities
Credco maintained committed bank credit facilities at June 30, 2009, as follows:
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(Billions) | | Total | | American Express | | Credco | |
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Committed (a) | | $ | 10.8 | | $ | 1.3 | | $ | 9.5 | (b) |
Outstanding | | $ | 2.9 | | $ | — | | $ | 2.9 | |
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(a) | Included is $2.9 billion outstanding related to the Australian facility. |
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(b) | Credco has the right to borrow a maximum amount of $10.8 billion with a commensurate maximum $1.3 billion reduction in the amount available to American Express. |
Credco’s committed bank credit facilities expire as follows:
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2010 | | $ | 1.9 | |
2011 | | | 2.7 | |
2012 | | | 6.2 | |
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Total | | $ | 10.8 | |
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The availability of the credit lines is subject to Credco’s compliance with certain financial covenants that require maintenance of a 1.25 ratio of combined earnings and fixed charges to fixed charges. The ratio of earnings to fixed charges for Credco was 1.51 for the six months ended June 30, 2009. The ratio of earnings to fixed charges for American Express for the six months ended June 30, 2009 was 1.84.
Committed bank credit facilities do not contain material adverse change clauses which would preclude borrowing under the credit facilities. Additionally, the facilities may not be terminated should there be a change in Credco’s credit rating.
In consideration of all its funding sources, Credco believes that it has the liquidity to satisfy all maturing obligations and fund normal business operations for at least a 12-month period from June 30, 2009.
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Forward-Looking Statements
Various statements have been made in this Amendment No.1 to the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q that may constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements may also be made in Credco’s other reports filed with or furnished to the SEC and in other documents. In addition, from time to time, Credco, through its management, may make oral forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, including those identified below, which could cause actual results to differ materially from such statements. The words “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “optimistic,” “intend,” “plan,” “aim,” “will,” “may,” “should,” “could,” “would,” “likely” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Credco cautions you that the risk factors described below are not exclusive. There may also be other risks that Credco is unable to predict at this time that may cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date on which they are made. Credco undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements.
Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from Credco’s forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to:
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| • | credit trends, which will depend in part on the economic environment, including, among other things, the housing market and the rates of bankruptcies, which can affect spending on card products and debt payments by individual and business customers; |
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| • | Credco’s ability to accurately estimate the provisions for losses in Credco’s outstanding portfolio of cardmember receivables and loans; |
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| • | fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates; |
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| • | negative changes in Credco’s credit ratings, which could result in decreased liquidity and higher borrowing costs; |
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| • | changes in laws or government regulations affecting American Express’ business, including the potential impact of the Credit Card Accountability Responsibility and Disclosure Act of 2009 and regulations adopted by federal bank regulators relating to certain credit and charge card practices; |
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| • | the effect of fluctuating interest rates, which could affect Credco’s borrowing costs; |
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| • | the impact on American Express’ business resulting from continuing geopolitical uncertainty; |
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| • | Credco’s ability to satisfactorily remediate (i) the accounting error resulting in the restatement or (ii) its material weakness in internal control over financial reporting; |
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| • | Credco’s ability to satisfy its liquidity needs and execute on its funding plans, which will depend on, among other things, Credco’s future business growth, its credit ratings, market capacity and demand for securities offered by Credco, performance by Credco’s counterparties under its bank credit facilities and other lending facilities, and regulatory changes, including adoption of changes to the policies, rules and regulations of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System; |
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| • | Credco’s ability to meet the criteria for participation in certain liquidity facilities and other funding programs, including the Commercial Paper Funding Facility being made available through the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, or through other governmental entities; and |
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| • | Credco’s ability to access in a timely manner its remaining investment in the Reserve Primary Fund. |
OTHER REPORTING MATTERS
Accounting Developments
See “Recently Issued Accounting Standards” section of Note 2 to the Consolidated Financial Statements.
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Item 4. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
The following has been amended to reflect the restatement of Credco’s Consolidated Financial Statements as discussed further in “Explanatory Note” and in Note 1 to the Consolidated Financial Statements.
Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
Credco’s management, with the participation of Credco’s Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, has evaluated the effectiveness of Credco’s disclosure controls and procedures (as such term is defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”)) as of the end of the period covered by this report. Based on such evaluation, Credco’s Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer have concluded that Credco’s disclosure controls and procedures were not effective as of June 30, 2009 due to the material weakness identified and described below.
