Regulatory Matters and Capital Adequacy (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2012

Schedule Of Compliance With Regulatory Capital Requirements Under Banking Regulations [Abstract]

Regulatory capital ratios

The following table presents the regulatory capital ratios for the Company and the Banks:

			Tier 1		Total	Tier 1		Total		Tier 1
(Millions, except percentages)			capital		capital	capital ratio		capital ratio		leverage ratio
December 31, 2012:
	American Express Company	$	14,920	$	17,349	11.9	%	13.8	%	10.2	%
	American Express Centurion Bank	$	5,814	$	6,227	17.6	%	18.9	%	17.0	%
	American Express Bank, FSB	$	6,649	$	7,556	16.5	%	18.7	%	17.5	% (a)
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	% (b)
Well-capitalized ratios(d)						6.0	%	10.0	%	5.0	% (c)
Minimum capital ratios(d)						4.0	%	8.0	%	4.0	%

• FSB leverage ratio is calculated using ending total assets as prescribed by OCC regulations applicable to federal savings banks.
• FSB leverage ratio represents Tier 1 core capital ratio (as defined by OCC regulations applicable to federal savings banks), calculated similarly to Tier 1 leverage ratio.
• 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.
• As defined by the regulations issued by the Federal Reserve, OCC and FDIC.