prospectbank78:
Which banks are you looking at?

Blair, RW Baird, BMO Capital Markets and Lincoln are the firms i can think of

Agree with this. But I would also add in UBS since they do recruit specifically for IB in Chicago. It's only for analyst and not associate so there probably isn't that much going on but that's just a guess.

 

there's also places like CS and Lazard in Chicago. JPM has some sort of presence too.

i'm interested to hear what people say about this topic. also, what kinds of deals are getting done in Chitown these days? clearly industrials is big, and Edmundo said food and consumer would be a good area (because all of the cheese north of the border)

 

Not necessarily Chicago HQs, but banks with offices in Chicago (no particular order / not an exhaustive list)...

BB: + GS, CS, MS, BAML, DB, Citi, JPM, UBS

MM / Boutique: + Baird, Blair, Lincoln, Lazard, Moellis, Greenhill, Macquarie, Houlihan, Morgan Keegan, BMO

Exit opps into Chi PE shops are fairly attractive and accessible. Aside from headhunters, PEAC is a great resource for getting your resume into the hands of said shops.

 
prospectbank78:
I've read a lot about the exit opps at BMO being relatively limited due to their lack of presence in the US. Can anyone speak to this? Would Blair give the greatest out of all MM's? I am interested in working in Chicago and would like to be in at a HQ, which is why I am curious.

Have spoken with a few people at BMO Chicago office and can confirm that exit opps are limited. Would say that Blair exit opps are stronger than BMO. Why are you set on working at a HQ office? My experience is that BB analysts have had an easier time placing into PE shops, although definitely have MM friends that are also going into PE.

 

Surprised no one has posted much information about the bigger players...

Citi has a huge presence in metals & mining as one of their global heads sits in the chicago office. BAML has a large presence in industrials & consumer as well. Barcap has a smaller group in industrials that splits time doing FIG. GS is a sinking ship in Chicago after Byron Trott left. MS does a lot of industrials/auto work in addition to telecom/media. Don't know much about Credit Suisse or Deutsche in Chitown. UBS has a decent sized group. LAZ does a lot of restructuring work in industrials/auto across all verticals. JPM has a large focus on paper packaging.

 
LookingForHelp:
Surprised no one has posted much information about the bigger players...

Citi has a huge presence in metals & mining as one of their global heads sits in the chicago office. BAML has a large presence in industrials & consumer as well. Barcap has a smaller group in industrials that splits time doing FIG. GS is a sinking ship in Chicago after Byron Trott left. MS does a lot of industrials/auto work in addition to telecom/media. Don't know much about Credit Suisse or Deutsche in Chitown. UBS has a decent sized group. LAZ does a lot of restructuring work in industrials/auto across all verticals. JPM has a large focus on paper packaging.

^ This is all you really need to know. BAML and Citi have one of their top three offices in Chicago. MS is solid as well and I know CS is pretty solid up there. Cant say much for JPM, GS or DB.
 

Of the MM shops, Blair and RW Baird are probably the top. Lazard MM is definitely not bad, nor is Houlihan (to the extent those two are in Chicago).

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ibintx:
Do Chicago offices pay about the same as NYC?

Bulge bracket comp is the same across the board no matter where you work, meaning top-bucket analyst comp in whichever regional office = top-bucket analyst comp in NY

 

JPM has a big presence in Chicago IB because of the BankOne (formerly First Chicago) merger. They cover industrials, consumer, and M&A. Jamie Dimon was CEO of BankOne and was based there for a while. Chase is also headquartered there.

 
Tiger Z:

All the BBs

Eh, I would say the Chicago market is dominated by MM banks. William Blair, Lincoln, Baird, HL are all at the top.

The BB's and EB's in Chicago have very small analyst classes. Citi, CS, MS, JP, Moelis, Greenhill, and recently Lazard all have a decent presence. Keep in mind that working in a satellite office for a BB/EB is much different than being in the firm's HQ where you are more likely to be executing rather than working on pitches/coverage.

 
Best Response
thebernanke:
Tiger Z:

All the BBs

Eh, I would say the Chicago market is dominated by MM banks. William Blair, Lincoln, Baird, HL are all at the top.

The BB's and EB's in Chicago have very small analyst classes. Citi, CS, MS, JP, Moelis, Greenhill, and recently Lazard all have a decent presence. Keep in mind that working in a satellite office for a BB/EB is much different than being in the firm's HQ where you are more likely to be executing rather than working on pitches/coverage.

For the most part, all of the EBs and BBs have a Chicago presence. You conveniently ignored the strength of GS' Chicago groups (FIG, Industrials) and Moelis.

 

Where in Chicago? If Credit Suisse/Blair/Baird/Houlihan? All of these do pretty well at placing into upper MM shops and the occasional MF. It's not easy to lateral to NYC. I've known a few who have done it from MM places in Chi to large places in NYC (think Evercore, Greenhill, Lazard). Basically, it's not easy, but it can be done.

I'd continue other forms of recruitment, however. No harm in shooting for a NY bank and there's no guarantees that he'll come through.

 
MJK:

Where in Chicago? If Credit Suisse/Blair/Baird/Houlihan? All of these do pretty well at placing into upper MM shops and the occasional MF. It's not easy to lateral to NYC. I've known a few who have done it from MM places in Chi to large places in NYC (think Evercore, Greenhill, Lazard). Basically, it's not easy, but it can be done.

I'd continue other forms of recruitment, however. No harm in shooting for a NY bank and there's no guarantees that he'll come through.

Don't know where in Chicago, but coming from a non-target, I would be grateful for anything to help me stand out from other non targets to work my way to New York. One of the contacts is an MBA professor at a top 10 business school who will be helping me.

I would love to have a SA in NYC, London, or Singapore though.

 

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