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Business Changes and Developments
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2012
Business Changes and Developments [Abstract]  
Business Changes and Developments
Business changes and developments
Changes in common stock dividend
On March 18, 2011, the Board of Directors raised the Firm’s quarterly common stock dividend from $0.05 to $0.25 per share, effective with the dividend paid on April 30, 2011, to shareholders of record on April 6, 2011. On March 13, 2012, the Board of Directors increased the Firm’s quarterly common stock dividend from $0.25 to $0.30 per share, effective with the dividend paid on April 30, 2012, to shareholders of record on April 5, 2012.
Other business events
RBS Sempra transaction
On July 1, 2010, JPMorgan Chase completed the acquisition of RBS Sempra Commodities’ global oil, global metals and European power and gas businesses. The Firm acquired approximately $1.7 billion of net assets which included $3.3 billion of debt which was immediately repaid. This acquisition almost doubled the number of clients the Firm’s commodities business can serve and has enabled the Firm to offer clients more products in more regions of the world.
Purchase of remaining interest in J.P. Morgan Cazenove
On January 4, 2010, JPMorgan Chase purchased the remaining interest in J.P. Morgan Cazenove, an investment banking business partnership formed in 2005, which resulted in an adjustment to the Firm’s capital surplus of approximately $1.3 billion.
Global settlement on servicing and origination of mortgages
On February 9, 2012, the Firm announced that it had agreed to a settlement in principle (the “global settlement”) with a number of federal and state government agencies, including the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”), the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the State Attorneys General, relating to the servicing and origination of mortgages. The global settlement, which became effective on April 5, 2012, required the Firm to, among other things: (i) make cash payments of approximately $1.1 billion, a portion of which will be set aside for payments to borrowers (“Cash Settlement Payment”); (ii) provide approximately $500 million of refinancing relief to certain “underwater” borrowers whose loans are owned and serviced by the Firm (“Refi Program”); and (iii) provide approximately $3.7 billion of additional relief for certain borrowers, including reductions of principal on first and second liens, payments to assist with short sales, deficiency balance waivers on past foreclosures and short sales, and forbearance assistance for unemployed homeowners (“Consumer Relief Program”). The Cash Settlement Payment was made on April 13, 2012.
As the Firm provides relief to borrowers under the Refi and Consumer Relief Programs, the Firm receives credits that reduce its remaining obligation under these programs. If the Firm does not meet certain targets set forth in the global settlement agreement for providing either refinancings under the Refi Program or other borrower relief under the Consumer Relief Program within certain prescribed time periods, the Firm must instead make additional cash payments. In general, 75% of the targets must be met within two years of the date of the global settlement and 100% must be achieved within three years of that date. The Firm filed its first quarterly report concerning its compliance with the global settlement with the Office of Mortgage Settlement Oversight in November 2012. The report included information regarding refinancings completed under the Refi Program and relief provided to borrowers under the Consumer Relief Program, as well as credits earned by the Firm under the global settlement as a result of such actions.
The global settlement releases the Firm from certain further claims by the participating government entities related to servicing activities, including foreclosures and loss mitigation activities; certain origination activities; and certain bankruptcy-related activities. Not included in the global settlement are any claims arising out of securitization activities, including representations made to investors with respect to mortgage-backed securities; criminal claims; and repurchase demands from U.S. government-sponsored entities (“GSEs”), among other items.
Also on February 9, 2012, the Firm entered into agreements with the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (“Federal Reserve”) and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (“OCC”) for the payment of civil money penalties related to conduct that was the subject of consent orders entered into with the banking regulators in April 2011. The Firm’s payment obligations under those agreements will be deemed satisfied by the Firm’s payments and provisions of relief under the global settlement.
For further information on this global settlement, see Loans in Note 14 on pages 250–275 of this Annual Report.
Washington Mutual, Inc. bankruptcy plan confirmation
On February 17, 2012, a bankruptcy court confirmed the joint plan containing the global settlement agreement resolving numerous disputes among Washington Mutual, Inc. (“WMI”), JPMorgan Chase and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) as well as significant creditor groups (the “WaMu Global Settlement”). The WaMu Global Settlement was finalized on March 19, 2012, pursuant to the execution of a definitive agreement and court approval, and the Firm recognized additional assets, including certain pension-related assets, as well as tax refunds, resulting in a pretax gain of $1.1 billion for the three months ended March 31, 2012. For additional information related to the WaMu Global Settlement see Washington Mutual Litigations in Note 31 on page 324 of this Annual Report.
Superstorm Sandy
On October 29, 2012, the mid-Atlantic and Northeast regions of the U.S. were affected by Superstorm Sandy, which caused major flooding and wind damage and resulted in major disruptions to individuals and businesses and significant damage to homes and communities in the affected regions. Superstorm Sandy did not have a material impact on the 2012 financial results of the Firm.
Subsequent events
Mortgage foreclosure settlement agreement with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System
On January 7, 2013, the Firm announced that it and a number of other financial institutions entered into a settlement agreement with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System providing for the termination of the independent foreclosure review programs (the “Independent Foreclosure Review”). Under this settlement, the Firm will make a cash payment of $753 million into a settlement fund for distribution to qualified borrowers. The Firm has also committed an additional $1.2 billion to foreclosure prevention actions, which will be fulfilled through credits given to the Firm for modifications, short sales and other specified types of borrower relief. Foreclosure prevention actions that earn credit under the Independent Foreclosure Review settlement are in addition to actions taken by the Firm to earn credit under the global settlement entered into by the Firm with state and federal agencies. The estimated impact of the foreclosure prevention actions required under the Independent Foreclosure Review settlement have been considered in the Firm’s allowance for loan losses. The Firm recognized a pretax charge of approximately $700 million in the fourth quarter of 2012 related to the Independent Foreclosure Review settlement.