Don't think any of the others really do though. Evercore is the best, reputation-wise, with Centerview close behind (not enough to really make a difference, so go by the team/people). Not everyone wants to do coverage work and work on hella balance sheet stuff at JPM while making $50k less than their counterpart at PWP that works on more M&A with a better culture, etc. Buy-side opportunities will be more limited coming straight from this boutique, but they do exist, especially if youre looking outside the traditional large PE funds. Do they have the ability to win deals if for some reason Klein no longer can? Thanks! See this list for suggested steppingstone internships: https://mergersandinquisitions.com/how-to-get-into-investment-banking/#Step1. I dont know enough about them to say much, but theyre definitely in the In-Between-a-Bank category. Greenhill, Moelis type) vs staying in a non-US BB (eg. I dont know, maybe we need a special category here. 300+ video lessons across 6 modeling courses taught by elite practitioners at the top investment banks and private equity funds -- Excel Modeling -- Financial Statement Modeling -- M&A Modeling -- LBO Modeling -- DCF and Valuation Modeling -- ALL INCLUDED + 2 Huge Bonuses. Thanks Brian. I dont know the firm, so I cannot comment on this one. I would like to know which one of these two will eventually bring me higher probabilities of landing at a MM PE after 2-3 years at IB? would bump evercore to tier 1, fair - for people solely RX focused an RX only group will be obviously better suited, but as far as deal flow and marquee transactions, Moelis is definitely in the top tier (i.e. Im pretty laser focused on PE at this point. If overall deal activity falls by 50%, an increase in distressed deals will not make up for that lost volume, especially once you factor in all the $10 billion+ transactions that get canceled. If this is the best opportunity you have found, you should take it. Restructuring transactions usually last around 12 months and move through different phases of negotiation and implementation., For me, its the fact that while corporate finance is usually about value maximizing, in restructuring its about loss minimization. GMAT Tutors: //www.wallstreetoasis.com/page/one-on-one-gmat-prepWSO Resume Review: //www.wallstreetoasis.com/page/wso-resume-review You might be able to make an argument for HL, Jefferies, Lincoln, or Raymond James being the top middle-market bank, but what data supports Harris Williams in that spot? Yes, I would recommend taking that role simply because it is a real investment banking role, even though its at a boutique firm. It takes a lot of effort to switch to another bank (https://mergersandinquisitions.com/investment-banking-accelerated-interviews/), and its not necessarily worth it unless youre laser-focused on mega-fund PE. I also have an offer from B of A FIG, but would assume that B of A does not recruit as well. Silicon Valley. Thanks. Deal sizes vary, but many of these firms work on deals worth less than $50 million USD, and sometimes ones worth less than $20-30 million. Im unsure of what is realistic for me. On the creditor side, the investment bank may represent more than one creditor constituency. But for me, if I am weighing top BB or EB, I would chose the EB every day of the week. Interested to hear about prestige perception and exit opps within finance. Thanks for the great article, very helpful for me as Im quite clueless. Ive been working during 3 years at MM boutique (Clearwater International) and now I have received 2 offers and I dont know which one to choose: i) one as senior analyst at BB (UBS) or ii) as M&A Director at a portco of a mid market PE fund, where the salary and bonus is below BB but theyd give me sweet equity, and being part of the board. Potentially, yes, but there are serious concerns about DBs solvency at the moment. Maybe you do have a higher chance of getting into PE from a MM bank, but the point still remains that your chances are much higher at an EB or BB bank. https://mergersandinquisitions.com/mba-investment-banking-recruiting-process/. My boutique firms deal flows are not strong at all so I am really worried I wont get great experience listed on my resume. Wall Street Oasis. What is your view between working at a BB outside of London (more specifically in Paris) vs. working at an IBAB such as RBC in London? Do you think Asians can make it to the top of investment banking in the future? A top BB or EB is almost always a better bet. Many thanks for all the topics you have covered so far! It seems quite a few of the In Betweens from outside North America only hire for NYC eg HSBC and BNP. Restructuring investment banking mandates typically involve two advisors: one for the debtor side and one for the creditor side. I have a series of IB/PE internships pre/post graduation but the market for juniors is quite bad in London atm. If you want to stay in banking, yes, an EB makes more sense than a lower-tier BB, especially once you factor in the cash compensation differences. The easiest solution is to just say that you already spent your signing bonus and cant return it to them. Hi Brian, would you recommend taking an SA offer from Leerink over a MM bank (Cowen) or IBAB (Nomura)? https://mergersandinquisitions.com/bulge-bracket-banks/. OP, the other disputed ranking guy just basically copied your exact thread word for word. If you're new here, please click here to get my FREE 57-page investment banking recruiting guide - plus, get weekly updates so that you can break into investment banking. I noticed there is a gap between professionals that realize rankings are stupid as fuck (therefore don't entertain these threads)and prospects that give incomplete/uninformed opinions on this topic because it is relatively important to them and it fuels an ego that's coming off of a similar exercise for college rankings. I have an offer with Rothschild and was wondering if anyone