JP Morgan Chase (NYSE: JPM) CEO Jamie Dimon visited Miami last week and announced that the bank is planning one expanding its operations in Florida, hoping to open about 20 to 30 new branches each year beginning in 2011, bringing about 600 new employees on annually.
Dimon held a press conference in Miami explaining his expansions for the state, although the bank opted not to issue a press-release outlining the specifics of the plan.
JP Morgan Chase re-established its consumer banking presence in the state of Florida after it acquired Washington Mutual in September of 2008. Chase initially began its operations in Tampa Bay in 1986 after buying Park Bank of St. Petersburg Florida which had failed during the savings and loan crisis. After the purchase, Chase never gained a real foothold in the state and eventually closed most of its officers
Currently JP Morgan has about 14,000 employees in the state of Florida. According to an article from the Miami Herald, about half of the new jobs will be in South Florida and the remaining in the Tampa Bay and Orlando areas.
