JPMorgan Chase & Co. Chief Executive Officer Jamie Dimon called new plans for more stringent capital rules “hugely disappointing” days after US regulators released the long-awaited proposals.
The measures will make certain activities such as mortgages and small-business lending harder for banks, Dimon said Wednesday in a CNBC interview. JPMorgan “is going to adjust for it,” but Dimon said he’s “not sure it’s the right thing for America.”
The Federal Reserve, Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. and Office of the Comptroller of the Currency released plans last week that would require big US banks to set aside more capital, with the eight largest financial firms facing an increase of about 19%. The measures are tied to an international overhaul called Basel III that began in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis.
Read More: Biggest Banks Face 19% Boost in Capital Mandates in US Plan
Dimon has long been critical of such hikes, calling a looming increase for JPMorgan “bad for America” at a pair of congressional hearings last year. On a conference call last month, he said nonbank rivals such as hedge funds and private equity firms are “dancing in the streets” over tightening regulations for banks.
The longtime CEO also weighed in on Fitch Ratings’ downgrade Tuesday of US government debt, saying “it doesn’t really matter that much” and that US credit is sound and should be the highest-rated in the world. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen called the downgrade “arbitrary” and “outdated.”
Read More: Fitch’s US Credit Downgrade Sparks Criticism Along With Unease
As for the economy, Dimon said he doesn’t know if the US is going to have a soft, medium or hard landing, and is more concerned about geopolitical tensions. He’s warned for more than a year that, while the US economy is in good shape now, there are significant headwinds facing the world, such as the war in Ukraine. On interest rates, the Fed has “caught up,” but “might have to go a little higher,” he said Wednesday.
JPMorgan’s integration of First Republic Bank, which it bought in May, has been “excellent,” Dimon said. His firm beat out smaller rivals in a government-led auction after the California lender collapsed in the second-largest bank failure in US history. The regional-banking turmoil is “over for now,” but a few others “may sort out,” Dimon said.
Dimon, the only major bank CEO who was in his post during the global financial crisis, played a central role during this year’s tumult, including spearheading an effort by the nation’s top banks to temporarily shore up First Republic following the failure of Silicon Valley Bank in March. His firm added to its myriad roles last week when it agreed to buy $1.8 billion of PacWest Bancorp’s loans to help pave the way for Banc of California Inc. to acquire the lender.
As far as the deal environment more broadly, Dimon said activity levels are better than they were six months ago and that “it’ll be fine in the long run.”
“I could care less about that,” Dimon said. “Those things are like accordions, they open and close.”
(Updates with more of Dimon’s remarks beginning in sixth paragraph.)
