In Memoriam: Art Ryan, 83
Former President, Chase Manhattan Bank
Arthur F. "Art" Ryan, who became one of the youngest presidents in the history of Chase Manhattan Bank when he assumed the office in 1990 at the age of 47 and a mentor to many, died unexpectedly on July 28, 2026, while on vacation with one of his daughters and her children in Italy. Ryan was 83.
Born in Brooklyn in September 1942 and raised on Long Island, Ryan graduated from Providence College in 1963 with a BA in mathematics. While serving as a lieutenant in the U.S. Army Security Agency, he attended graduate school at American University.
Ryan began his professional journey at Control Data Corporation before spending more than two decades at Chase Manhattan Bank. He joined Chase in 1972. Through talent, determination and thoughtful leadership, he rose through the executive ranks, running Chase's entire securities processing business, the bank's domestic wholesale operations and Individual (Consumer) Banking. He became an Executive Vice President in 1984, then a Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors and, finally, President and Chief Operating Officer of the bank in 1990.
"Art Ryan was universally admired at Chase and responsible for many peoples' careers," said Ken Jablon, CAA President. "He was tough but kind and approachable. His affection for Chase and his colleagues there was palpable. Some 30-plus years after he left Chase to run Prudential, he would come up from his retirement home in Vero Beach, Fl., to attend Chase Alumni Association events, where he was enthusiastically received by the attendees."
His wife, Pat Ryan, who died in 2018, nine years after a stroke had left her unable to walk or speak, was a dynamic partner when her husband was president of Chase, often standing in for him at events he could not attend.
Art Ryan left Chase in 1994 to become the first president and chief executive officer of Prudential Insurance Company of America selected from outside the firm. He immediately set a new tone for accountability, requesting a full investigation into Prudential's past sales practices. The investigation resulted in significant reforms, millions of dollars in fines, and compensation for policyholders, demonstrating his commitment to restoring trust and integrity.
While transforming the company into Prudential FInance, a vibrant, publicly traded company, Ryan also helped transform its home base, Newark, NJ, especially with the creation of the Prudential Center and the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), for which he was co-chair for many years, and by supporting Branch Brook Park, Turtle Back Zoo and numerous civic initiatives throughout Essex County. Even after retiring from Prudential in 2008, he remained deeply involved in philanthropy and community leadership.
Ryan gave generously to his alma mater, Providence College. He and his late wife's charitable gifts led to the construction of the Arthur and Patricia Ryan Center for Business Studies, and the Ryan Concert Hall at the Smith Center for the Arts. He received an honorary Doctor of Business Administration degree from Providence College. Ryan served as a trustee of the college as well as Achieve, Inc., a nonprofic educational reform organization.
Ryan was elected a Trustee of the Presbyterian Hospital in New York in October 1987, and a Trustee of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital upon the merger with New York Hospital in 1998. During his extraordinary tenure, he helped steer the Hospital through its successful expansion, serving as chair of several committees, including Nominating, Development and Human Resources. He was also a member of the Executive and Budget and Finance Committees. He was made a Life Trustee.
Ryan was also a longtime member of the Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Board of Directors, serving from 2003 until his death.
Among his survivors are his two sons and two daughters and grandchildren.
Visitation will be at the Strunk Funeral Home, 918 17th St., Vero Beach, FL, from 2 pm to 4 pm and 6 pm to 7:30 pm, on Wednesday, August 5, 2026, with a prayer service to follow from 7:30 pm to 8 pm.
A Mass will be held at Holy Cross Catholic Church, 500 Iris Lane, Vero Beach, FL, from 10 am to 11 am on Thursday, August 6, 2026, followed by a Commital Service with Military Honors at Crestlawn Cemetery, 1216 14th St., Vero Beach, FL.
We understand that a memorial service is being organized by Prudential in Newark. We will keep our members posted.
Remembrances
Please send remembrances to news@chasealum.org
From Liz Flynn: I first met Art as a Management Trainee in the Chase Operations and Systems Leadership Program, which he created. Over the years, I had the privilege of interacting with him in various roles at Chase during his tenure as President, and later as fellow Trustees and supporters of our alma mater, Providence College.
Art was that rare, brilliant, visionary leader—someone able to see around corners where others could not—and to lead two world-class companies to success.