As described in the Explanatory Note herein, Credco identified an error in its accounting for a net investment in a consolidated foreign subsidiary that stemmed from a funding structure executed in 2004. In the course of preparing the financial statements for the third quarter of 2009, an error was identified in the initial set up of this structure in Credco’s subsidiary ledgers that caused an incorrect automated bookkeeping entry to be recorded beginning in the third quarter of 2007 when a portion of the funding for this net investment was refinanced. As a result of this incorrect automated bookkeeping entry, (i) other revenues in Credco’s Consolidated Statements of Income, (ii) accrued interest and other liabilities, and retained earnings and the foreign currency translation adjustments account included in the accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) component of shareholder’s equity in Credco’s Consolidated Balance Sheets were incorrect beginning in the third quarter of 2007. Following a review of its controls and processes, Credco’s management has determined that it did not maintain effective controls over processes to accurately record or monitor certain of its net investments in consolidated foreign subsidiaries with similar funding structures. This deficiency resulted in an error that was not prevented or detected on a timely basis and resulted in restatements of the financial statements for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2008 and 2007, including each of the quarterly periods in fiscal year 2008 and the third and fourth quarters in fiscal year 2007, and for the first and second quarters in 2009. Accordingly, Credco’s management concluded that this deficiency constitutes a material weakness.
Remediation Steps to Address Material Weakness in Internal Controls
Credco has reviewed its processes and controls for recording and monitoring net investments in foreign consolidated subsidiaries and has determined that the error was limited to a discrete number of similar transactions (specifically three funding structures related to net investments in consolidated foreign subsidiaries). Credco has performed a detailed review of each of these net investment funding structures and has determined there have been no other errors in accounting. Credco has also enhanced its controls with respect to recording and monitoring funding structures related to net investments in consolidated foreign subsidiaries to prevent future errors in accounting from occurring.
Based on the actions taken, Credco believes that, as of the date of this Form 10-Q/A, the potential risk of a material misstatement related to the accounting for net investments in consolidated foreign subsidiaries for these three funding structures is remote. In addition, management is performing additional actions to remediate the material weakness including the continued evaluation of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting on an ongoing basis, and will take further actions as appropriate.
To address the material weakness, Credco performed additional analysis and other procedures in connection with the preparation of the financial statements included in this Form 10-Q/A. Accordingly, management believes that the consolidated financial statements included herein fairly present, in all material respects, our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows for the periods presented.
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Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting
There were no changes to Credco’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the second quarter ended June 30, 2009 that would have a material effect, or are reasonably likely to have a material effect, on Credco’s internal control over financial reporting.
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PART II. OTHER INFORMATION
ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
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| For a discussion of Credco’s risk factors, see Part I, Item 1A. “Risk Factors” of Credco’s Form 10-K/A for the year ended December 31, 2008. There are no material changes from the risk factors set forth in such Form 10-K/A. |
Item 6. EXHIBITS
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| The exhibits required to be filed with this report are listed on page E-1 hereof, under ��Exhibit Index,” which is incorporated herein by reference. |
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SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
AMERICAN EXPRESS CREDIT CORPORATION
(Registrant)
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DATE: November 16, 2009 | By | /s/ David L. Yowan |
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| | David L. Yowan |
| | Chief Executive Officer |
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DATE: November 16, 2009 | By | /s/ Lawrence A. Belmonte |
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| | Lawrence A. Belmonte |
| | Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer |
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EXHIBIT INDEX
Pursuant to Item 601 of Regulation S-K
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Exhibit 4(a) | | Form of Permanent Global Registered Fixed-Rate Medium-Term Senior Note, Series D | | Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4(i) to Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form S-3 dated June 16, 2009 (File No. 333-160018) |
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Exhibit 4(b) | | Form of Permanent Global Registered Floating Rate Medium-Term Senior Note, Series D | | Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4(j) to Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form S-3 dated June 16, 2009 (File No. 333-160018) |
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Exhibit 4(c) | | Form of Medium-Term Note-Master Note relating to the Company’s InterNotes® program | | Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4(l) to Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form S-3 dated June 16, 2009 (File No. 333-160018) |
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Exhibit 12.1 | | Computation in Support of Ratio of Earnings to Fixed Charges of American Express Credit Corporation. | | Electronically filed herewith. |
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Exhibit 12.2 | | Computation in Support of Ratio of Earnings to Fixed Charges of American Express Company. | | Electronically filed herewith. |
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Exhibit 31.1 | | Certification of David L. Yowan, Chief Executive Officer, pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a) promulgated under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. | | Electronically filed herewith. |
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Exhibit 31.2 | | Certification of Anderson Y. Lee, Chief Financial Officer, pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a) promulgated under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. | | Electronically filed herewith. |
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Exhibit 32.1 | | Certification of David L. Yowan, Chief Executive Officer, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. | | Electronically filed herewith. |
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Exhibit 32.2 | | Certification of Anderson Y. Lee, Chief Financial Officer, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. | | Electronically filed herewith. |
E-1