UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Washington, D.C. 20549 FORM 8-K CURRENT REPORT Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): July 29, 2009 AMERICAN EXPRESS COMPANY (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter) New York 1-7657 13-4922250 ----------------------------- ------------------------ ------------------- (State or other jurisdiction (Commission File Number) (IRS Employer of incorporation Identification No.) or organization) 200 Vesey Street, World Financial Center New York, New York 10285 --------------------------------------------------- ---------- (Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code) Registrant's telephone number, including area code: (212) 640-2000 --------------------------------------------------- (Former name or former address, if changed since last report) Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions (see General Instruction A.2. below): [ ] Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425) [ ] Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a- 12) [ ] Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b)) [ ] Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c)) ITEM 7.01 REGULATION FD DISCLOSURE On July 29, 2009, American Express Company (the "Company") repurchased in full from the United States Department of the Treasury (the "Treasury Department") the warrant to purchase approximately 24.3 million common shares of the Company (the "Warrant"), which was issued to the Treasury Department pursuant to the TARP Capital Purchase Program. The purchase price paid by the Company to the Treasury Department for the Warrant was $340 million. A copy of the Company's press release, dated July 29, 2009, announcing the Company's repurchase of the Warrant is furnished as Exhibit 99.1 to this Current Report on Form 8-K and is incorporated herein by reference. ITEM 8.01 OTHER EVENTS The first paragraph set forth in Item 7.01 of this Current Report on Form 8-K is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. SIGNATURE Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized. AMERICAN EXPRESS COMPANY (REGISTRANT) By: /s/ Carol V. Schwartz -------------------------------- Name: Carol V. Schwartz Title: Secretary Date: July 29, 2009 EXHIBIT INDEX ITEM NO. DESCRIPTION 99.1 Press release, dated July 29, 2009, of American Express Company announcing repurchase of the warrant to purchase approximately 24.3 million common shares of the Company, which was issued to the United States Department of the Treasury pursuant to the TARP Capital Purchase Program.
EXHIBIT 99.1 NEWS RELEASE NEWS RELEASE NEWS RELEASE NEWS RELEASE NEWS RELEASE NEWS [LOGO OF AMERICAN EXPRESS COMPANY] CONTACTS: Media: Joanna Lambert Michael O'Neill 212-640-9668 212-640-5951 joanna.g.lambert@aexp.com mike.o'neill@aexp.com Investors/Analysts: Alex Hopwood Ron Stovall 212-640-5495 212-640-5574 alex.w.hopwood@aexp.com ronald.stovall@aexp.com AMERICAN EXPRESS REPURCHASES WARRANTS FROM U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TREASURY NEW YORK, July 29, 2009 -- American Express announced today that it has repurchased the warrants issued to the United States Department of Treasury as part of the Capital Purchase Program (CPP) for $340 million. In June, American Express repurchased $3.39 billion of preferred shares issued under the CPP. The company paid a total of $74.4 million in dividends to the U.S. Treasury. Taking into account the dividends and the repayment of warrants -- which total $414.4 million -- U.S. Treasury earned an annualized 26 percent return on its investment. The repurchase price of the warrants reflects, in part, the appreciation of American Express' share price since the preferred shares were issued in January of this year. American Express Company is a leading global payments and travel company founded in 1850. For more information, visit www.americanexpress.com. ####