JPMorgan Chase is preparing a sizeable expansion of its U.S. retail footprint in 2026, with plans to open in excess of 160 new branches across more than 30 states, according to a report by the Financial Times. The effort forms a component of a multibillion-dollar program to grow the bank’s brick-and-mortar presence.
The FT report described the 2026 initiative as a "major expansion" that will include increased branch counts in a number of states cited by the bank’s consumer banking leadership, among them North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Pennsylvania, Kansas, Massachusetts and Tennessee. The expansion aligns with a 2024 commitment by the bank to establish more than 500 branches within a three-year window.
JPMorgan said it has opened Chase-branded branches in every U.S. state except Hawaii and Alaska as part of a longer-term objective to capture 15% of the nation’s retail deposit market. In the FT interview, Jennifer Roberts, chief executive of Chase consumer banking, emphasized the strategic role of physical locations: "We know that building branches and getting into markets is a critical part of getting that deposit share," she told the Financial Times.
The bank planned to make a formal announcement of its expansion plans later in the day, the report said. Reuters noted that JPMorgan did not immediately respond to a request for comment seeking confirmation of the details and timing.
The FT story also referenced recent financial results: the lender reported fourth-quarter profit that exceeded analysts’ estimates, driven in part by trading activity during volatile markets. That earnings outcome was mentioned as context for the bank’s broader consumer strategy and ongoing investment in physical locations.
Taken together, the company’s stated intentions reflect a coordinated push to combine network growth with deposit-gathering goals. The bank’s stated target for retail deposit share and the stated branch count objectives provide measurable benchmarks that observers and market participants can use to track execution over the coming three-year period.
Context and next steps
Executives will reportedly provide more detail in an announcement tied to the plan. Observers will be watching whether the branch openings proceed on schedule and how they influence deposit growth metrics and local market competition.