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jueves, 17 de enero de 2013

American Express Q4 profit down 47% on expenses : Report

By Nathalie Tadena
American Express Co.'s  fourth-quarter earnings fell 47% as hefty expenses weighed on the credit-card company's bottom line
The latest quarter's results were stung by restructuring costs of $400 million related to the lender's plans to eliminate 8.5% of its staff mainly in its travel-services business, which it had unveiled last week
The company had also disclosed an expense of $342 million to revamp its Membership Rewards customer-loyalty program, as well as $153 million in reimbursements to customers whose accounts were wrongly charged as a result of an internal probe of billing practices tied partly to a regulatory settlement last year
American Express, traditionally known for its well-heeled customer base, bounced back from the financial crisis more quickly than its peers thanks in large part to its focus on affluent borrowers who use their cards frequently and typically pay their bills on time
But under Chief Executive Ken Chenault, the company strayed from its roots by rolling out new card products aimed at new types of customers, including younger consumers
Like its competitors, American Express has also been hurt by weakened demand for credit driven by consumer deleveraging, as consumers grow more conservative about their personal finances
That has crimped the revenue lenders earn from finance charges and other fees
American Express had released preliminary estimates for the quarter last week when it unveiled the job cuts and special costs
American Express confirmed that its profit for the latest period totaled $637 million, or 56 cents a share, down from $1.19 billion, or $1.01 a share, a year earlier
Excluding the charges, adjusted earnings were $1.09 a share in the latest period
Revenue, net of interest expense, increased 5.2% to $8.1 billion
Net interest income rose 7.5%, reflecting growth in the cardmember loan portfolio
Expenses grew 18%
Cardmember spending rose 8% from a year earlier, despite a brief decline in late October and early November due to the impact of Hurricane Sandy on customers and businesses in the northeast
American Express's provision for losses was $638 million in the latest period, up from $409 million a year earlier and from $479 million in the previous quarter

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