Jamie Dimon’s swoop to buy Washington Mutual from US regulators is a landmark moment in a 26-year career that has taken the chief executive of JPMorgan Chase through a rollercoaster ride of highs and lows of the banking industry.

Nearly a decade after he was fired from Citigroup after falling out with his former mentor Sandy Weill, Mr Dimon presides over a banking empire that closely resembles the one he helped assemble during his formative years.