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American Express Consumer Balances Rise in April

American Express ended April 2026 with U.S. consumer card balances of $111.4 billion, up from $110.8 billion in March and $98.1 billion a year earlier in April 2025. Average consumer card balances rose to $111.1 billion in April from $109.1 billion in March and $97.2 billion a year ago.

Delinquency on the consumer portfolio improved month over month, with 30 days past due at 1.2% in April, down from 1.3% in March. That was also better than the 1.2% posted in April 2025, after holding at 1.3% through much of the intervening months.

Consumer net write-offs, measured on principal only, were 2.1% in April, up from 2.0% in March and above 1.8% in April 2025. The rate has moved between 1.7% and 2.2% over the past year.

U.S. small business card balances reached $45.8 billion in April, compared with $45.2 billion in March and $42.3 billion in April 2025. Average small business balances climbed to $45.5 billion from $44.6 billion in March and $42.0 billion a year earlier.

Small business delinquency ticked down to 1.5% in April from 1.6% in March, while remaining above the 1.3% level seen in April 2025. Net write-offs for small business cards were 2.4% in April, down from 2.6% in March but up from 2.3% a year earlier.

Total card balances held for investment across U.S. consumer and small business accounts stood at $157.2 billion in April, versus $156.0 billion in March and $140.4 billion in April 2025. Today the company's shares have moved 0.24% to a price of $313.52. Check out the company's full 8-K submission here.

The above analysis is intended for educational purposes only and was performed on the basis of publicly available data. It is not to be construed as a recommendation to buy or sell any security. Any buy, sell, or other recommendations mentioned in the article are direct quotations of consensus recommendations from the analysts covering the stock, and do not represent the opinions of Market Inference or its writers. Past performance, accounting data, and inferences about market position and corporate valuation are not reliable indicators of future price movements. Market Inference does not provide financial advice. Investors should conduct their own review and analysis of any company of interest before making an investment decision.

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