The House of Dimon: How JPMorgan's Jamie Dimon Rose to the Top of the Financial World [Kindle Edition]

Patricia Crisafulli (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"It is easy to read and brings together events in the financial markets over the past 40 years that are helpful to review and reflect upon" (Seeking Alpha)

"Crisafulli goes behind the scenes to recount the amazing events that have shaped Dimon's career" (CEO Middle East, April 2009)

"…anyone who reads Ms. Crisafulli’s fiduciary love letter will take away some valuable lessons in running a bank—or, for that matter, a business." (The Wall Street Journal, April 10, 2009)

Product Description

A behind-the-scenes look at Wall Street's top banker

Following the eleventh-hour rescue of Bear Stearns by JP Morgan, Jamie Dimon's profile reached stratospheric levels. And while the deals and decisions he's made have usually turned out to be the right ones, his journey to the top of the financial world has been anything but easy.

Now, in The House of Dimon, former business journalist Patricia Crisafulli goes behind the scenes to recount the amazing events that have shaped Dimon's career, from his rise to prominence as Sandy Weill's protŽgŽ at Citigroup to the drama surrounding his purchase of Bear Stearns and Washington Mutual. Each step of the way, this engaging book provides insider accounts of how Dimon successfully acquired and integrated companies, created efficiencies, and grew bottom-line results as the consummate hands-on manager.

• Includes interviews with Dimon himself, Sandy Weill, and colleagues who've known Dimon over the course of his career
• Shows how Dimon's management style and talent for taking calculated risks have allowed him to excel where many others have failed
• Places Dimon in the context of contemporary Wall Street, an environment that has destroyed several top CEOs

During one of the most difficult and tumultuous periods in Wall Street history, Jamie Dimon has survived and thrived. The House of Dimon reveals how he's done it and explores what lies ahead for Dimon, as he attempts to grow JPMorgan in the face of the unrelenting pressures of Wall Street.

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Product Details

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 486 KB
• Print Length: 260 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0470412968
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (March 23, 2009)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
• Language: English
• ASIN: B00245A4EQ
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #130,541 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
  • #66 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Nonfiction > Business & Investing > Industries & Professions > Banks & Banking

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Guy Gets To The Top, July 12, 2009

By 

Marc L. Ward "bsksu89" (Wichita, Kansas USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The House of Dimon: How JPMorgan's Jamie Dimon Rose to the Top of the Financial World (Hardcover)

I enjoyed this book but I rated it a four. I thought the author rambled a bit towards the end and lost my attention. They kept saying basically the same things over and over. There are a few key concepts that Jamie has used to be successful in his career and his leadership at some of the top financial institutions in America. Jamie is a top notch leader and I would recommend that you read this book, if you want to be a better leader or a top executive.

8 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The House of Dimon, May 21, 2009

By 

Jeanne Young - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The House of Dimon: How JPMorgan's Jamie Dimon Rose to the Top of the Financial World (Hardcover)

The author has presented to the reader an opportunity to successfully look into the life and character of Jamie Dimon and determine for ones self those actions that are helpful in today's management style.

She clearly and eloquently presents a story in a way that you can step into the shoes of Jamie Dimon and understand how choices had to be made.

It was a pleasure to read from beginning to end.

10 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Sophomoric!, April 17, 2009

By 

Loyd E. Eskildson "Pragmatist" (Phoenix, AZ.) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The House of Dimon: How JPMorgan's Jamie Dimon Rose to the Top of the Financial World (Hardcover)

I would greatly value material that provided insight into Dimon's big-picture thinking and methods (eg. focus for cost-cutting). "The House of Dimon" consists of an ant's level perspective on Dimon's travels. Readers hoping for insight on key strategies and methodology will find none here. What little detail there is on J. P. Morgan thinking under Dimon is so vague as to be useless. Similarly, his turnaround accomplishments at Bank One are also covered so vaguely as to be useless. (Eg. He consolidated 40-some IT systems that were confusing and redundant - an important achievement that is often botched. Absolutely no detail provided on how this was done.)

Much more useful is Dimon's 2008 Report to Shareholders. The following are excerpts: We didn't write option ARMs (adjustable rate mortgages) because we did not think they were a consumer-friendly product. We deliberately avoided the structured collateralized debt obligation (CDO) business because we believed the associated risks were too high. We still follow the financial commandment: do not borrow short to invest long. Perhaps the largest regulatory failure of all time was the inadequate regulation of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac - they became larger than the Federal Reserve and dramatically increased their leverage. Too many regulators - with overlapping responsibilities and inadequate authorities were ill-equipped to handle the crisis (eg. no resolution process for the failure of large investment banks, large, global financial companies, or large sellers of CDS (eg. AIG). Our $3 trillion trade deficit over 8 years was largely placed into government securities, keeping interest rates too low. We closed down our broker-originated business - losses there are 2-3X that of our own-generated business. We cut back substantially on subprime loans early in the crisis (2006).