$58B bank deal set J.P. Morgan agrees to buy Bank One in a deal that would combine two of the nation's biggest banks. January 15, 2004: 11:07 AM EST NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. has agreed to buy Bank One Corp. for about $58 billion in a merger that will combine two of the biggest banks in the United States, the companies announced Wednesday. The merged entity would rank as the nation's No. 2 bank behind Citigroup, with assets of $1.1 trillion and 2,300 branches in seventeen states. On its own, J.P. Morgan would have fallen to No. 3 after Bank of America Corp.'s $47 billion deal to buy FleetBoston Financial Corp. is completed. Bank One currently ranks No. 6. The deal for Chicago-based Bank One will extend J.P. Morgan's reach through the Midwest and the Southwest, and lessen its dependence on investment banking and trading, analysts said. J.P. Morgan also gets a strong retail and credit card presence with Bank One, the world's largest Visa card issuer. Analysts were enthusiastic. "There is a real logic to [the Morgan-Bank One merger]," Bert Ely, a banking consultant at Ely & Co. in Alexandria, Va., told Reuters. "The only thing I would wonder about is might a competing bid come in." "Lovely deal," Michael Stead told Reuters. Stead, who runs the $550 million Wells Fargo SIFE Specialized Financial Services fund, owns shares of both banks. "They would command a wider geography, and they could cross-sell products more easily. A combination would be better than the sum of the parts." J.P. Morgan Chase, whose roots date to 1799, was formed three years ago from the merger of Chase Manhattan and J.P. Morgan. The merger of J.P. Morgan and Bank One, expected to close in mid-2004, would be the third largest in U.S. financial services. In 1998, Travelers Group bought Citicorp for $70.2 billion to create Citigroup, and NationsBank bought BankAmerica for $59.2 billion to create Bank of America Corp. The terms Under the deal announced Wednesday, New York-based Morgan said it would exchange 1.32 shares of its stock for each Bank One share. At Wednesday's closing prices, that would equal $51.77 a share, or about $58 billion based on Bank One's roughly 1.12 billion shares outstanding. J.P. Morgan said Chairman and CEO William Harrison, 60, will take those roles at the merged company. Bank One chief Jamie Dimon, 47, will become CEO of the company in 2006, the companies said. That represents a coup for Dimon, who moved to the helm of Bank One in the spring of 2000 after leaving Citigroup, where he had been considered a leading contender for the top job. Cost cutting is part of the logic of the deal. Harrison said "we will have about 10,000 job eliminations," about 7 percent of the banks' U.S. work force. He said the banks haven't decided where cuts will be, but "the number will hopefully not be near 10,000 because we'll have attrition." J.P. Morgan said it expects $3 billion of pretax merger costs, and $2.2 billion of pretax savings over three years. It said it expects the merger to boost profit in 2005. Bank One (ONE: Research, Estimates) stock jumped 10 percent while J.P. Morgan (JPM: Research, Estimates) shares slipped 4 percent in after-hours trading on Instinet. J.P. Morgan had assets of about $793 billion as of Sept. 30 while Bank One's assets totaled $290 billion. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -- from staff and wire reports
That's interesting. I wonder if Chase will decrease the number of credit cards because Bank One does offer A LOT of cards.
J. P. Morgan Chase & Co. And Bank One Corporation To Merge - Strategic Business Combination Designed to Create Shareholder Value Through Balanced Business Mix, Greater Scale, Enhanced Competitiveness - - JPMorgan Chase's William B. Harrison Will Be Chairman and Chief Executive Officer; Bank One's James Dimon Will Be President and Chief Operating Officer - - Combined Company Will Be a Leading Global Financial Services Enterprise, With Top-Tier Positions in Consumer Banking, Investment Banking, and Other Key Business Segments - - Corporation to Be Headquartered in New York; Retail Financial Services Business to be Headquartered in Chicago - NEW YORK and CHICAGO, January 14, 2004 - J. P. Morgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM) and Bank One Corporation (NYSE: ONE) today announced that they have agreed to merge in a strategic business combination establishing the second largest banking franchise in the United States, based on core deposits. The combined company will have assets of $1.1 trillion, a strong capital base, 2,300 branches in seventeen states and top-tier positions in retail banking and lending, credit cards, investment banking, asset management, private banking, treasury and securities services, middle-market, and private equity. With balanced earnings contributions from retail and wholesale banking, the combined company will be well-positioned to achieve strong and stable financial performance and increase shareholder value through its balanced business mix, greater scale, and enhanced efficiencies and competitiveness. The agreement, which has been unanimously approved by the boards of directors of both companies, provides for a stock-for-stock merger in which 1.32 shares of JPMorgan Chase common stock will be exchanged, on a tax-free basis, for each share of Bank One common stock. Based on JPMorgan Chase's closing price of $39.22 on Wednesday, January 14, 2004, the transaction would have a value of approximately $51.77 for each share of Bank One common stock, and would create an enterprise with a combined market capitalization of approximately $130 billion. The premium, based upon the average closing stock prices of JPMorgan Chase and Bank One for the previous month, would be approximately 8 percent and would be approximately 14 percent based on today's closing prices. Under the agreement, the combined company will be headed by William B. Harrison, 60, as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, and by James Dimon, 47, as President and Chief Operating Officer, with Mr. Dimon to succeed Mr. Harrison as CEO in 2006 and Mr. Harrison continuing to serve as Chairman. The company's sixteen-member Board of Directors will have fourteen outside directors, seven each from JPMorgan Chase and Bank