JPMorgan chief Jamie Dimon, left, said during an event at Chase Center on Monday that San Francisco has turned a corner. (Roland Li/S.F. Chronicle)

JPMorgan Chase & Co., the nation’s largest bank, is ramping up its Bay Area presence and designated the region as a new corporate center Monday amid a new round of local investments.

CEO Jamie Dimon lauded the region’s booming economy and progress on public safety at an event Monday at San Francisco’s Chase Center, where the bank owns naming rights.

Dimon said Mayor Daniel Lurie is “doing all the right stuff” as crime falls and a new zoning plan seeks to allow more housing. “It’s definitely turned” compared to the immediate aftermath of the pandemic, Dimon said.

But he acknowledged the city’s persistent challenges with housing affordability and with retaining nurses and teachers amid widening inequality.

“If you had proper (housing) supply that could be rapidly deployed, you wouldn’t have that problem,” Dimon said. “I think we should raise our hand and do things that fix it.”

As part of that effort, JPMorgan invested $200 million to help fund a 342-unit waterfront housing project less than a mile from Chase Center. Nationally, the bank on Monday committed $750 billion through 2035 to help increase U.S. housing supply, including financing for 1 million affordable housing units.

A rendering of the envisioned residential housing building at Block 8 of the Dogpatch Power Station project, which is being funded by JPMorgan. (Foster + Partners)

And he said that San Francisco’s high costs are ultimately a sign of business success. “Not having success is not the best way to fix,” he said.

Event attendee Laura Foote, head of housing advocacy group YIMBY Action, said she supported the bank’s housing investments. But she said local leaders like Lurie had to take more action on housing policy.

The San Francisco area became the New York-based bank’s 24th corporate center, highlighting its importance to the bank’s bottom line. Noah Wintroub, global chair of JPMorgan, is the top Bay Area executive and the bank plans to designate more staff to coordinate the region.

“JPMorganChase has supported the Bay Area for more than 120 years, and we’re building on that commitment today, with a newly designated corporate center,” said Dimon in a statement. “Bringing our people together, in-person, helps us foster a stronger culture, better collaboration, and as a result, better outcomes for our clients.”

The bank has almost 5,000 Bay Area employees and 3 million consumer clients. It’s issued over $72 million in philanthropic support locally since 2019.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. completed renovations at its 560 Mission St. office hub in San Francisco, boosting local investment and philanthropy. (Courtesy of JPMorganChase)

JPMorgan recently finished renovations on its San Francisco hub at 560 Mission St. In contrast, its rival and hometown bank Wells Fargo has been cutting office space and staff since the pandemic.