Does JPMorgan Chase hire people with felonies?

What JPMorgan Chase has said

JPMorganChase has publicly committed to second-chance hiring. It says it removed criminal-history questions from its job applications in 2018, reviews records individually only after a conditional job offer, and co-founded the Second Chance Business Coalition. Its current job postings for many bank roles say offers depend on a review of criminal conviction history under federal FDIC rules (Section 19), which bar people with certain convictions for dishonesty, breach of trust or money laundering from working at an insured bank without the FDIC's written consent, though the rules exclude simple drug possession and many older offenses. Postings for roles that count as loan originators, such as relationship bankers and branch managers, also say a felony conviction in the past seven years disqualifies an applicant under federal lending rules.

• Second Chance Business Coalition member

  Listed as a member of the Second Chance Business Coalition.¹

• Founding member of the Second Chance Business Coalition

  Named in the coalition's April 26, 2021 launch release as one of the companies that had already joined; the release says JPMorgan Chase Chairman and CEO Jamie Dimon co-chaired the coalition.²

• Company statement

  A 2019 JPMorgan Chase press release says the firm is committed to second-chance hiring, removed all questions about criminal backgrounds from its job applications, and aims to give qualified applicants with records the same consideration as others when their background has no bearing on the job.³

• Checks records only after an offer

  A May 2024 JPMorganChase newsroom story says that since 2018 the firm has left criminal-background questions off its applications and does individualized assessments only after a conditional job offer. The firm says about 10% of its U.S. new hires over the prior three years had records it judged posed no risk to safety and soundness.⁴

• Company statement

  JPMorganChase's Second Chance Agenda page, as of October 2026, says it is committed to helping people with criminal backgrounds reenter the workforce, and that nearly 10% of its U.S. hires over the past five years had a prior record with no bearing on their roles.⁵

Does JPMorgan Chase do background checks?

JPMorgan Chase runs background checks after a job offer. JPMorganChase says it doesn't ask about criminal records on applications and reviews an applicant's record individually only after making a conditional offer. Many of its current postings say the offer depends on its review of criminal conviction history, including pretrial diversions, because the job is covered by federal Section 19 rules, and some postings add a credit report or credit check, fingerprints (for roles needing government clearance) or yearly re-screening. Federal Section 19 rules also require insured banks to make a documented inquiry into an applicant's history before they start work. JPMorganChase hasn't published who runs its checks or how far back they look in general.^4,6,7,8,9

• Criminal history
• Credit

• How long a background check takes

Does JPMorgan Chase drug test?

JPMorgan Chase hasn't published a drug testing policy. JPMorganChase's careers FAQ and the job posting we opened don't mention drug testing, and we found no published drug-test policy.

Hiring programs

• Second Chance recruitment model

  JPMorgan Chase works with local nonprofits that coach and refer job seekers with arrest or conviction histories to its recruiters, offering help such as legal services, mock interviews and resume building. It started in Chicago and Columbus and expanded to Phoenix in 2022, and is aimed at people whose histories fit within industry regulatory guidelines.¹⁰

• Expungement clinics

  JPMorganChase says it hosts free (pro bono) expungement clinics at some community branches to help people clear eligible records, and its Second Chance Agenda page says it is expanding these pilot clinics.⁴

Rules for specific jobs

• Bank jobs at FDIC-insured banks (federal rule)

  Under Section 19 of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act, a person convicted of a crime involving dishonesty, breach of trust or money laundering, or who entered a pretrial diversion program for one, can't work at an insured bank without the FDIC's written consent, and can apply for that consent. The rule excludes simple drug possession, offenses from 7 or more years ago, offenses where 5 or more years have passed since release from incarceration, and offenses committed at age 21 or younger once 30 months have passed since sentencing; some serious offenses are not covered by these exclusions.⁶

• Relationship bankers, private client bankers, branch managers, community managers and other loan-originator roles

  JPMorganChase's postings for these roles say they are covered by federal loan-originator rules, that an offer depends on a review of criminal conviction history, credit report and NMLS registry information, and that any felony conviction within the last seven years disqualifies an applicant. These roles also require NMLS registration after hire.⁷

• Mortgage loan originators at any lender (federal rule)

  Federal lending rules bar a loan originator who has a felony conviction (or guilty or no-contest plea) in the past seven years, or a felony involving fraud, dishonesty, breach of trust or money laundering at any time. Expunged or pardoned convictions don't count, and the bar is lifted if the FDIC has granted Section 19 consent.¹¹

• Second-chance hires at JPMorgan Chase

  In 2022, JPMorgan Chase said many of its second-chance hires had low-level records such as disorderly conduct, personal drug possession or DUI, and work in jobs like transaction processing and lending and account servicing. It said it recruits people whose histories fit within industry regulatory guidelines and have no bearing on the job.¹⁰

Your rights, and how far back a check can go

• Under the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), an employer must get your written permission before it gets a background report about you from a background screening company.^14,15,16
• Before an employer decides not to hire, keep, or promote you because of something in a background report, it must give you a copy of the report and a document called "A Summary of Your Rights Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act."^14,15
• You have the right to dispute inaccurate or incomplete information in your background report directly with the company that made it.^14,17
• The FCRA's seven-year limit does not apply to criminal convictions, so under federal law a conviction can show up on a background report no matter how old it is.^18,19
• Under the FCRA, background and credit reports generally cannot include arrest records, civil lawsuits, or civil judgments that are more than seven years old (or older than the statute of limitations, if that is longer).^18,20

Your full background check rights

Before you apply

• You can ask a background screening company for the information it has on you, and the CFPB keeps a list of consumer reporting companies, including employment screening companies, with their contact details.^14,17,21
• According to the Clean Slate Initiative, 14 states and Washington, D.C. have passed Clean Slate laws that meet its criteria for automatically clearing eligible records: Pennsylvania, Utah, New Jersey, Connecticut, Michigan, Delaware, Virginia, California, Oklahoma, Colorado, Minnesota, New York, Illinois, and Missouri, plus D.C.²²
• The Federal Bonding Program, run by the U.S. Department of Labor, lets states give employers free fidelity bonds that protect them against losses from a newly hired worker's dishonest acts, for job seekers with past justice involvement or in recovery from substance use.^23,24

See whether you can clear your record in your state