Fox Business Network will be rolling through Florida this weekend with exclusive access to JPMorgan Chase & Co.s Chairman and CEO Jamie Dimon, as the executive tours the financial institutions expanding Florida footprint.
FBN anchor Melissa Francis is spending Sunday and Monday traveling with Dimon and other JPMorgan Chase officials as they travel by bus, visiting branches that have been part of the banks plan to open 50 new Florida locations this year.
[Dimon] is someone who Occupy Wall Street has taken a lot of time to come out and target; theyve picketed outside his house and the branches where people are working, Francis said. So were asking the question, 'Is he a Wall Street villain or a hero of capitalism?'
Francis, who has been covering the business world for more than a decade, including a stint providing live updates from the floor of New York Mercantile Exchange, will be taping segments with people hired by JPMorgan Chase at different stops that will air throughout this week.
She will also conduct a live interview at 1 p.m. on Monday with Dimon; JPMorgan chief executive officer of commercial banking, Samuel Todd Maclin; and Gordon Smith, chief executive officer of card services.
To prepare for the trip, Francis has been asking sources throughout the financial industry what they would like to hear from Dimon.
A lot of people on Wall Street have very specific questions about their dividends, stock buy backs, Chases plans for the future, where do we stand in the European crisis, how much exposure do they have, Francis said.
She also intends to discuss Dimons reaction to Thursdays $25 billion settlement between the federal government and state attorneys general and five banks -- Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo, Citibank and Ally Financial formerly known as GMAC -- over the institutions foreclosure practices.
The timing of the interview coincides with the White Houses planned release of its 2013 budget proposal that outlines President Barack Obamas goals for spending priorities, taxes and job creation.
Francis said the network is using the interview as part of a look at the next wave of good jobs.
When I meet people in these local communities who started to work as a teller in high school, and have worked their way to loan officer and branch manager, Francis said, these are jobs that youre trained on the job, you may or may not have gone to college, you may be a first- or second-generation American and these are jobs you could qualify for that you have a real future.
When I talk to people who have worked at these banks for 10-plus years, and are supporting their families with benefits and working in their community, they feel like they are really contributing by helping people with their businesses, support their families and build their future. Its really inspirational at a time when many people are out of work.
The interview is being teased to job seekers that JPMorgan Chase may be a place to look.
The New York-based JP Morgan Chase (NYSE: JPM)) is, according to Forbes, the world's largest public company. The company hired 17,000 last year, of which 3,000 were military veterans, with plans to open 200 branches this year.
Reach Jim Turner at jturner@sunshinestatenews.com or at (772) 215-9889.
Francis bio:
Melissa Francis joined FOX Business Network (FBN) as an anchor in January 2012. Prior to joining FBN, Francis served as an anchor at CNBC, where she co- anchored Power Lunch and The Call. When Francis joined CNBC in 2003, she was the first reporter to broadcast live from the floor of New York Mercantile Exchange, providing live hourly reports for the network and distinguishing herself as the foremost expert on commodities.
Before joining CNBC, Francis was a correspondent for CNET's broadcast unit, where she covered finance, technology and consumer products. Prior to CNET, Francis was a reporter for News 12 New Jersey, and anchored for many New England television stations in Hartford, Manchester, and Providence. She also served as producer for WCSH-TV NBC Portland and researcher for the MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour.
