As JPMorgan rushes to get a handle on Bear Stearns’ value, some of Bear’s most prized assets are probably considering a sprint of their own – straight out of the front door.

Banking mergers generally involve countless hours of behind-the-scenes wrangling over retention packages for valuable staff. But with Bear’s sale struck under extreme duress, JPMorgan had little time to place ego-stroking phone calls to its top employees.