American Express reported a profit that fell from a year ago but topped Wall Street's expectations as the credit card company trimmed costs, a decline in consumer spending stabilized and bad loans eased.
Net income fell to $640 million, or 53 cents per share, from $815 million, or 70 cents per share, a year earlier, the largest U.S. credit card company by purchases said in a statement.
The third-quarter results included a $180 million non-recurring benefit associated with the company's accounting for a net investment in consolidated foreign subsidiaries
Excluding that benefit, American Express posted adjusted earnings from continuing operations of 44 cents per share.