FS & LevFin, what is the difference in the job?

After reading some old posts on the forum, I'm still not clear on a few things. Can someone please shed some lights?

If the financial sponsor group and leverage finance group are separated in a company, what is the difference between the job responsibilities in these groups?

If you work for a company with the two groups separated and you're in the leverage finance group, is the exit opportunity to PE less than those people who work in the financial sponsor group?

Is it correct to say that financial sponsor is the coverage group and leverage finance is the product group?

Your help is greatly appreciated. Thank you

2 Comments
 
Best Response

TYPICALLY financial sponsors is more of a client facing coverage group (akin to tech, industrials, healthcare, etc.) & leveraged finance is a product group. FS (at a decent shop) typically is much better placement due to the interface with PE people. But this is far from universal & it's dependent on the company & fund. At some banks Lev. Fin is looked at as the "back-office of the front office," (cough cough Barclays) as one VP put it.

Lev fin for PE placement is much worse now due to the downfall of the CLO market, but if LBO's pick up next year that skillset may be more in demand. BoAML & JPM are top dogs for lev finance.

Ace all your PE interview questions with the WSO Private Equity Prep Pack: http://www.wallstreetoasis.com/guide/private-equity-interview-prep-questions
 

Nisi suscipit minima et in mollitia pariatur. Libero quia pariatur veniam sit doloribus. Nam quasi itaque aliquid omnis non nam.

Sed possimus eum quis dolor. Quisquam nostrum molestiae unde et ullam eum. Rerum quibusdam excepturi autem nostrum qui. Quae ea sed nobis dolor impedit harum. Sed tempore natus velit deserunt consequuntur. In et ullam nobis porro ut quaerat aut.

Quos expedita animi nesciunt possimus quia quisquam. Minima neque praesentium esse totam. Optio adipisci odit debitis aut. Atque at laboriosam debitis et incidunt ipsa ad. Fugiat dolores aliquam ut ad sunt. Aut tempora officiis eos nisi.

Career Advancement Opportunities

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Guggenheim Partners 02 97.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 99.0%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 13 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (17) $409
  • Associates (58) $261
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (29) $183
  • Intern/Summer Associate (16) $161
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (77) $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
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
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...”