BofA/Barclays/Citi

Bofa/Citi/Barclays

Which budget bracket bank would you accept for a full-time IB analyst position and why?

I feel like these banks have experienced a lot of changes in the past couple of years. 

If it depends on the groups, then specify which groups are worthwhile at each bank.

30 Comments
 

On average: BAML. Obviously some groups perform better at the other banks, but on average BAML has better exposure, deals, and exits than Citi or Barclays

Intern in IB
 

I think the BAML average group is actually weaker than Barclays average. BAML modelling is handled by sponsors/M&A and HHs know this so those two groups exit better than the others by a fairly significant margin. I am a Barclays analyst and I despise the firm for what it's been doing recently but the delta between groups for exits seems much less than for BAML. I think I would rather be at a Barclays tier 2 group like Industrials over BAML industrials for example and that's supported by data as BAML industrials barely has UMM/MF exits while Barclays has significantly more. Would agree that BAML if you get into one of the top 2 groups is better though.

 

BOFA, is an extremely easy choice. Citi is currently going through RX and Barclays is going to shit rn. Barclays lost a lot of their Lehman rainmakers and hasn't replaced them with any good hires(mostly hired MM MDs after losing global and America group heads). I think Barclays is a tier below those other 2(look at league tables, they aren't even the number 1 European BB globally anymore YTD or for last year). Therefore, I would say BAML > Citi > next tier of BB > Barclays. 

 

Not at BAML but would assume so. I am at Barclays for context and we have a big delta between the top and mid/bottom groups(even more so now a lot of the seniors MDs left in some groups which are coincidently the groups that have seen the biggest declines in deal flow and pipeline of deals coming in). 

 

Am a second year at Barclays - today is my last day, and this is definitely not the same bank I joined. Morale is absolutely horrendous and the only people who stay are those who drank the copium. To all the other Barclays people who were able to dip to PE or a different bank, if you know you know... Thank Christ I'm out

 

PE shop - you can still pull this off from Barclays obviously, but if you are an intern or evaluating FT, avoid unless only option

 

This. 5 years ago the answer would easily have been BAML. Today, the answer is probably still BAML but tbh all 3 of these banks are trash. Citi and Barclays are going through restructurings & lots of changes, and BofA pays significantly below street, almost certainly the lowest of the three, despite having the best deal flow of the three.

 

Genuine question, how does BAML pay below street if the most recent bonus #s are correct? It seems like they pay the exact same if not more than every other top BB

 
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