Banking, finance, and taxes

J.P. Morgan Management Downgrade: What’s the Point?

J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM) suffered another blow to its reputation, as a government agency downgraded its rating of the financial firm’s management. What that means for the bank from a practical standpoint may be little.

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency lowered its rating on J.P. Morgan to a level that indicates heightened concern about Jamie Dimon, his key aides and the board. But if the ratings change has no consequences, why should the government bother at all?

According to The Wall Street Journal:

The New York company’s management rating from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency fell one notch last July to a level that signifies oversight “needs improvement,” following the revelation of what are known as the “London whale” trading losses, said people familiar with the regulatory assessment.

Grading is on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being worst. J.P. Morgan had been at level 2, indicating “satisfactory management.” The people said the downgrade to level 3 wasn’t solely related to a London employee’s large trades — in indexes tracking the health of a group of companies — that led to losses exceeding $6 billion.

Get Ready To Retire (Sponsored)

Start by taking a quick retirement quiz from SmartAsset that will match you with up to 3 financial advisors that serve your area and beyond in 5 minutes, or less.

Each advisor has been vetted by SmartAsset and is held to a fiduciary standard to act in your best interests.

Here’s how it works:
1. Answer SmartAsset advisor match quiz
2. Review your pre-screened matches at your leisure. Check out the advisors’ profiles.
3. Speak with advisors at no cost to you. Have an introductory call on the phone or introduction in person and choose whom to work with in the future

Get started right here.

Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us?
Contact the 24/7 Wall St. editorial team.