JPMorgan Chase was born with a silver spoon in its mouth but that hasn't stopped it. One of the largest financial services firms in the US, the company has more than 5,100 bank branches in some two dozen states (and counting) and is also among the nation's top mortgage lenders and credit card issuers. Active in some 60 countries, it also boasts formidable investment banking and asset management operations. The company's subsidiaries include the prestigious JPMorgan Private Bank and institutional investment manager JPMorgan Asset Management (with some $1.7 trillion in assets under supervision). In 2008 JPMorgan Chase bought Bear Stearns and the operations of failed thrift Washington Mutual (WaMu).