[ by Melanie Gretchen and Howard Haykin ]

Jamie Dimon is celebrating his birthday today, March 13^th.  He's 57 years old, and with what's going on at JPMorgan Chase, this Chief Executive is probably just hoping to be around in another 3 years, when he reaches the BIG 6-0. 

It just that big and/or troubling events take place around his birthday.  This year, for example, Mr. Diamond is just 2 days away from having to deal with likely fallout from testimony that current and former JPMorgan lieutenants will give at a Senate Banking hearing on the $6.2 billion London Whale trading loss. 

What so intriguing about this week's hearing is the fact that questions from members of the Senate Banking Committee will be based on findings derived from the Committee's own investigation into JPMorgan trading debacle.   It may come as no surprise that the Senate's report includes many disclosures that JPMorgan delivered in a report based on its internal investigation.  Friday may play out like "Truth or Dare."

Not Likely a Repeat of 5 Years Earlier.   At tonight's birthday celebration, one thing is certain - Mr.Dimon can take comfort knowing that whatever happens tonight and the rest of this week, will in no way compare to what he experienced on his 52^nd birthday- exactly 5 years ago, in 2008.

That night, Jamie Dimon was celebrating his birthday at a Greek restaurant in Midtown Manhattan - along with his wife, his parents, and 1 of his 3 daughters.  In the middle of the festivities, Dimon received a monumental call on his cell phone - one that not only upended that evening's celebration, but also changed the face of the industry.

Bear Stearns Disolution.   Gary Parr, a senior deal maker at Lazard, was on the other end of the call and delivered a message to Jamie Dimon on behalf of Bear Stearns.  In relevant part, Mr. Parr said: 

"We have a real issue here and we need to be talking to you and your team.  They’re in desperate shape.  They need a lot of money."  Could Mr. Dimon make Bear a big loan that night?

Of course the answer was yes.  Within 12 hours of leaving the restaurant, Mr. Dimon and his JPMorgan bankers had agreed upon the principal terms of a deal to buy Bear Stearns for the nominal price of $2 a share - that later was increased to $10 a share, with help from the Fed.  That deal, along with the September 2008 collapse of Lehman Brothers, the acquisitions by Bank of America of both Merrill Lynch and Countrywide Financial, along with many other transactions and events, led to an unprecedented reformation of the financial industry.

So, as we all trudge to our respective homes tonight, dine with our family or friends, walk the dog, and catch some TV, let us take a collective pause and reflect on Jamie Dimon's 57th birthday, and hope for his sake that it's "NO BIG DEAL."  Let's drink to that.

For further details, go to [Dealbook, 3/13/13].