Segment Disclosures
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2015
Segment Reporting [Abstract]  
Segment Disclosures
Segment Disclosures
The Company’s business activities are managed in two segments: Direct Banking and Payment Services.
Direct Banking: The Direct Banking segment includes Discover-branded credit cards issued to individuals on the Discover Network and other consumer products and services, including private student loans, personal loans, home loans, home equity loans, prepaid cards and other consumer lending and deposit products. The majority of Direct Banking revenues relate to interest income earned on the segment's loan products. Additionally, the Company's credit card products generate substantially all revenues related to discount and interchange, protection products and loan fee income.
Payment Services: The Payment Services segment includes PULSE, an automated teller machine, debit and electronic funds transfer network; Diners Club, a global payments network; and the Company’s Network Partners business, which provides payment transaction processing and settlement services on the Discover Network. This segment also includes the business operations of Diners Club Italy, which primarily consists of activity related to issuing Diners Club charge cards and was classified as held for sale as of December 31, 2014. The majority of Payment Services revenues relate to transaction processing revenue from PULSE and royalty and licensee revenue (included in other income) from Diners Club.
The business segment reporting provided to and used by the Company’s chief operating decision maker is prepared using the following principles and allocation conventions:
The Company aggregates operating segments when determining reporting segments.
Corporate overhead is not allocated between segments; all corporate overhead is included in the Direct Banking segment.
Through its operation of the Discover Network, the Direct Banking segment incurs fixed marketing, servicing and infrastructure costs that are not specifically allocated among the segments, with the exception of an allocation of direct and incremental costs driven by the Company's Payment Services segment.
The assets of the Company are not allocated among the operating segments in the information reviewed by the Company’s chief operating decision maker.
The revenues of each segment are derived from external sources. The segments do not earn revenue from intercompany sources.
Income taxes are not specifically allocated between the operating segments in the information reviewed by the Company’s chief operating decision maker.
The following table presents segment data (dollars in millions):
 
Direct
Banking
 
Payment
Services
 
Total
For the Three Months Ended March 31, 2015
 
 
 
 
 
Interest income
 
 
 
 
 
Credit card loans
$
1,606

 
$

 
$
1,606

Private student loans
90

 

 
90

PCI student loans
60

 

 
60

Personal loans
152

 

 
152

Other
21

 

 
21

Total interest income
1,929

 

 
1,929

Interest expense
300

 

 
300

Net interest income
1,629

 

 
1,629

Provision for loan losses
388

 
2

 
390

Other income
468

 
74

 
542

Other expense
828

 
45

 
873

Income before income tax expense
$
881

 
$
27

 
$
908

 
 
 
 
 
 
For the Three Months Ended March 31, 2014
 
 
 
 
 
Interest income
 
 
 
 
 
Credit card loans
$
1,537

 
$

 
$
1,537

Private student loans
73

 

 
73

PCI student loans
68

 

 
68

Personal loans
132

 

 
132

Other
23

 

 
23

Total interest income
1,833

 

 
1,833

Interest expense
270

 

 
270

Net interest income
1,563

 

 
1,563

Provision for loan losses
270

 
2

 
272

Other income
436

 
79

 
515

Other expense
735

 
49

 
784

Income before income tax expense
$
994

 
$
28

 
$
1,022