Finkelstein & Krinsk LLP Files Class Action Suit Against JPMorgan Chase & Co.

NEW YORK, May 16, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- FINKELSTEIN & KRINSK LLP ("Finkelstein & Krinsk") and MURRAY FRANK LLP announced today that a class action has been commenced in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York on behalf of purchasers of JPMorgan Chase & Co. ("JPMorgan") (NYSE:JPM) common stock during the period between April 13, 2012 and May 10, 2012 (the "Class Period"). The case number is 1:12-cv-03879.

If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later than July 13, 2012.  If you wish to discuss this action or have any questions concerning this notice or your rights or interests, or to join this class action, please contact plaintiff's counsel, William R. Restis, Esq. of Finkelstein & Krinsk at 877-493-5366 or 619-238-1333, or via e-mail at [email protected].  Any member of the putative class may move the Court to serve as lead plaintiff through counsel of their choice, or may choose to do nothing and remain an absent class member.

The complaint alleges violations of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the "Exchange Act") that occurred when the Defendants issued materially false and misleading statements regarding the losses and risk of loss to the Company arising from massive bets on derivative contracts related to credit indexes reflecting interest rates on corporate bonds. These derivative bets went horribly wrong, resulting in billions of dollars in lost capital for the Company and billions more in lost market capitalization for JPMorgan shareholders.

As alleged in the lawsuit, JPMorgan's credit index derivative positions were so large that they generated market rumors and press coverage in the weeks leading up to the Company's April 13, 2012 earnings conference call with investors. Specifically, the lawsuit alleges that instead of disclosing the extremely risky nature of JPMorgan's derivative bets, and the actual losses that had been incurred at the time, Defendants falsely characterized the derivative positions as mere "hedging" strategies. JPMorgan's CEO, Defendant James "Jamie" Dimon, went so far as to call press reports about the Company's derivative positions a "complete tempest in a teapot." In truth, the Defendants misrepresented the credit index based derivative positions as hedges to imply that any losses would be offset by gains in other JPMorgan investments, thus implying that they posed no risk to the Company.  This was false.

Defendants' public statements were materially false and misleading when made because they failed to disclose, among other things: (a) JPMorgan's positions in the credit index-based derivative products were not for "hedging" purposes or to "offset other exposures" but were in fact trades on the Company's own account intended to generate income because they were not matched to offset other JPMorgan investments; (b) the Company had already incurred significant and material losses in the credit index-based derivatives when the market learned of JPMorgan's positions, and by the April 13, 2012 conference call with investors; and (c) the Company faced potentially tens of billions of losses resulting from the credit index based derivatives, downgraded credit, and loss of reputational capital. As a result of defendants' false statements, JPMorgan's securities traded at artificially inflated prices during the Class Period.

On May 10, 2012, JPMorgan filed an SEC Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2012, and after the market close, held a business update conference call with analysts and investors. During the May 10th call, Defendants revealed that the Company had experienced a "slightly more than $2 billion trading loss under synthetic credit positions." As a result of this disclosure, the market price of JPMorgan's common stock fell from $40.74 per share at the market close on Thursday, May 10, 2012, to $36.96 per share on May 11, 2012, falling more than 9% on extraordinary volume of 217 million shares.

Finkelstein & Krinsk is a national law firm representing institutional investors and consumers in complex class action cases. The firm is responsible for many landmark decisions, recovering billions for shareholders and consumers since 1987.

Contact:

FINKELSTEIN & KRINSK LLP

William R. Restis, Esq.,

877-493-5366

[email protected]

SOURCE Finkelstein & Krinsk LLP