Stearns' workers tapped for support

Jamie Dimon, chief executive of JPMorgan Chase, made a plea to Bear Stearns' employees to support his company's cut-price takeover of the collapsed investment bank - and he dangled the prospect of significant bonuses for those who stayed.

Bear's 14,000 employees have been in shock since the firm unravelled in just a few days amid a crisis of confidence among its trading partners.

But in his first meeting with staff at the Bear headquarters in Manhattan, Dimon told them favoured employees could be given cash and JPMorgan shares to sway them to stay. There will also be one-off payments to those made redundant.

- INDEPENDENT, REUTERS