Charlotte investment banks

Hey are any of you guys familiar with any MM investment banks in Charlotte? Was in the area today for the FR Challenge, and downtown was awesome. I don't need like a comprehensive list, but maybe just the names of a few, for I'm interested in finding a summer internship there.

 

In addition to those already mentioned, Brookwood and Fidus are in Charlotte as well. Outside of the known large firms (Wells, BAML, JeffCo), most shops are pure advisory. There are also a lot of very small (less than 10 ppl) that aren't in these lists above.

Outside of WFC and BAC, the other well known groups have focused desks here. Eg., Jefferies has consumer and real estate IB in Charlotte; Lizard MM is all healthcare in Charlotte.

 

Just sent out my first cold email, with this exact format. Any changes you guys would recommend I make? or maybe a little less formal?

Hi Mr. _____ my name is _______ and I am a sophomore at __________ University. I am currently pursuing a B.A. in finance, and a B.S. in economics. I am particularly interested in mergers and acquisitions in fields such as: technology, green energy, social media, and staffing. I was wondering if you would have a few moments to discuss some of your insights on how to break into the investment banking industry over a brief phone call. I hope to hear back, and any response is greatly appreciated.

Thank you,


 
HNEP:

Just sent out my first cold email, with this exact format. Any changes you guys would recommend I make? or maybe a little less formal?

Hi Mr. _____ my name is _______ and I am a sophomore at __________ University. I am currently pursuing a B.A. in finance, and a B.S. in economics. I am particularly interested in mergers and acquisitions in fields such as: technology, green energy, social media, and staffing. I was wondering if you would have a few moments to discuss some of your insights on how to break into the investment banking industry over a brief phone call. I hope to hear back, and any response is greatly appreciated.

Thank you,
__________

Don't intro with Hi Mr. Smith. Too informal. Just open with FirstName, My name is...

I would obviously cater the industry section to whatever they/the bank specializes in.

"For I am a sinner in the hands of an angry God. Bloody Mary full of vodka, blessed are you among cocktails. Pray for me now and at the hour of my death, which I hope is soon. Amen."
 
duffmt6:

Don't intro with Hi Mr. Smith. Too informal. Just open with FirstName, My name is...

I would obviously cater the industry section to whatever they/the bank specializes in.

Duff and peinvestor are dead on. Like I mentioned earlier, most of the Charlotte groups (outside of well known names) are pure advisory shops who focus on MM M&A; they will do private placements and what not, but M&A is their bread and butter. That said, you can cater your e-mail and your interest towards working on MM M&A deals. If that doesn't interest you, you should probably be looking to work elsewhere.

 

Easy there Chuck. Panthers are hardly a draw considering the fact that the Bucs are only @600 miles South. Also, Fidus partners is decent boutique - bunch of Darden guys there. There is a thread under the "I-banking" topic on this forum that lists all the Charlotte boutiques.

 

Charlotte is a fine place depending on what you want. If you want a wall street type career with good weather, easier living, nicer people and a slower life it's great. but it's not new york in terms of career potential or exit opps.

 

I've lived in Charlotte my whole life (now doing a Junior summer finance internship here) and I can tell you that Charlotte is a great place to live, especially if you want a finance job but don't want the fast paced, Wall Street life style.

You probably won't find a Goldman, ML, etc type job here, but there are plenty of Wachovia/BofA jobs to be had.

 

You are certainly not sacrificing your career by working for BofA or Wachovia in Charlotte. People here will tell you that if you aren't in a BB in NYC you are doomed, but it isn't true. You may not have the exit ops open to you that the Goldman bankers have, but that shouldn't matter if you are content with doing middle market deals. People from Charlotte / BofA can still get into the top MBA programs. If you would be happier working there, then by all means go. Not to mention the quality of life should be a lot better than that of NYC.

CompBanker’s Career Guidance Services: https://www.rossettiadvisors.com/
 

Bottom line, if you have the "stuff" and know the right people, you will grow and grow - whether you are in Charlotte, NYC, or anywhere else. In fact, I would applaud your intelligence for being smart enough to recognize that your cost of living will be SIGNIFICANTLY less, which equals $$$ in your pocket at the end of the day.