had further information on the group (sentiment, exits, reputation etc). Im sure it has been done before (as I know someone will leave a comment offering some crazy exception), but its highly unlikely, especially with the way PE recruiting now works (extremely quickly). Thoughts? Over the past several years Greenhill has focused significant time and effort to build out its restructuring practice. What are your thoughts on a place like Eastdil (real estate) vs RJ(IB)? But this would mean that I would graduate half a year later in the beginning of 2023. How would you classify Cantor Fitzgerald? An article tomorrow will detail the craziness of the process and why recruiters handle it so poorly. Thank you. byclement127is licensed under CC BY 2.0. How significant do you think the difference in exit opportunities are from a firm like Blair/Baird/HL vs UBS/DB/RBC (assuming you want to go into PE). The actual work (almost always debtor side) is interesting and even as an analyst you get good exposure to the client. No shade. This version of this article was published just under 2 years ago, so I dont think much has changed in that time. Jefferies doesnt fit in its category with players like Baird, HL and Piper. Sometimes these humans might be asleep, or away from their desks, so it may take a while for your comment to appear. Hard to say because so much depends on performance in a given year. Im currently doing a Corporate Banking role at a Chinese bank. Foros Ive never heard of (but looks like they have decent deals on their website?). How would you weigh offers from CS NY, William Blair Chicago, and BAML LA? Just kidding its a massive waste of time. What are your thoughts on Imperial Capital and Stephens? I saw they were the lead advisor to Puerto Rico's debt RX back in 2017. at least I didn't try to claim they were undisputed whilstcommenting on my own post using alts and then then subsequently forgetting to anon myself, Sounds like you made a good faith effort at arriving at informed/objective opinion (as much as an opinion can be "objective."). also curious your thoughts on some of the local (what I consider, EB), in UK / aus / CN / HK.. happy to provide a list. As with any other BB vs. EB decision, this one is a matter of options outside the finance industry (JPM is better) vs. options within finance (similar) vs. culture/lifestyle/interesting work (PWP is probably better). Sorry, I dont know enough about it to give a detailed opinion. Let me know your thoughts! Just asking If/how it influences my entry into London IB. It seems like theres very little information on Hines, which raises questions in my mind. Would you say any of the Up-and-Coming Elite Boutiques have become EBs in recent years since you first published this article? In general, Rothschild, Moelis, and Evercore are still probably your best bets because of their overall reputation. derivatives, project financing, etc) do you think I will benefit the most if I want to eventually be an analyst in the investment bank or fund manager at asset management? Most deals are below $1 billion, though this varies a bit by the bank; some, such as Jefferies, tend to work on larger deals than the other MM banks. Hedge fund Brevan Howard hired NatWest's ex-head of euro swaps trading, Big banks might have slowed hiring, but boutiques have not. From what I understand, most sovereign deals are out of Paris? Would you recommend starting off your career at a top merchant bank versus a traditional good BB? BAML is country coverage but lots of Emerging Growth (MM) deals and financing. If youre getting good response rates from BBs and EBs, I dont think you need to apply to MM banks as well. Perella obviously suffered from all the big hitters leaving to start Ducera. Lazard (Global M&A Advisory) Rothschild (Global M&A Advisory - Boutique) Evercore Partners (Global M&A Advisory - Boutique) Greenhill & Co. (Global M&A Advisory - Boutique) Blackstone (Global M&A Advisory) Houlihan Lokey (Global Investment Bank - Boutique) Jefferies & Co. (Global Investment Bank) Centerview Partners (Global M&A Advisory) Was wondering if you could give a bit of a description of RBCs position in London as it seems to be growing and it looks like a great upcoming investment bank? I think it also depends a bit on which specific IBAB and which MM bank. Especially seeing how high you placed Ducera and some of the other boutiques which have horrible culture. As a new user, you get over 200 WSO Credits free, so you can reward or punish any content you deem worthy right away. (Havent Made connections with recruiters yet) It suggests a way of changing the repayment terms on the debt in a way that will keep the creditors happy and allow the company to keep trading. If its your top goal in life, yes, a lateral move is worth it. Is it generally easier to make the leap from a MM to a BB once youve started FT (say after a year) rather than trying to leverage a return offer from your SA position for a FT offer at a BB? Hello Brian, Industrials. Or would So, Which Top Investment Bank Should You Work At? Is it possible to stay there for a year and go into PE or an EB? Id velit ex iusto veritatis voluptatem totam voluptates. I would go with Evercore. Thanks for this article. WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. generalist program for SA, butassuming you place into the group full-time, you should have no issue with exiting into some of the top credit shops. How would you rank the restructuring banks that are not top 3 (HL, LAZ, PJT), like Miller Buckfire, Millstein, Rothschild, Ducera, Perella Weinberg, Moelis, Evercore, Jefferies, Guggenheim, and Greenhill? Maiores assumenda odit vitae cupiditate consequuntur. BBs and Balance Sheet Banks (in order):Tier 1: GS, MS, JPMTier 2: Bofa, Barclays, Citi, CSTier 3: RBC, DB, UBSTier 4: Wells Fargo (maybe 3 they have solid outlook), Nomura, BMO, etc lol, (Citi gets on a lot of M&A because they have the largest balance sheet.