JPMorgan books 3Q loss on litigation charges

JPMorgan Chase & Co., which managed to report profits all through the financial crisis, reported a loss for its third quarter Friday due to mounting legal costs.

The quarterly loss was its first under the leadership of chief executive Jamie Dimon.

The largest U.S. bank by assets set aside $9.2 billion in the quarter to cover a string of litigation stemming from the housing crisis and the bank's "London Whale" trading debacle.

JPMorgan said it has placed a total of $23 billion in reserve to cover potential legal costs, including the $9.2 billion.

After those legal expenses, the bank lost $380 million in the third quarter, compared with net income of $5.7 billion a year earlier.

In a conference call with reporters, Dimon called the costs "painful," but said they reflected "the reality we have to deal with." While JPMorgan emerged from the financial crisis and the Great Recession as one of the strongest U.S. banks, it has been dogged by legal problems in recent years.

Last month it agreed to pay $920 million and admitted that it failed to oversee trading that led to a huge $6-billion loss last year. That episode came to be known as the "London Whale," referring to the location and trader who made those oversized bets.

The bank said in August that it is facing a federal criminal probe focused on mortgage-backed securities sold before the financial crisis. Federal energy regulators, meanwhile, are investigating some of the company's bidding practices in energy markets.

The bank is also said to be discussing an $11-billion national settlement with the Department of Justice over mortgage-backed securities. The securities lost value after a bubble in the housing market burst, helping to bring on the financial crisis.

Overall bank revenue fell 8 percent, to $23.9 billion, missing analysts' estimate of $24.1 billion.

The bank's stock price closed down a penny to $52.51 in trading Friday.