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16 Sweet (Non-Bulge-Bracket) Investment Banks to Work For

Published: Mar 21, 2011

 Finance       

In honor of the 2011 NCAA Men's Basketball Sweet 16 (which would've been a whole lot sweeter had Michigan pushed Duke into overtime and then beat the Blue Devils) as well as the forthcoming 2011 Vault Banking Survey (which we'll be administering over the next couple months), here are 16 of the top non-bulging investment banking firms to work for (that is, the non-Goldmans, J.P. Morgans, Morgan Stanleys, Credit Suisses, Barclays Capitals, and Citigroups of the world), along with Buzz* quotes from Vault's 2010 Banking Survey and a couple of key Vault rankings.

Baird: "good outside-of-New York bank" (#7 Culture, #10 Informal Training)

Centerview Partners: "solid boutique," "great connections," "a lot of big consumer deals" (#1 Compensation, #2 Relationships with Managers)

Cowen and Company: "excellent equity research," "strong health care reputation" (#9 Hours, #13 Informal Training)

Evercore Partners: "elite boutique," "growing," "strong senior bankers with amazing connections" (#11 Prestige)


FBR Capital Markets: "niche player," "known for its research" (#11 Hours, #12 Relationships with Managers)

Greenhill & Co.: "good M&A shop," "very highly regarded boutique," "does some good deals" (#9 Prestige)

Houlihan Lokey: "strong advisory," "leaders in restructuring," "the best at creditor side restructurings" (#1 Culture, #1 Diversity for Women)

Jefferies: "rising star," "killing its middle-market competitors," "aggressively hiring talent" (#5 Green Initiatives, #6 Business Outlook)


Moelis & Company: "good M&A shop, "built excellent platform in 24 months," "very much up and coming" (#4 Business Outlook, #5 Compensation)

Oppenheimer: "getting stronger," "good research firm" (#26 Prestige)

Perella Weinberg Partners: "high-end M&A boutique," "strong restructuring and M&A groups" (#15 Prestige)

Piper Jaffray: "strong in health care middle market" (#11 Selectivity, #14 Culture)


RBC Capital Markets: "the Goldman of Canada," "on the upswing," "making a big push in IB and getting noticed" (#9 Business Outlook, #9 Green Initiatives)

Sandler O'Neill + Partners: "best FIG group on the Street" (#3 Hours, #10 Overall Satisfaction)

TD Securities: "strong," "good talent," "solid Canadian bank" (#5 Culture, #5 Hours)

William Blair: "strong," "small firm focused on the middle market," "good for outside of New York" (#1 Selectivity, #3 Compensation)


*Direct quotes from employees at bank's competitors

(Related: Top 20 Banks in Compensation, Hours, Training, Diversity and More)

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