Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan Chase, speaks at the 2019 World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Jan. 23, 2019.
Adam Galica | CNBC

For years, Jamie Dimon has joked that whenever he is asked when he will step down from JPMorgan Chase, the answer is always five years.

But two years ago, Dimon said in a press release that he would keep serving as CEO for “about another five years” when the bank named two co-presidents who could succeed him if needed.

Now, when CNBC asked about it on a media call Tuesday, Dimon did not seem to commit to that timetable.

“My line is still the same, which is five years,” Dimon said. “If we ever actually set a formal retirement date, we’ll let you know.”

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Understandably, the 63-year-old Dimon does not want to think about stepping down right now. He built JPMorgan into the biggest bank in the United States after the financial crisis, spanning the real economy and Wall Street and becoming a giant of the industry. The company had just posted its most profitable year ever, and after the stock rose about 40% last year, JPMorgan also ranks among the most highly valued large lenders.

But one reason the bank issued that 2018 statement was to reassure people worried that strong deputies might leave in frustration, a criticism that had come up before. Dimon's deputies later went on to lead banks and financial firms around the world, most recently at Wells Fargo.

A JPMorgan spokesperson said the bank's board has the final say on when Dimon retires and noted that the 2018 statement was only a rough estimate.

At Bank of America, Dimon's rival Brian Moynihan, 60, said he wants to lead the company as long as possible, citing Berkshire Hathaway's 89-year-old Warren Buffett as an example.

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