 

Only Wachovia has their I-banking headquartered in Charlotte. Although B of A's corporate HQ is there, their IB division is based out of New York, and I believe that the only investment banking group in Charlotte is real estate.

All of Wachovia's groups are in Charlotte though, and I agree with everything compbanker said. If that's what you want to do, it will still be considered a good experience in the grand scheme of your career. Also the cost of living in Charlotte has to be a lot less than even West Coast or Chicago is.

 

I think people fail to see just how significant the difference in cost of living really is. I know that some of the current analysts at the bank I will be working at are paying under $500 a month for a huge place that is within 10 minute driving distance to work (yes, we have to get a car and drive, but this has upsides as well, such as being able to leave and come back to work any time you want for free). Cost savings go beyond real estate though. Dining out, groceries, drinks, you name it, it will be cheaper in Charlotte. Two years spent in Charlotte will be a lot more comfortable than 2 in NYC, and you could save up enough to pay off b-school without loans if you stuck around for a couple more years doing PE. Of course, there are less options in Charlotte, but there are still some good ones.

CompBanker’s Career Guidance Services: https://www.rossettiadvisors.com/
 

make a list of what's important to you

saving more money? being near your friends (if your friends are in nyc or clt)? career advancement?

there are definitely more opportunities in nyc. it's not even close. but charlotte is really, really cheap. i know ppl who worked there who saved 70-100k a year, while colleagues in nyc were saving maybe 10k a year.

 

Hotter chics in Charlotte than New York? What are you smoking? 70% of Charlotte is dick, try going out to a bar in Charlotte and all you see is douchebag bankers who just came from work, and maybe 3 girls.

Don't ruin your career or your life. Go to New York.

 
PoolSideBanker:
try going out to a bar in Charlotte and all you see is douchebag bankers who just came from work, and maybe 3 girls.

Don't ruin your career or your life. Go to New York.

You can't argue against the city using both arguments: 1) that New York has exponentially more banking-related career opportunities but at the same time 2) all you see in Charlotte bars are douchebag bankers

I've never been to Charlotte, but have been to other cities in the South, and there is definitely a lot to be said about Southern Belles. I'd take a hot girl from down south over a good looking NY wannabe model anyday.

That said though, I'd much rather be in NY. There's always something to do and I like the feeling of being in the middle of it all.

 

"You can't argue against the city using both arguments: 1) that New York has exponentially more banking-related career opportunities but at the same time 2) all you see in Charlotte bars are douchebag bankers"

Sure you can. Three bars packed with bankers, vs 3000 bars with a few bankers in each. Percentage vs absolute numbers.

 

If there are 3 bars in Charlotte I need to quit work and take out a loan.

Seriously though, I'd say there are 40x more people of IB ilk in Manhattan than Charlotte, and all of them are going out either parallel to or South of Central Park. With C.O.L. so low in Charlotte and no public transit, I'd imagine that at least half of IB'ers drive into work, and wouldn't necessarily be going out in the same area. With that logic, I really doubt that there are 80x more bars in Manhattan.

The argument I could see though is that the NY analysts and associates are more likely to work through a whole weekend...

 

it was hyperbole my son.

the point is if you work in charlotte, let's say at Wachovia...you have exit opps to BofA. or maybe you get headhunted to move to nyc. you are not in the information flow. you will not have friends to hang out with working at 10 different banks, all hearing and learning different things. they are not even remotely comparable. and there are definitely, without question, at least 80x more bars in manhattan than in downtown (uptown?) charlotte.

 

I think everyone is correct - hyperbole and all... There are more options in NYC than CLT - shocker... The CLT bankers want all the NYC bankers to stay up in New York so they dont have to deal with those terrible accents and the unsightly overuse of hair gel. I think the NYC bankers want the CLT bankers to stay in CLT so they have someone to make fun of while they are at their desks every Sunday afternoon.

 

Charlotte sucks, plain and simple. Everyone who works in Charlotte at the analyst level couldn't get a job in New York, plain and simple. Show me one person who turned down a top BB in NY to move to Charlotte for cost of living and quality of life? How shortsighted is that, when the big financial payoff of the analyst experience comes 10-15 years down the road?

