Mar 24, 2023

Sponsor Finance Credit Analyst -> MM Direct Lending?

Hi all,

I'm currently in a rotational credit analyst program at a $40B+ regional bank looking to eventually make my way to a MM Direct Lending shop. I've got the chance to rotate into our sponsor finance group, which provides the traditional bank financing for MM PE transactions. I was wondering if I could go directly from that role/group to a direct lending firm? I would be underwriting deals in the $5mm-$50mm range, and those are the same size of deals that I see some direct lending firms doing on a regular basis. I feel like it would be pretty applicable to a direct lending role, but I wanted to get some insight from some people in the industry.

Thanks!

8 Comments
 
Most Helpful

Yes. This is about as applicable experience as you can get to DL besides maybe being in the Leveraged Finance (IB) group. Obviously the bigger/more well-known bank you're at the easier it will be to land at a DL shop, but in the meantime, I'd definitely recommended getting into this group at your bank. By far the most interesting and "hardest" (not really hard if you're half smart) deals you'll see at a bank.

 

It’s possible - SFG is more like DCM for middle market / commercial bank markets, not as modeling intensive. You can spin anything well from that team, really up to you to make sure you have the modeling chops, credit skills, etc. that will hold up in an interview. You can get the deal experience required for your resume from that team for sure

 

Ad fugiat nisi eum veniam. Sed quo sed occaecati aut esse ut velit. Quos recusandae magni delectus possimus. Omnis soluta maiores eveniet non facilis. Fugiat qui nemo consequatur eum molestiae.

Non est sunt sit non ullam possimus ad. Ipsum quisquam eos reprehenderit cupiditate quibusdam est molestiae molestias. Rem nisi ullam explicabo quis id sapiente doloremque. Fuga omnis maxime qui autem consequatur quidem.

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.2%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.3%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.2%

Professional Growth Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.2%

Total Avg Compensation

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (46) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (80) $150
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (73) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”