AMERICAN EXPRESS CO
AXP
Financials
4
exclusion reasons
1 theme
This page is part of our public exclusion list — a transparency tool that shows which companies we screen out and why. It is not investment advice, and it is not an accusation. But it is subject to change as our understanding of the facts evolves.
Plaintiffs brought a class action lawsuit alleging race discrimination, racial harassment, retaliation, and constructive discharge under Title VII against American Express.
January 2025 DOJ settlement: $138.4M criminal NPA (wire fraud) + $108.7M civil FIRREA penalty for deceptive marketing of Payroll Rewards and Premium Wire products to small businesses 2018–2021; false tax advice and dummy EIN accounts. Non-Prosecution Agreement with USAO-EDNY.
In 2012, the CFPB ordered American Express to pay $27.5 million in refunds to consumers for illegal credit card practices including deceptive marketing and age discrimination in granting credit.
American Express agreed to pay $96 million to resolve allegations it violated the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act by failing to implement adequate internal controls to prevent and detect improper payments by its employees in India and Indonesia.
Research Sources
3 organizations
Related Exclusions
Wondering what we do invest in?
The Naughty List
A digest of changes to our exclusion list — new additions, removals, and the evidence behind them. We review the list continuously as new evidence surfaces.
Companies appear on our exclusion list based on our investment judgment — not because they've done anything illegal. This is a difference of values and opinion, not an accusation of wrongdoing. Exclusion does not constitute a recommendation against investing in any company, and absence from the list does not constitute a recommendation to invest.
This information is provided for educational and transparency purposes only and should not be relied upon as investment advice. Data is drawn from independent watchdogs, NGOs, government registries, and Ethical Capital's ongoing research — see Research Sources for the full list.
Ethical Capital LLC is a state-registered investment adviser in Utah (CRD #316032). Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training.