Maybe an VP/MD who is sick of 10 years of NY life and wants a chill job and a nice place to raise a family, but if you are concerned with quality of life right out of college, I feel for you.

 

Did you ever stop to think that most normal people have priorities more important than a "big financial payoff"?

On average, guys in Charlotte may not have the stats to get a job at a BB in New York but to imply that everyone who doesn't work for a BB firm in NYC is not smart enough to cut it is just plain dumb.

And, no, Charlotte does not suck then again I'm sure you have never been there and are totally unqualified to make that assumption.

 
StoneImmaculate:
Did you ever stop to think that most normal people have priorities more important than a "big financial payoff"?

On average, guys in Charlotte may not have the stats to get a job at a BB in New York but to imply that everyone who doesn't work for a BB firm in NYC is not smart enough to cut it is just plain dumb.

And, no, Charlotte does not suck then again I'm sure you have never been there and are totally unqualified to make that assumption.

I've been to Charlotte a number of times. It sucks. Most normal people might not have a big financial payoff as one of their priorities, true. Go teach kindergarten. We're talking about investment banking here. You will work nearly as many hours in Charlotte, for close to the same money as New York, but to make the decision to work in Charlotte to save money your first two years is just plain stupid.

I didn't necessarily say that everyone in Charlotte is too stupid to work for a top BB in NYC, but that's my experience. I know a bunch of analyst level people in both places, and the ONLY reason anyone of them went to Charlotte is because the top NYC BBs wouldn't give them a second look. Turn down GS, MS, ML, Leh, or JPM in NY for Wachovia or BofA in Charlotte and you are just a plain idiot.

 

Alexey- your diatribe about CLT is right on! I plan to be one of those "dumb" finance guys in the SE myself after its all said and done. I love how pissed the NYC guys get when someone writes something positive about a finance world outside of NYC.

 
Jimbo:
Bucs...it depends what you're looking for. Charlotte can be great, but it has limitations.

completely agree. But the same exact phrase can be said about NYC.

 

It makes a lot of sense to start out down there, especially considering that it won't really negatively affect your chances of getting into a good B-school.

This is of course assuming that whatever bank you would work for in NYC is of about the same caliber as Wachovia, i.e. not Goldman but not shitty either.

The B-school isn't going to care what city your work experience was in, only what you did and who you worked for.

For your analyst stint, if you're trying to save some cash, it definitely makes sense.

Of course, don't pass up a spot at a top-tier place (GS, MS, KKR, whatever) in NYC to work at Wachovia in Charlotte, but that should go without saying. If it's between, say, ABN AMRO NYC and Wachovia in Charlotte, go to Charlotte.

 

Alexey IS right on. Sure CLT can't compare with NYC as far as it being a major city and everything that comes along with that but there are plenty of important aspects NYC doesn't have. If you are into the outdoors , there is plenty of beautiful places a short drive away. The climate is warm 75% of the time and even in the winter it never gets near as cold as it does in the NE.

Sure you have more opportunities in NYC working for a BB but the fact is that CLT is a great alternative and has it's own charms. To say something as broad as "CLT sucks!" is just plain ignorant, it's not for everyone but it is a great place to live for most.

Not everyone went to an Ivy or target and could secure a position at GS(nor does everyone want to) so I wish people would stop treating guys who go to work for Wachovia like 2nd class citizens.

 

For most employers, where you work really doesn't matter. There are a substantial number of very good private equity firms located outside of major cities that love to hire from the likes of Wachovia, BofA, Edgeview, Harris Williams, McColl Partners, etc. For example, take a look at Arcapita, which I consider a strong mid-market PE firm. Their Atlanta associates come from SunTrust (x2), Harris Williams, and Wachovia. Other examples include Quad-C Management (Charlottesville, VA) and Brockway Moran (Boca Raton, FL). Even in major cities, you have a strong presence by the types of places you're talking about. Look at the teams at the likes of Parthenon Capital, ABRY Partners, Fidelity Equity Partners, TA Associates, Morgenthaler Partners, CIVC Partners, Code Hennessey & Simmons, etc.

