The bank's board of directors, having delayed a decision for more than a year, has yet to say whether Dimon, 57, can collect 2 million stock options originally granted in 2008 and now worth about $34 million. Last week, the board increased his annual pay to $20 million from $11.5 million a year ago, when he was penalized for faulty oversight of botched derivatives bets.

After Dimon's incentive package was created six years ago, JPMorgan grew to become the nation's largest bank with shares outperforming the industry, and then snapped a three-year run of record profits as costs from government probes surged. The board's decision to boost Dimon's annual pay despite mounting legal settlements shows he probably will get the full options award, said Alan Johnson, founder of compensation-consulting firm Johnson Associates Inc.

"It's obvious the board wanted to send a signal about what they think of him," Johnson said. "It'd be very inconsistent to say, 'You're our guy, and we want to send an emphatic public message that we think very highly of you.' And then, 'Oh by the way, you didn't earn this over the last five years.'"