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JPMorgan could take over duties as Apple Card issuer if it gets a good enough deal

As Goldman Sachs prepares to offload its responsibilities to Apple, a new suitor has appeared. JPMorgan seems interested in taking the mantle — but with conditions.

It's been known for some time now that Goldman Sachs has wanted to end its relationship with Apple, with whispers of unrest first appearing in June 2023. However, it wasn't much of a surprise, as a report in January 2022 showed the investment bank lost $1.2 billion, chiefly because of the Apple Card.

As a result, Apple and Goldman Sachs have begun looking for a replacement partner who would take over duties as card issuer. The newest suitor to be added to the lineup is JPMorgan.

According to The Wall Street Journal, JPMorgan is very interested in the deal, but not without some concessions. Allegedly, JPMorgan wants to pay less than the full face value of Apple Card cardholders' $17 billion in outstanding balances.

The reason for the undercut is largely because Apple has subprime exposure — Apple Card apparently has a high percentate o users with lower-than-average credit scores and are considered default risks. This could make the deal costly for anyone to take on.

According to the report, JPMorgan also wants to do away with Apple's requirement that cardholders receive their statement at the beginning of the month. Allegedly, this practice caused Goldman Sachs to have customer service issues and exposed the bank to increased regulatory scrutiny.

Yet, there are plenty of reasons JPMorgan could want to take on the deal. JPMorgan is the world's largest bank by market capitalization and thus would likely have the resources to take on the Apple Card.

It already has ties to Apple, too. JPMorgan provides Chase customers with deals on Apple products. It also pays the company whenever its cardholders use Apple Pay.

For its part, Goldman Sachs is gearing up to exit the consumer finance sector. It is anticipated that Goldman Sachs will lose millions on the eventual sales.

JPMorgan isn't the only bank interested in the Apple Card. Goldman Sachs has talked to both Synchrony and American Express.



9 Comments

hmlongco 586 comments · 9 Years

They're also backing the savings accounts too.

Personally, I'm fortunate enough to be able to pay off the card every month. The 2-3% cash back rate doesn't make sense if you're paying 19% in interest.

daven 722 comments · 16 Years

I agree that having everyone on the same billing cycle isn’t a good idea. You end up with a boom of calls early in the month and not much the rest of the month which is a staffing nightmare. I am not a fan of Chase based on past experiences. Oh well, we will see.

OctoMonkey 343 comments · 4 Years

daven said:
I agree that having everyone on the same billing cycle isn’t a good idea. You end up with a boom of calls early in the month and not much the rest of the month which is a staffing nightmare. I am not a fan of Chase based on past experiences. Oh well, we will see.

The best solution, IMHO, is to offer the cardholder a choice of payment dates.  Every card I have allows this and it is quite nice.  The current feast or famine approach is foolhardy.

We use Chase for our daily banking needs and are quite pleased.  No cost checking and (though rarely used) it is very nice having a private banker to assist you when needed.  I do not care for their deprecating safe deposit boxes, but it seems most banks (at least in my area) have already done away with them.  Time to look into a good home safe.

iOS_Guy80 905 comments · 5 Years

daven said:
I agree that having everyone on the same billing cycle isn’t a good idea. You end up with a boom of calls early in the month and not much the rest of the month which is a staffing nightmare. I am not a fan of Chase based on past experiences. Oh well, we will see.

That’s the best feature of the whole Apple Card/Goldman relationship.

apple4thewin 321 comments · 3 Years

Hopefully visa instead of Mastercard (and tap to pay while we are at it). The amount of places I go to that don’t accept anything except Visa is a hassle.