In excess of is wordy for more than, over, or exceeding. For example, consider how much better these sentences would sound if in excess of were shortened:
All in all, Zynga has already helped raise in excess of [more than?] $4 million in Haiti relief funds. [Fox News]
Most priced in excess of [over?] $50 per bottle, the wines sell out quickly every year. [Napa Valley Register]
She’s sold more than 4 million albums in each of the past three years, and her three releases have sold in excess of [more than?] 17 million copies worldwide … [Hartford Courant]
In excess of may work in legal or formal contexts, but it’s verbose in these news stories. Plus, it includes the word excess, which usually has negative connotations. This can be a little confusing when talking about, say, the number of records an artist has sold. To the artist, there is no such thing as an excess of albums sold.
