JPMorgan to Take Over Apple's Credit Card Program

Summary

JPMorgan Chase has reached an agreement to take over the Apple Card program from Goldman Sachs, which is exiting the partnership after significant losses.USHK News+ 3 The deal involves the transfer of approximately $20 billion in outstanding card balances, which Goldman is offloading at a discount exceeding $1 billion.Reuters The transition is expected to take up to 24 months, during which card services and benefits will remain unchanged for users.AnueSec+ 2 JPMorgan also plans to launch a new Apple savings account.Reuters This move marks the end of Goldman’s troubled foray into consumer credit and strengthens JPMorgan’s position in the credit card market.Sina Finance+ 2

Impact Analysis

This is less about JPMorgan winning and more about Goldman Sachs paying to escape a disaster. The fact that GS is selling a $20B portfolio at a discount of over $1B tells you everything about the credit quality Apple forced them to underwrite.Reuters+ 2 GS was desperate to exit its failed consumer experiment, which racked up over $7B in losses.AnueSec

For JPMorgan, this is a classic opportunistic move. They’re the market leader, and they’re essentially getting paid to acquire a marquee portfolio and access Apple’s ecosystem.Sina Finance The market is missing the inevitable culture clash. Apple’s claim that rules won’t change is PR.Sina Finance JPM is a disciplined underwriter; they won’t run this program at a loss like GS did. Expect underwriting standards to tighten over the 24-month transition, which could temper future card growth for Apple.Invezz This is a strategic headache for Apple, but a clear win for JPM’s scale-driven model.