My point is, individuals from the banks you mentioned can and do get great jobs in Private Equity. They may appear to be under-represented, but this is because there are simply a great deal less of them graduating from IBanking jobs each year.

And to address your question regarding Charlotte, the city is just fine and has plenty to offer recent college grads. A lot of the people go there because they aren't interested in dealing with working in New York. (FYI - I don't work in Charlotte)

~~~~~~~~~~~ CompBanker

CompBanker’s Career Guidance Services: https://www.rossettiadvisors.com/
 

big unit: The way I see it is, your claim that Charlotte sucks seems to be based on nothing but your perception that anything outside of New York is not worth pursuing.

PirateEquity: Please try not to let the unsupported opinions of a few die-hard NY fans stop you from making a smart career move.

~~~~~~~~~~~ CompBanker

CompBanker’s Career Guidance Services: https://www.rossettiadvisors.com/
 

thanks, i appreciate the constructive comments (including big unit's second post). i interned in NYC and while i loved the city it seems like charlotte is a decent metropolitan area. it may go through some changes with Wachovia layoffs though it sounds like the bottom line is the deals you work on and job security are the most important things in this climate (and any for that matter).

 

A friend's son used to work in Charlotte.

He really loved it, so I guess it depends on what you look for in a town.

Yes, the cost of living is nothing compared to NYC, but if you prefer the fast-paced hustle and bustle of the financial mega-center to the quieter Southern charm of Charlotte, then you may be happier in NYC or Chicago.

 

I suppose I need to chime in here.

I work at a bank in Charlotte (not Wachovia, though my thoughts are with you if you do).

There are a lot of good jobs here as CompBanker mentioned, with good exit opportunities - being in Charlotte will in no way hamper your career goals as long as you get good experience. Saying that people won't look at you because of the city you worked in is absurd.

Life in Charlotte is a lot different than life in NYC - and I prefer it. The cost of living is far cheaper, the people and weather are nicer, and it's nice to see some trees and grass. The city has a lot to offer as far as nightlife and culture, but sometimes you have to be willing to take a cab outside of uptown if you want to diversify your weekends.

All in all I think the convenience makes an analyst stint a lot more enjoyable - you don't need to get on the subway at midnight and ride 30 minutes home - you just walk across the street to your condo (even on an analyst salary, you can afford to live in the heart of uptown).

Let me know if you have any more specific questions.

  • Capt K
- Capt K - "Prestige is like a powerful magnet that warps even your beliefs about what you enjoy. If you want to make ambitious people waste their time on errands, bait the hook with prestige." - Paul Graham
 

The only reason I would caution anyone from moving to Charlotte if they have any ability to be in NY is the current market. There is a very good chance that BofA and Wachovia will be laying off extremely large portions of their Charlotte based banks.

If you goto Bloomberg you will find any number of articles on the health (or lack there of) in the city of Charlotte in the current market. They rode the wave very high and are being brought quite low.

Just something to think of and research on a place that isn't filled with high school and college students.

--There are stupid questions, so think first.
 

I agree that Charlotte is a much better place if you are seeking a more slow-paced, green area. But NYC is simply a cooler place if you are looking for networking opportunities - while Charlotte is definetely one of the 6-7 best cities in the country for young professionals, its my belief that because of the massive number of firms, applying for PE/buyside will be much easier simply because you are already in the area. Also, I envision starting in NYC and transitioning to a different city is easier than doing the same from Charlotte.

Please keep in mind that every thing I say is from the perspective of a 22 year old from the North (who went to school about 1.5 hours from Charlotte though and has been there several times...though not in any living capacity).

What options are you considering the most?

 

I'm interested in what people think about McColl. What's its reputation against the other top Charlotte firms and some of the similar NY firms. I hear they're growing really fast.

 

I interned at a "well known name" last summer in Charlotte. Culture was very different from their NYC brethren and very committed to becoming bankers. Head MD's in the office had great experience and deal flow, although a tad slow while I was there, seemed to be one of the better groups for the company. Analysts said PE jump was much harder and that they had a hard time getting any traction from larger PE firms.

