Financial Institutions Primer

Looking for a primer on financial institutions. I am looking into investing some money in beaten up UK/European banks and am getting a little confused doing my analysis. I feel like my analysis has been too simple, focusing on Tier 1 ratios, BV ratios, and ROE. I'd like to understand the loan loss provision booked on the BS and whatever else is considered analyzing banks.

Thanks,
XSX

 
Best Response

With regards to your plans on investing in FIG (and European FIG no less), I invoke the words of Alexander Pope on this point:

A little learning is a dangerous thing ; Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring : There shallow draughts intoxicate the brain, And drinking largely sobers us again.

In other words, this is a dangerous space to dabble in given its complexity and the significant headwinds facing the EU. If you don't take this space extremely seriously, you're gonna lose a lot of money.

However, if you choose to walk down this path despite my warning, a good book to read would be The Principles of Banking by Moorad Choudry. Keep in mind, this is a like a ~700 page book or so, but it's long for a reason (this stuff is really complicated).

BAML put out a primer on regulatory capital too if you (or a friend) have a Merrill Edge account. That's like a ~100 page read. BAML's primer is particularly good because it does a comparative analysis of regulatory regimes by country/region (i.e. US vs Europe vs Japan vs Asia ex-Jap vs etc).

Also, as a banker, do you have any friends on the buyside? These guys have access to a lot of the primers out there. If you need specific recommendations as to specific notes, feel free to PM me.

This post is a lot less content heavy relative to my usual responses, but I do need to preserve my anonymity for obvious reasons. Happy to provide specific guidance if you can more narrowly tailor your requests and questions in a way that doesn't run afoul of this of course (i.e. specific FIG questions you may have).

 

Brain,

Thanks for the response. I ended up finding a 2011 US large cap bank primer from DB. I am going to give this a read this weekend and will follow up. Unfortunately, I do not have many close contacts that I can think of in the big banks. I work in a boutique in a non-core region.

I may know someone in Merrill, although not banking, that may be able to help pull that.

Thanks, XSX

 

If its Matt O'Connor over at DB that wrote it, it's probably a pretty good primer. As for the Merrill Edge thing, it's just an online brokerage account. Assuming your compliance allows you to, you can sign up for it too and then you'll get their research for free (I think it's limited to anything published in the last 6 months and no models).

Some other online brokerage out there has a similar setup with Morgan Stanley.

 

Repellat enim dolor fugit et. Distinctio asperiores alias nemo harum. Eius at voluptatem ut cum magni omnis consequatur. Id perspiciatis cupiditate sequi amet molestias qui unde. Sint debitis optio voluptatibus qui. Rerum praesentium perferendis et voluptatem sed minus quis est. Amet et at est non.

Vel ad animi dolor autem. In nobis sint vero laudantium quaerat accusamus. Quasi qui molestiae cumque eos iusto. Qui libero ex quaerat. Deleniti molestiae ullam omnis deleniti voluptatibus facere magni. Minima et aliquid deserunt a rem perferendis consectetur ducimus. Aliquam ducimus alias et suscipit veritatis officiis optio.

Career Advancement Opportunities

May 2024 Investment Banking

  • Jefferies & Company 02 99.4%
  • Lazard Freres No 98.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 18 98.3%
  • Harris Williams & Co. New 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 04 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

May 2024 Investment Banking

  • Harris Williams & Co. 18 99.4%
  • JPMorgan Chase 10 98.8%
  • Lazard Freres 05 98.3%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.7%
  • William Blair 03 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

May 2024 Investment Banking

  • Lazard Freres 01 99.4%
  • Jefferies & Company 02 98.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 17 98.3%
  • Moelis & Company 07 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 05 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

May 2024 Investment Banking

  • Director/MD (5) $648
  • Vice President (20) $385
  • Associates (90) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (14) $181
  • Intern/Summer Associate (33) $170
  • 2nd Year Analyst (67) $168
  • 1st Year Analyst (205) $159
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (146) $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
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
99.0
5
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
kanon's picture
kanon
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
Linda Abraham's picture
Linda Abraham
98.8
10
bolo up's picture
bolo up
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...”