But he also had that “extra something special” that made him beloved by so many. He had a deep commitment to people and to the values of loyalty, honesty, integrity and, above all, family. He inspired those around him to step up, to do their best work and to be part of something greater than themselves. He was tough as nails, yet had a huge heart, a great sense of humor and genuine compassion. Importantly, to me and to many others, he took chances on people—including women—which was especially meaningful at that time.
Beyond all of this, he remained deeply committed to giving back and staying involved in the many communities he cared about.
A truly great person – I will miss Art, as will so many others. My heart goes out to his family.
From Michael P. Esposito, Jr.: I will always remember Art Ryan as a very solid banking executive with excellent business skills, possessing very good business judgment. He was a superb manager of people. I would be remiss if I did not mention that he also had a remarkable sense of humor. I shall miss him very much.
From Ron Mayer: It was always a pleasure to work with Art, the smartest guy in the room who did not have to prove it to anyone.
When I was Secretary, I witnessed his monthly reports to the Board. The outside directors, by their body language, showed great respect for him.
Prudential's gain was a big loss for Chase Manhattan.
From Sally Phelps: His memory is a blessing. He bridged the gap to the modern banking era.
From Bob Field: There are few people who stand out more in my memory with great respect and admiration than Art Ryan. It was through Chase’s Worldwide Insurance Division, which I headed, that I was first introduced to Art and Pat Ryan in a more intimate way, as we introduced them to the senior executives in the Insurance Industry at our many industry conferences. It was at these events that he developed a close relationship with many of the leading executives of the Insurance Industry, and it was no surprise to me when he was selected to lead Prudential as its first non-insurance Chairman and CEO.
Of the many memories I have about Art one stands out, and it was my first experience witnessing his leadership style. Shortly after Art had been selected to be President of Chase, he was invited to speak at a Corporate Banking management offsite being held at The Wauwinet on Nantucket, where the heads of Chase’s client industry divisions were discussing bonus allocations and business planning. This was while Chase was experiencing severe financial stress.
The lack of respect for Art’s credentials as Chase’s new President became apparent during an after-dinner gathering in the Wauwinet bar. From these corporate executives’ perspective, Art was a retail/operations executive with little experience in their corporate banking businesses. This lack of respect became more apparent as they drank more and fired aggressive questions at him demanding answers to their arrogant questions.
Early on Art responded with calm respectful answers that incited more aggressive questioning from those who believed him to be weak. I was shocked that he was tolerating such abuse and disrespect, but what followed proved that he possessed leadership skills beyond any other executive I had ever worked for.
For those who had been most disrespectful, he directed this response: “I have one thing to say to you, you can kiss my ass."
He then addressed them individually, identifying fatal character flaws before going on to say, “I do know one thing, I will be here one year from now, but I’m not sure that you will.”
The stunned looks on their faces was priceless. They had underestimated him, and I knew at that time we had a strong leader.
My wife, Vivian Banta, went on to work for Art at Prudential, where we saw his leadership style translate into a turnaround, taking Prudential public and making it a vibrant and successful financial company.
Years after, Vivian and I would get together with Art and laugh about our many experiences together. At one of those times, I couldn’t help but share my Nantucket story with him…and with that same sense of humor he said, “just as long as you knew who was boss."
Art, we are going to miss you.
From Vivian Banta: Art Ryan was my mentor and in later years became my friend. He was instrumental in my career and I will never forget how it all began. After Marsh Carter, my boss at that time, announced he was leaving, my colleagues and I began speculating about who would take his job. Never in my wildest dreams did I think it would be me. That is why when I received a phone call from Art saying "Congratulations, kid," I didn’t know what he was referring to. That is all he said to me and then he hung up. It took me a while to process the news, and I was astounded.
His status updates were truly terrifying. He would ask questions that 99 percent of the population did not know the answers to. I realized then that if I was going to survive what I used to call Art’s Reign of Terror, I needed to become a subject matter expert. For that I am eternally grateful. Art never gave up on me and pushed me hard. With his support, my team and I grew the business, Global Investor Services, to the largest of its kind in the world.
Thank you, Art, for the opportunity, for believing in me and for supporting me along the way. I will never forget you.