JPMorgan in talks with Apple over Goldman credit card partnership, source says

(Reuters) -JPMorgan Chase is in talks with Apple (NASDAQ:) about replacing Goldman Sachs as the tech giant’s credit-card partner, a source familiar with the matter said on Tuesday.

The discussions started earlier this year and have advanced in recent weeks, but any potential deal could still be months away, said the source, who asked not to be named because the discussions are private.

The Wall Street Journal reported the news earlier.

Goldman Sachs declined to comment, while Apple did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comment. 

Goldman and Apple reportedly pulled the plug last year on their partnership, which included credit cards and savings accounts.

Goldman is facing a costly exit from the partnership that is seen by other lenders as too risky and unprofitable, sources told Reuters in December last year.

After its foray into consumer banking flopped, Goldman has refocused on its traditional mainstays – investment banking and trading. The consumer business that CEO David Solomon championed has lost billions of dollars. 

The card, launched in 2019, was one of the hallmarks of Goldman’s retail strategy. Apple and Goldman granted cards to customers with lower credit scores in an attempt to boost revenue, a source told Reuters last year. 

The card offered perks like “no fees” and cashback. But Goldman had to set aside bigger provisions for bad loans, leading to higher paper losses for its consumer business. 

Goldman is also exiting a credit-card partnership with automaker General Motors (NYSE:). Earlier this month, Solomon dismissed the notion that the bank’s early exit with GM was messy, saying the bank had anticipated the problems.

Investors have supported Goldman’s attempt to refocus on its Wall Street operations, pushing its stock up nearly 27% so far this year.