Corporate Banking at US BB, comp at senior levels and lifestyle?

Very curious on what comp nowadays looks like for senior CB people (VP, D, MD) at US BBs that have CB with IB. I understand that IB and buy side jobs are better for maximizing wealth, but I’d much rather work a job later that allows me to coast while still getting paid upper 6 figures (maybe even 7 for good MDs?) instead of working much longer and harder for extra money that I wouldn’t really feel. Overall, just curious if CB at US BBs is a compromise that provides good comp and relatively low hours + low stress at the senior levels.

5 Comments
 

You won’t make anything close to 7 figures a year in corporate banking. Maybe as a group head but I doubt it and even then there’s maybe only like 50 of those top tier seats available in the US. You just don’t generate fees the same way investment bankers do. It’s true that work life balance is generally better than IB but it comes with a haircut in comp for sure.

 
mark guckerbeg

You won’t make anything close to 7 figures a year in corporate banking. Maybe as a group head but I doubt it and even then there’s maybe only like 50 of those top tier seats available in the US. You just don’t generate fees the same way investment bankers do. It’s true that work life balance is generally better than IB but it comes with a haircut in comp for sure.

Agree - I think VPs are low $300s all in and the growth is pretty minimal when moving to D/MD (relative to IB) 

there's definitely a hard ceiling on bonus / comp for corporate banking 

 

Qui laboriosam vel quis alias recusandae sunt id. Neque alias neque ea dolores quidem.

Quod dolorem harum blanditiis officiis veniam. Et dolores odit officia vel sequi. Aperiam non consequuntur enim a iusto. Cumque ut et reprehenderit atque consequuntur veritatis.

Sint in ad voluptatem cupiditate ipsa sed impedit atque. Corporis aut nostrum voluptatum repellendus ad ipsum cum. Reprehenderit atque aut aspernatur repudiandae. Veritatis quo et dicta asperiores optio nesciunt. Suscipit accusamus autem nulla excepturi dolorem voluptatem. Illum quae molestiae aliquid iusto nihil atque.

Animi sunt quidem eum aut esse voluptatem. Sequi similique in doloribus dolorem optio a.

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.9%
  • Evercore 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.7%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (15) $434
  • Associates (46) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (79) $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
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
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...”