Charlotte was great though and recommend it to anyone who will listen. The city is perfect size and as an analyst you can live downtown in a high rise cheaply. The city has a ton of consultants and bankers with pretty hot southern women. I did not receive an offer from my firm and it was based mostly on their perception of me. I felt I did well and they didn't. Simple as that. So culture wise definitely different but experience is very similar to NYC analysts.

 
marauders4:
I interned at a "well known name" last summer in Charlotte. Culture was very different from their NYC brethren and very committed to becoming bankers. Head MD's in the office had great experience and deal flow, although a tad slow while I was there, seemed to be one of the better groups for the company. Analysts said PE jump was much harder and that they had a hard time getting any traction from larger PE firms.

Charlotte was great though and recommend it to anyone who will listen. The city is perfect size and as an analyst you can live downtown in a high rise cheaply. The city has a ton of consultants and bankers with pretty hot southern women. I did not receive an offer from my firm and it was based mostly on their perception of me. I felt I did well and they didn't. Simple as that. So culture wise definitely different but experience is very similar to NYC analysts.

sounds great...
 
  • Besides Jeffieries, Lazard MM (small), Baird (very small) and Sagent, McColl is probably the top shop in CLT with Edgeview a close second, and Morgan Keegan third.

  • Blackarch is new and growing fast. Weird culture and looks like their analysts don't really have the typical finance background.

  • Fennebresque & Co is nice too, great culture/deal flow mostly ex-McColl.

  • Brookwood is great in terms of culture/lifestyle literally no all-nighters. All senior guys have a great background and you will learn a lot. Exit opps include lower MM PE is you are good.

  • Fidus is ehh don't hear about them too much.

  • The others you listed. Anderson LeNeave, Dragonfly, and Bourne are probably the best within the "others" list. They have great deal flow, but then again very volatile and risky in terms of jobs security.

  • Duncan Williams doesn't do M&A. Greek & Walker is a accounting firm with a 3 man corporate finance team.

  • One's that are not listed, William Blair has a one man sponsors shop in CLT. Mirador advisors in another one they are merging with a little bigger MM firm too. S&P Capital has an impressive team. Philpott Ball & Werner is nice too.

If you are looking into lateral analyst opportunities I would definitely just stick with the the well known and other well known names you listed.

 

Gonna bump this thread. Interned at 7 miles. Has some solid deal flow in the tech sector. actually had a boutique bank call me up asking me what the inner workings was like, they wanted to know what the secret to their success was. Sadly no one in my internship class got an offer. Did a lot of work on basic M&A as well as fund raising.

 

University of Tennessee. Networked my way in to a couple of face-to-face meetings in Charlotte later this summer so hopefully that will help out. Got a lot of work ahead of me though.

 

Really interested to see the responses to this. Also coming from a state school in the South. Great GPA and all that, but feel like the odds of me getting anything in the Northeast are slim.

 
KKS:

Which school are you at? Good luck getting into a Charlotte IB if you do not go to UNC or Duke.

Spoke with a guy at a BB in Charlotte today. He said this year's analyst class will be 120 total with ~80 from target schools, 6-7 for both UNC and Duke. That leaves ~25 spots for non-target state school guys. With the right networking, it's definitely possible.

 
CodeBlue:
KKS:

Which school are you at? Good luck getting into a Charlotte IB if you do not go to UNC or Duke.

Spoke with a guy at a BB in Charlotte today. He said this year's analyst class will be 120 total with ~80 from target schools, 6-7 for both UNC and Duke. That leaves ~25 spots for non-target state school guys. With the right networking, it's definitely possible.

I should have stated my response differently, sorry. The Charlotte boutiques focus their recruiting heavily, almost exclusively, on UNC and Duke. Wells Fargo is different.

 

There is a misconception that talent isn't as prominent in the southern IB firms. If anything it seems they ae very selective and do indeed pull from UVA, duke , unc, and Davidson. Most of them have small analyst classes. Do not shy away from New York if that is where you ultimately want to be. If Charlotte is your goto city then do it, but do not attempt to get into a southern bank BC you think it is easier

 

This list is for Atlanta. These are the schools I see represented the most in IB from SunTrust down to the boutiques.

