Brown Brothers Harriman - Coming from a non-target and have a couple of contacts

How is Brown Brothers Harriman in the MM space?

I come from a nontarget and have a couple contacts in some MM banks and low tier BBs.

How is Brown Brothers Harriman in pay/culture? How about exit opps?

 

BBH is considered by many to be a very blue-blooded bank (at least that's the sentiment I get from reading previous posts on WSO).

moneytree:
Highly WASPy. I believe they manage the Skull & Bones account, so that alone should speak volumes.
 

BBH has a small but loud-spoken and well-known FX research and advisory business. But that's supposedly only a small island in a mostly dull old-connection banking business. Pay is below market. But they have very low (comparative) turnover and a relaxed (again, comparative) atmosphere.. They also don't stand out in their businesses- though exit opps are probably still fine I suppose since a lot of people still attach prestige to the name. Overall its probably a good place to work in every way but pay.

edit: oh one complaint I've heard twice is that that there is a lot of "dead weight" at the firm as a whole- meaning the low turnover leads to some people doing the majority fo the work and others in a group slouching around. I don't know what to make of that. I'm guessing its just not an "uber competitive" place.-- literally think of Patrick Bateman's firm in American Psycho (sans Patrick, of course) with a comparable pay (low six figures).

 
Seigniorage:
edit: oh one complaint I've heard twice is that that there is a lot of "dead weight" at the firm as a whole- meaning the low turnover leads to some people doing the majority fo the work and others in a group slouching around. I don't know what to make of that. I'm guessing its just not an "uber competitive" place.-- literally think of Patrick Bateman's firm in American Psycho (sans Patrick, of course) with a comparable pay (low six figures).
^ ja

Lots of people very connected to politicians, intelligence, etc... but it seems like it's fading. Firm is a pale shadow of its former bad assed history.

Get busy living
 
<span class=keyword_link><a href=/resources/skills/economics/seigniorage target=_blank>Seigniorage</a></span>:
BBH has a small but loud-spoken and well-known FX research and advisory business. But that's supposedly only a small island in a mostly dull old-connection banking business. Pay is below market. But they have very low (comparative) turnover and a relaxed (again, comparative) atmosphere.. They also don't stand out in their businesses- though exit opps are probably still fine I suppose since a lot of people still attach prestige to the name. Overall its probably a good place to work in every way but pay.

edit: oh one complaint I've heard twice is that that there is a lot of "dead weight" at the firm as a whole- meaning the low turnover leads to some people doing the majority fo the work and others in a group slouching around. I don't know what to make of that. I'm guessing its just not an "uber competitive" place.-- literally think of Patrick Bateman's firm in American Psycho (sans Patrick, of course) with a comparable pay (low six figures).

I got an offer from BBH in their S&T group last year it was pretty much on par with all the other offers I received offers from the BB's.

 
09grad:
really shows how quick turnover could be in banking. used to be a top-class firm

Your kidding right?? Brown Brothers has always been a top notch bank and the placement I have seen for many of their bankers has been phenomenal. Its not a goliath like JP Morgan, although older, but everybody knows them on the Street for their prestigious name. They are as blue blooded as Wall Street gets bud.

 

In terms of prestige, they cover the skull and bones money.

“...all truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident.” - Schopenhauer
 

They sent out an email today congratulating on making first round interviews and asking time preferences for phone interviews, then when I replied, said they had made a mistake and there was a "glitch in the system". So now I hate them.

 

BBH is quite decent in FX and Global Custody/Fund Administration services. They also manage a couple of alternative funds (PE, Mezzanine) and if I recall correctly most of their funds offered by their Wealth Management unit are 5* rated by Morningstar (if that means anything..) . They're generally a very conservatively managed company and seem to focus very much on developing very close relationships with their clients. This (stubborn maybe) conservatism must have costed them to remain behind developments in finance, but they were not at any risk of bankruptcy as other more prestigious and bigger firms. Oh and they didn't proceed to harsh lay-offs in 2008-2009. Generally integrity and conservatism are at very high levels with whatever pros AND cons that entails.

Colourful TV, colourless Life.
 

However it is not well known that they began layoffs in 2012 thru 2013, mostly in veteran IT personnel in favor of cheap labor in Krakow Poland, who cares if it has the worst air pollution in the world as long as the partners can exploit the place to line their wallets.

 

I received the same email saying to setup time slots. I already accepted a different offer but was wondering what they were like if it was good place to maybe go for ft recruiting.

 
Best Response

Brown Brothers Harriman is the oldest, standing investment bank out there. So as you could guess, it's pretty stuffy. Everything is old / needs an update, and they're very conservative. What I mean by conservative is that even though they're a generalist shop, they only take deals that they are 100% sure on getting done. So much so that they typically invest in their own deals which makes them quite unique and also a testament to their longevity. Downside is they can't flex a balance sheet to lend money, and most of their deals are smaller / not as exciting as some homerun M&A trade you'd get at a BB.

Ace all your PE interview questions with the WSO Private Equity Prep Pack: http://www.wallstreetoasis.com/guide/private-equity-interview-prep-questions
 

It's Investment Bank is not the best, but as previously mentioned, you can apply to be an analyst on the PE Side as well, where you get exposure to both IBanking and PE work. That itself is a pretty solid experience, in addition hours are not too hectic in comparison with other firms. Also, wouldn't take Glassdoor as the measuring tool of the place, people either give very great reviews or bad reviews.

Play the long game - give back, help out, mentor - just don't ever forget where you came from. #Bootstrapped
 
EightAceTres:
It's Investment Bank is not the best, but as previously mentioned, you can apply to be an analyst on the PE Side as well, where you get exposure to both IBanking and PE work. That itself is a pretty solid experience, in addition hours are not too hectic in comparison with other firms. Also, wouldn't take Glassdoor as the measuring tool of the place, people either give very great reviews or bad reviews.

So what's BBH's best division? PE? FICC?

 

These guys will do coinvests and the like with other PEs and FoFs. Probably not a traditional banking experience out of college but worth looking into. You'd have the chance to work with plenty of other PE firms and maybe move on to a bigger place after a few years.

 

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