JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon had emergency heart surgery, memo says

By: Thornton M.

JPMorgan’s Chief Executive Jamie Dimon had emergency heart surgery and is now recovering, senior bank executives said in an internal memo.

The memo, a copy of which was obtained by The Post, told staffers that the 63-year-old Dimon had “an acute aortic dissection” on Thursday morning — a condition that involves a tear to the aorta, according to the Mayo Clinic’s website.

“He underwent successful emergency heart surgery to repair the dissection. The good news is that it was caught early and the surgery was successful. He is awake, alert and recovering well,” the memo said.

Dimon checked himself into the hospital early Thursday after experiencing chest pains, the Wall Street Journal said, citing a person familiar with the matter.

JPMorgan Co-Presidents Daniel Pinto and Gordon Smith, who signed Thursday’s memo, will run the bank while Dimon recuperates, the memo said, citing the bank’s lead director Lee Raymond.

“Our board has been fully briefed on these developments and has asked Daniel and Gordon to lead the company during this period, as Jamie recuperates,” Lee said in the memo.

Lee expressed “confidence” in the bank’s co-presidents and chief operating officers, but the news is sure to raise questions from investors as JPMorgan has become synonymous with the hard-charging Dimon since he took over the CEO job in 2005.

The bank’s stock fell 1.1 percent in late trading following a 4.9 percent decline during regular market hours to close down to $113.97.
Dimon took a leave from the bank once before, after being diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014.