The takeover of First Republic Bank by JPMorgan Chase raises questions about the future of the Bay Area bank's office and retail portfolio.
The fate of First Republic's roughly 1.3 million square feet of commercial space appears to be up in the air as its new owner weighs how much overlap between the two branch networks is needed and where to make cuts. First Republic, the second-largest U.S. bank to collapse after Washington Mutual shut during the Great Recession, had nearly 85 retail branches across eight states that are now operating under the Chase flag.
The new takeover deal, with all leases for First Republic's office and retail locations passing to its new owner, echoes previous bank acquisitions, many of which resulted in branch closings and office consolidations. JPMorgan has orchestrated a number of those deals, including its 2008 takeover of Washington Mutual, when it rejected dozens of Washington Mutual leases.
In addition to its retail footprint and corporate headquarters, the Bay Area bank had a significant foothold in top-tier markets such as Los Angeles and New York, where JPMorgan already has a significant presence. Judging by its past takeover practices, JPMorgan is probably evaluating how much of that space to keep.
The two banks' emphasis on in-person work could be another factor JPMorgan executives take into account in evaluating how much of First Republic's office portfolio it will ultimately retain.
"One benefit of distressed acquisitions is the ability of the buyer to pick and choose amongst the desirable assets, including real estate locations, and to leave past liabilities with the seller," Adam Friedman, a partner of New York City-based law firm Olshan From Wolosky who helps lead its bankruptcy and financial restructuring group, told CoStar News.
While he's not involved in JPMorgan's acquisition, Friedman said a firm like JPMorgan typically would have flexibility in acquiring certain leasehold obligations. For now, First Republic branches and offices will "open as normal" as the two banks combine, according to a statement by JPMorgan.
Representatives involved with the company's biggest office leases in San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles and Boca Raton, Florida, either declined to comment or did not respond to a request to comment from CoStar News.
JPMorgan showed how it can sever ties to real estate after absorbing a distressed bank when the financial giant — already the nation’s largest bank prior to its First Republic takeover — rejected or elected not to renew dozens of Washington Mutual's office leases across the U.S. after its 2008 collapse, according to court records and Securities and Exchange Commission filings.
Office Footprint In Flux
On the office front, First Republic's footprint in San Francisco spans more than 600,000 square feet and is where a majority of its roughly 7,200-person workforce is based.
The bank has leases for its headquarters at 111 Pine St. as well as offices at One Front Street and 388 Market St. However, that space could spell out an opportunity for consolidation, CoStar's National Director of Office Analytics Phil Mobley said, given that JPMorgan chase has a 223,000-square-foot office nearby at 560 Mission St. that's slated to expire in September 2025.
JPMorgan has a significantly larger presence in New York City, where First Republic also occupies more than 300,000 square feet in properties such as 410 Tenth Ave. and 1230 Avenue of the Americas. Both offices run on leases that aren't set to expire until 2025, according to CoStar data.
But with JPMorgan's new headquarters tower on track to complete construction in 2025, Mobley said First Republic's footprint in the city is "likely to become part of a consolidation trend that has already begun" among other tenants across the national office market. These tenants are shrinking their real estate portfolios as layoffs, mounting economic concerns and pandemic-related work trends have curbed their need for excess space.
What remains to be seen is how the two banks' in-office mandate will impact its future real estate footprint. Both First Republic and JPMorgan implemented requirements that have its corporate employees working from an office at least two days a week, even though JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon has been vocal about his distaste for remote work.
He has ended hybrid arrangements for senior bankers, calling them back for a full five-day work week and saying "they have to be visible on the floor, they must meet with clients, they need to teach and advise, and they should always be accessible for immediate feedback and impromptu meetings."
And as First Republic began calling employees back to the office, the bank signed one of the largest office leases in the Los Angeles area last year when it renewed and expanded in roughly 156,000 square feet at 1888 Century Park East in the city's Century City neighborhood, according to Savills.
Regulators seized control of First Republic over the weekend and sold it to JPMorgan Chase on Monday after the San Francisco-based bank reported its assets had been battered by the rise in interest rates, and the company struggled to stay afloat after two other lenders collapsed in March.
First Republic executives said late last month the bank planned to cut up to 25% of its workforce by the end of June. They also said it would shed real estate, trim nonessential costs and pursue "strategic options to expedite its progress while reinforcing its capital position."
Under the takeover agreement, JPMorgan Chase said the acquired assets include about $173 billion of loans and approximately $30 billion of securities. It would also assume about $92 billion of deposits, including $30 billion of large bank deposits, to be repaid or eliminated. The FDIC would insure all deposits, insured and otherwise. It would also provide "loss share agreements covering acquired single-family residential mortgage loans and commercial loans, as well as $50 billion of five-year, fixed-rate term financing," JPMorgan Chase said.
“This part of the crisis is over,” JPMorgan’s Dimon said in a statement earlier this week. “For now we should all just take a deep breath.”