Document Type
Case Study
Case Series
JPMorgan Chase London Whale
JEL Codes
G01, G28
Abstract
JPMorgan Chase (JPM) prided itself on having the best risk-management practices in the financial industry, having survived the 2007-09 financial crisis in better shape than many competitors. Chief Executive Officer Jamie Dimon often spoke of the bank’s “fortress balance sheet.” A keen focus on risk management is vital to JPM’s longevity, as is the case with all highly leveraged financial institutions. However, the JPM Task Force that investigated the $6 billion 2012 London Whale trading loss concluded that risk-management practices at the bank’s Chief Investment Office (CIO), the unit in which the loss occurred, were given less scrutiny by senior management than those of the bank’s client-facing businesses, despite the fact that the Chief Investment Office managed $350 billion in assets, an amount almost double JPM’s total stockholders’ equity at December 31, 2011.
Recommended Citation
Zeissler, Arwin G. and Metrick, Andrew
(2019)
"JPMorgan Chase London Whale D: Risk-Management Practices,"
Journal of Financial Crises: Vol. 1
:
Iss. 2, 92-102.
Available at:
https://elischolar.library.yale.edu/journal-of-financial-crises/vol1/iss2/5
Date Revised
2019-08-30
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