Fee Income from Contracts with Customers

The following table summarizes fee income from contracts with customers disaggregated by type of activity, as well as a reconciliation to total other revenues, during the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017. Following the table is a description of the various types of fee-based activities and how revenue associated with these activities is recognized.



Three Months Ended March 31,	2018		2017
	(in millions)
Credit card fees	$	11	$	11
Trust and investment management fees	38		38
Other fees and commissions:
Account services	65		68
Credit facilities	78		72
Custodial fees	2		5
Other fees	15		17
Total other fees and commissions	160		162
Servicing and other fees from HSBC affiliates	99		114
Insurance⁽¹⁾	3		4
Total fee income from contracts with customers	311		329
Other non-fee revenues	202		264
Total other revenues⁽²⁾	$	513	$	593


⁽¹⁾	Included as a component within other income in the consolidated statement of income (loss).


⁽²⁾	See Note 15, "Business Segments," for a reconciliation of total other revenues on a U.S. GAAP basis to other operating income for each business segment under the Group Reporting Basis.

Credit card fees Credit card fees include interchange fees earned from merchants who accept our cards in connection with the purchase of their goods and/or services. These fees are recognized when we satisfy the performance obligation by simultaneously approving a card holder's purchase at the point of sale and remitting payment to the merchant. We recognized interchange fees of $21 million and $19 million during the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively. Annual fees on credit cards, net of direct lending costs, are billed upfront and recognized on a straight-line basis over one year. Other credit card fees such as cash advance and over-limit fees are transaction based and are recognized and billed at the point in time the transaction occurs which is when the performance obligation is met. Costs related to our credit card rewards program vary based on multiple factors including card holder activity, card holder reward redemption rates and card holder reward selections. These costs are recorded when the rewards are earned by the customer and are presented as a reduction to credit card fees. Credit card rewards program costs totaled $12 million and $9 million during the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively.

Trust and investment management fees Trust and investment management fees include investment management and administration fees which are typically billed as a percentage of the average value of a customer's assets during an agreed payment period or for some contracts, the value of a customer's assets at the end of an agreed payment period and therefore represent variable consideration. The fee percentage and payment period are agreed with the customer upfront. Generally, payment periods are monthly or quarterly and coincide with our reporting periods, thereby resolving the uncertainty of the variable consideration by the reporting date. For payment periods that do not coincide with our reporting periods, judgment is required to estimate the fee and determine the amount to include in an accrual. An accrual is only recorded to the extent it is highly probable that a significant reversal of revenue will not occur. In most cases, a significant reversal of revenue is not highly probable. Other trust and investment management fees are transaction based and are recognized and billed at the point in time the transaction occurs which is when the performance obligation is met. From time to time, we may also receive performance fees from some funds, though these fees are typically only recognized when the performance fee 'crystallizes' and the uncertainty of the variable consideration is resolved.

Account services We provide services for various commercial and consumer customer accounts that generate fees from various activities including: accounts statements, ATM transactions, cash withdrawals, wire transfers, check cashing, debit cards and internet and phone banking. The fees for these services are established in the customer account agreement and are either billed individually at the time the service is performed or on a monthly basis for a package or bundle of services as the services are performed. The performance obligation for these services is met when the services are performed. Customer account agreements typically include a package of services with multiple performance obligations or a bundle of services making up a single performance obligation. In the case of a package of services, the pattern of transfer to the customer is usually the same for all services, and therefore the package of services is treated as a single performance obligation. In some cases, a package or bundle of services is billed upfront as an annual fee and recognized on a straight-line basis over one year as the services are performed and the performance obligation is met.

Credit facilities Credit facilities fees include fees generated from lending activities that are not included in the direct loan origination fees which are recognized in interest income as an adjustment to yield. This includes fees associated with loan commitments, revolving credit facilities, standby letters of credit, loan syndication and other transaction based fees. These fees are either billed as a fixed price or as a percentage of the approved lending limit or transaction value. The fee percentage is agreed with the customer upfront. Although the percentage based fees represent variable consideration, the uncertainty of the variable consideration is resolved by the time the revenue is recognized as the lending limit or transaction value is known on the contract or transaction date. Loan syndication fees received for managing a syndication and other transaction based fees are recognized and billed at the point in time the transaction occurs which is when the performance obligation is met. Fees associated with loan commitments, revolving credit facilities and standby letters of credit are billed upfront and recognized on a straight-line basis over the period the service is performed which is when the performance obligation is met (e.g. the commitment period). In the event a loan commitment or standby letter of credit is exercised, the remaining unamortized fee is recognized as an adjustment to yield over the loan term.

Custodial fees We earn fees from providing customers with custody services including the safekeeping of financial assets and the processing and servicing of those assets. These fees are typically recognized and billed on a monthly basis over the period the service is performed which is when the performance obligation is met, as a percentage of the value of the customer's assets held in custody (calculated daily or monthly). The fee percentage is agreed with the customer upfront.

Other fees and commissions Other fees and commissions include fees received associated with various other activities such as remittances, imports/exports, clearing and other miscellaneous services. These fees are typically transaction based and are recognized and billed at the point in time the transaction occurs which is when the performance obligation is met.

Servicing and other fees from HSBC affiliates We receive fees from other HSBC affiliates for providing them with various banking, wealth management and other miscellaneous services as well as support for certain administrative and global business activities. These fees are reported in servicing and other fees from HSBC affiliates and are typically recognized and billed on a monthly basis over the period the service is performed or for some fees that are transaction based, at the point in time the transaction occurs, which is when the performance obligation is met. See Note 14, "Related Party Transactions," for additional information regarding the various services provided and other transactions with HSBC affiliates.

Insurance We earn commissions from the sale of third party insurance policies which are typically recognized on a weekly or monthly basis, when the policy goes into effect.

Deferred Fee Income

Information related to deferred fee income on loan commitments, revolving credit facilities and standby letters of credit is included in Note 18, "Guarantee Arrangements, Pledged Assets and Repurchase Agreements," and Note 19, "Fair Value Measurements." Excluding these items, we had deferred fee income related to certain account service fees that are paid upfront and recognized over the service period and annual fees on credit cards which collectively totaled $2 million and $1 million at March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017, respectively. We expect to recognize this revenue over a remaining period of one year or less.

Other than as described above under trust and investment management fees, we do not use significant judgments in the determination of the amount and timing of fee income from contracts with customers. Additionally, costs to obtain or fulfill contracts with customers were immaterial.