One, plus Messrs. Harrison and Dimon. The combined company's senior management team will also include an Office of the Chairman, composed of Messrs. Harrison and Dimon; Donald H. Layton, Vice Chairman (Finance, Risk & Technology); and David A. Coulter, Vice Chairman (Investment Banking and Investment Management & Private Banking). Other senior executives of the combined company, who will serve on the firm's Executive Committee, and their areas of responsibility include: Austin Adams, Technology; Linda Bammann, Risk - Deputy; Steven D. Black, Equities; James S. Boshart III, Middle Market; William Campbell, Card Chairman; David E. Donovan, Retail Branches; Dina Dublon, Finance; Ina R. Drew, Treasury; John J. Farrell, Human Resources; Walter A. Gubert, Investment Banking, Europe, Middle East and Africa; Joan Guggenheimer, Legal; James B. Lee, Investment Banking; Jay Mandelbaum, Strategy; William H. McDavid, Legal; Heidi Miller, Treasury and Security Services; Stephen J. Rotella, Mortgage; John W. Schmidlin, Technology; Charles W. Scharf, Retail Banking and Lending; Richard J. Srednicki, Card CEO; James E. Staley, Investment Management & Private Bank; Jeffrey C. Walker, Private Equity; Don M. Wilson III, Risk; and William T. Winters, Credit & Rates. The merged company will be known as J. P. Morgan Chase & Co. It will continue to trade on the New York Stock Exchange, under the symbol JPM. Its corporate headquarters will be located in New York. The retail financial services business, which includes the consumer banking, small business banking, and consumer lending activities with the exception of credit card, will be headquartered in Chicago. Chicago will also serve as the headquarters for the middle market business. The JPMorgan brand will continue to be used for the wholesale business. Bank One and Chase are both strong, respected retail brands. The combined company will continue to use both brands in their respective markets and products, while research is conducted to determine a long-term retail brand strategy. It is expected that cost savings of $2.2 billion (pre-tax) will be achieved over a three-year period. The combined enterprise will have excess capital, and is expected to continue to generate significant free cash flow. Giving pro forma effect to anticipated cost savings and stock repurchases, the transaction is expected to be accretive to 2005 GAAP and cash earnings per share. Merger-related costs are expected to be $3 billion (pre-tax). Under the merger agreement, and subject to Bank One board approval, Bank One expects to declare an increase in its quarterly dividend to $0.45 per share. William B. Harrison, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of JPMorgan Chase, said: "This landmark transaction will create one of the world's great financial services companies--a powerful enterprise well-positioned to generate significant value for our shareholders, customers and communities. We will have a trillion-dollar-plus asset base; one of the broadest and deepest product mixes globally; and a dynamic, talented management team. In addition, with our balance of consumer and wholesale business, the combined company will achieve greater earnings consistency. My colleagues and I look forward to working with Jamie Dimon and his colleagues to bring the unique benefits of this merger to all of our constituencies." James Dimon, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Bank One, said: "The merger of Bank One and JPMorgan Chase makes tremendous sense strategically, operationally and financially. I've known Bill Harrison for many years, and have tremendous respect for him personally and professionally. Together, we have a strong management team that can compete with the best. We will be a major provider of both consumer and commercial banking services in the United States and a leader in investment banking and wealth management globally, with a strong balance sheet and an intense focus on performance and execution. Our retail and wholesale businesses and our geographies complement each other, and our respective earnings contributions provide near-perfect balance. We are also excited about the opportunities we will have to continue to build our strong franchise in the Midwest, with Chicago as a vibrant financial center. Our combined company will have the size, scale, product mix, customer base, distribution channels, and earnings stability to achieve outstanding results, and enhanced shareholder value for many years to come." Reflecting the determination of both companies to serve their communities and to maintain the highest possible Community Reinvestment Act ratings, the combined company will expand upon JPMorgan Chase's and Bank One's historic commitment to community development and philanthropy by selecting the best practices and programs from each firm. All of the communities served by the two institutions will benefit from the combined company's continuing dedication to cutting-edge community development products, innovative philanthropic programs, and its partnerships with communities. The merger is subject to the approval of the shareholders of both institutions as well as U.S. federal and state and foreign regulatory authorities. Completion of the transaction is expected to occur in mid-2004. J. P. Morgan Chase & Co.'s financial advisor on the transaction was JPMorgan Securities Inc.; and its legal advisor was Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP. Bank One's financial advisor on the transaction was Lazard Frères & Co., LLC and its legal advisor was Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz. JPMorgan Chase is a leading global financial services firm with assets of $793 billion and operations in more than 50 countries. The firm is a leader in investment banking, financial services for consumers and businesses, financial transaction processing, investment management, private banking and private equity. A component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average, JPMorgan Chase is headquartered in New York and serves more than 30 million consumer customers nationwide, and many of the world's most prominent corporate, institutional and government clients. Information about JPMorgan Chase is available on the internet at www.jpmorganchase.com. Ron.
