JPMorgan Chase's lower legal costs allow it to return to profitability

NEW YORK (CNNMoney)

The nation's largest bank by assets bank reported a $5.6 billion profit in the three months that ended in September. It's notable considering the bank has been dogged in recent months by a cyber attack on its accounts, a CEO undergoing cancer treatment and ongoing legal costs related to the financial crisis.

This time last year the bank reported a rare loss due to $9.3 billion it set aside for legal expenses at that time. JPMorgan (JPM) eventually finalized a $13 billion settlement for selling mortgages ahead of the financial crisis.

Related: Elizabeth Warren wants to probe if Fed is too close to big banks

Despite the better news this autumn, the bank's earnings came in slightly below Wall Street forecasts and shares of JPMorgan fell 1% in morning trading.

The bank's earnings were posted on a website hours before they were meant to be released. A JPMorgan spokesman blamed shareholder.com, a third-party vendor that posts earnings to the site, for the snafu.

"While challenges remain in the global economic recovery, the U.S. economy is an exception, showing signs of steady improvement," said Chairman and CEO Jamie Dimon in the earnings release. "Corporate America is in good shape with strong balance sheets and employment trends continue to be positive."

Jamie Dimon is full steam ahead: Dimon himself has been a key focus on the bank's shareholders. He underwent treatment for throat cancer this summer, and just last week he made his first public appearance since finishing his regime.

" I never stopped working, though I did take care of myself, get a lot of rest," Dimon said on a conference call with media Tuesday. " I'm starting to build back my schedule. But I feel good and I'm happy the treatments are over."

Related: Want a job on Wall Street? Go to UPenn or Georgetown

Read this article:
JPMorgan Chase's lower legal costs allow it to return to profitability