Targets for Southern IB: UVA, Duke (Only a few kids), Vandy, UNC, W&L, and Emory Semi Targets: Wake, UGA (Honors), GaTech (Starting to see more and more kids from GT)

UVA is by far the most represented school for IB in Atlanta.

Going from the South to NY is going to be a pretty tough challenge unless you're working for WF or BofA in Charlotte. Going from SunTrust to NY BB would be extremely difficult non post-MBA.

 
kingtut:

This list is for Atlanta. These are the schools I see represented the most in IB from SunTrust down to the boutiques.

Targets for Southern IB: UVA, Duke (Only a few kids), Vandy, UNC, W&L, and Emory
Semi Targets: Wake, UGA (Honors), GaTech (Starting to see more and more kids from GT)

UVA is by far the most represented school for IB in Atlanta.

Going from the South to NY is going to be a pretty tough challenge unless you're working for WF or BofA in Charlotte. Going from SunTrust to NY BB would be extremely difficult non post-MBA.

I've seen quite a few Terry guys at Sun Trust and MM or regional boutiques. Does Terry have a decent rep for finance?

 

As a Terry alum, I can't really speak in too much detail about the reputation of the school, but I can confirm your observations about having a decent number of guys in the area at banks. I personally interviewed at SunTrust and many regional and MM firms in the area as well from OCR several years ago.

 

Also, people commenting on move from ATL/NC banks to NY, it's the same as anything else. A.) Industry experience > doing anything else B.) It usually comes down to your connections when trying to lateral

 
Theseus:

Also, people commenting on move from ATL/NC banks to NY, it's the same as anything else. A.) Industry experience > doing anything else B.) It usually comes down to your connections when trying to lateral

I fully agree. The people who make these comments don't have a clue. I've seen it happen with a number of my friends. If you have experience in the industry for the group you're going for, you have a legit shot with the right connections. Not everybody can come from NY and MDs know that.

 

You're correct, wells LevFin in Charlotte is supposedly the best group within wells overall, and is definitely the best group in Charlotte. I know analysts there and they get destroyed. Not sure how that bodes for associates but my guess is not well. They have good exit opps, maybe not relevant for post MBA. Comp is the same regardless of group or location at the junior levels within the same firm. Cost of living is low in NC, so your money is "worth" a whole lot more in Charlotte.

BAML in Charlotte is a good option, I think consumer retail is a good group there but don't quote me on that. Sun SunTrust is a good bank in the south, that'd be Atlanta. McColl is a great boutique (that might be Deloitte now, not quite sure) Piper Jaffray just acquired Edgeview last year, that was a solid boutique in Charlotte (I think they do their own recruiting outside of the piper process). Brown brothers Harrisman has an office is Charlotte... BBs would be wells and BAML by far though.

Edit: I have a buddy at Lazard MM in Charlotte also

 

I've lived in Charlotte, SF, and New York, and I think it's hard to deny the cost of living point. State income tax is a few percent lower, which equates to a few thousand dollars for an associate, rent is way cheaper, a one bedroom in SF or NYC will run you $3,000+ easy. And then everything else is so much cheaper, gas, food, utilities... I think it's hard to argue against it.

 

Stephens also has a significant office in Atlanta.

Obviously this varies by shop, but broadly speaking hours are better and comp is a little bit lower. I'd expect to start at 65-70 hours a week in the office (on call 24-7) at the Associate level and that will hopefully decrease as you improve and become more efficient. I think most of the Southern banks will pay a signing of 40-50, a base of 100-120 and a bonus of 80-100% of base. The Southeast is far more family-friendly than NYC. Your VPs and MDs know why you opted to be in the Southeast and they are more understanding that you have a life to maintain outside the office. In most groups it's going to be a more laid back culture. That said, while they are still good, your analysts will probably not be the dynamos you're going to find at MS and GS. So you'll get less push down from above but less help from below.

PM me for more details if you wish. These are all generalizations but I think I got the main points.

 
NestoGrande:

Stephens also has a significant office in Atlanta.

