American Express Sees Increase in U.S. Consumer and Small Business Net Write-Offs

American Express Company has released its U.S. Card delinquency and write-off rates for August 2026, reporting an increase in net write-offs across both consumer and small business portfolios.

Total U.S. Consumer Card balances held for investment reached $114.2 billion as of August 31, up from $113.1 billion at July 31 and $113.8 billion at June 30. The company's U.S. Consumer net write-off rate (principal only) stood at 1.7% for both August and July 2026, increasing from 1.4% in June.

In contrast, the U.S. Small Business net write-off rate was 2.2% in August, down from 2.6% in July but higher than June's 2.3%. The combined U.S. Consumer and U.S. Small Business Card balances held for investment totaled $160.3 billion as of August 31, 2026.