JPMorgan Chase is in advanced negotiations to become the new issuer of Apple’s credit-card program, according to people familiar with the talks cited by the Wall Street Journal. The discussions, which began last year and have intensified in recent months, would see the largest U.S. bank replace Goldman Sachs as Apple’s partner for the Apple Card. Apple has told JPMorgan it is its preferred choice, though no agreement has been signed. If the deal is completed, JPMorgan would absorb roughly $17 billion in loan balances and about 12 million cardholders, reinforcing its position as the country’s leading credit-card issuer. The transfer would rank among the industry’s largest co-branded card partnerships and deepen JPMorgan’s ties with a major technology platform. Goldman Sachs has sought to exit the Apple Card arrangement as it retreats from consumer lending; its existing contract with Apple runs through 2030. Apple has also sounded out other potential partners, including Barclays and Synchrony Financial, but JPMorgan now appears to be in pole position. Representatives for Apple, JPMorgan and Goldman Sachs declined to comment on the reported talks.