Obviously this varies by shop, but broadly speaking hours are better and comp is a little bit lower. I'd expect to start at 65-70 hours a week in the office (on call 24-7) at the Associate level and that will hopefully decrease as you improve and become more efficient. I think most of the Southern banks will pay a signing of 40-50, a base of 100-120 and a bonus of 80-100% of base. The Southeast is far more family-friendly than NYC. Your VPs and MDs know why you opted to be in the Southeast and they are more understanding that you have a life to maintain outside the office. In most groups it's going to be a more laid back culture. That said, while they are still good, your analysts will probably not be the dynamos you're going to find at MS and GS. So you'll get less push down from above but less help from below.

PM me for more details if you wish. These are all generalizations but I think I got the main points.

Sent you a PM just now.
 

Thanks a lot everyone. This is very helpful. I live in the NYC area and have friends who are in south so I can definitely say that the cost of living in Atlanta and Charlotte is much lower and you get more bang for your buck. As I see from the thread there is not much difference in salaries at the Associate/VP level in Southern locations. That is definitely encouraging. Do you know any other BAML groups that are good in Charlotte?

 

Can someone talk about exit options after 3-5 years post-MBA. Also don't want to think too far out but just curious to know what is the typical pay difference at senior level (starting Director) IBD in tier 2 cities like Charlotte. IBD in these cities? Thanks. Appreciate the insights on this forum.

 

BofAML Lev. Fin in Charlotte is quite strong though LBOS modeling will be done by sponsors team. Lev fin gets very strong deal flow from what I hear and the analysts / associates get worked.

Also Jefferies has a solid presence in CLT as well but from what I hear hours are absolutely brutal for junior staff.

As far as COL goes Atlanta is much cheaper than the northeast but CLT is even cheaper. The biggest difference really comes from real estate.

 

Charlotte:

Wells Fargo Bank of America (only leveraged finance I think) Jefferies (consumer) SunTrust Lazard Middle Market Piper Jaffray (they bought a boutique named Edgeview a few years ago) Deloitte M&A (they bought a boutique named McColl Partners a few years ago) BlackArch Partners BB&T (I think this is only DCM)

Atlanta: SunTrust Raymond James Stephens Houlihan Lokey Barclays

I am sure that I am missing some.

 

BofA only has LevFin in charlotte. All the other groups have moved up to NYC. The only reason LevFin is still there is because the global head of levfin is a Charlotte guy.

Over the years most of the deal flow has moved up north so Charlotte mostly handles the smaller pro rata deals (better modeling experience but not as sexy). The environment there is much more laid back but the threat of potential cut backs is hanging there. Once the global head retires it's all over.

That being said one of the analysts went to KKR last year so it's still highly respected, even though it's a satellite office.

 

Have you done any searching on here? There is a lot of information on WSO about Charlotte.

The following are the main players as far as I know:

-Wells Fargo -Bank of America (I believe that leveraged finance is the only remaining group) -BlackArch -Piper Jaffray (they bought Edgeview back in 2013) -Deloitte (not 100% sure how they are structured, but they bought McColl Partners back in 2013) -Jefferies (I believe that consumer is the only group they have there, but not 100% sure) -SunTrust (I believe that TMT is the only group that they have there) -RW Baird (not sure if they have any analysts, but they do have a few senior guys there)

I am sure that I am missing one or two banks, but that should be the meat of it. UNC, Wake Forest, Davidson, UVA, Duke, etc. all place well there. Some of those banks do recruit at Ivies and the like too. I do not work in Charlotte, but know a lot of people who do. Let me know if you need any more help.

 

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"All men are alike in their dreams, and all men are alike in the promises they make. The difference is what they do."— Jean Baptiste Moliere

Career Advancement Opportunities

March 2024 Investment Banking

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  • Goldman Sachs 19 98.8%
  • Harris Williams & Co. (++) 98.3%
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Overall Employee Satisfaction

March 2024 Investment Banking

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  • JPMorgan Chase 10 98.8%
  • Lazard Freres 05 98.3%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.7%
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Professional Growth Opportunities

March 2024 Investment Banking

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  • Jefferies & Company 02 98.8%
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  • 1st Year Analyst (202) $159
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