How to lateral from Credit Risk to IB

Hello all! I don't post much here but usually lurk around but I was wondering what advice the community could give me trying to lateral from Credit Risk to eventually Investment Banking. I know that it is usually very difficult to go into the buy side if you're not from a typical IB background with IB experience (modeling, deals, etc.) so the goal is definitely still to go into buy-side like most people in IB.

I just started out this summer as a 1st year FT analyst in the Credit Risk division in an IBAB (in-between-a-banks) recently graduating from a semi-target school. What are some things I should do or look out for when trying to switch to IB from Credit Risk?

Any tips, advice, suggestions, comments are all very much appreciated!

13 Comments
 

I'm no expert but I would imagine a fundamental understanding of credit could be applicable to a role in leveraged finance or other forms of lending across the various IB lines.

Dayman?
 
Most Helpful

The credit risk -> lev fin jump is fairly common. You'll move back one year.

Credit risk allows you to get a strong foundation of financial modeling / analysis, SUCAP, and understanding of risk / mitigants that are important to a lev fin desk.

Moving to an industry / M&A group is harder - but if you show some passion / knowledge in the industry, have all the fundamentals down, and understand an M&A process it can be done. Typically move back 1-2 years.

 

Thanks for the insight. I have been reading a lot about the "easier" transition from Credit Risk to IB LevFin due to the experience and background you accumulate and that JPM and BAML have been the leading BBs that are strongest in that area. Ultimately, buy-side is still the goal, specifically Private Equity.

Contra omnes dissident
 

It’s typically at the analyst level... maybe floating into the junior associate ranks. While the fundamental analysis is the same, the job functions are very different. Lev Fin is about origination, structuring, and selling debt to other investors and banks. Credit Risk is about evaluating a credit to see if it fits your banks’ risk threshold. At the analyst / junior associate level, there isn’t much difference in work product / personality, but as you move up the jobs require different skill sets (I.e., sales, relationships).

If you had 6-7 years of credit risk experience and were a 3rd year associate or junior VP, you would likely start as a 1st year associate in lev fin. Alternatively, if you have 2 years of credit risk experience, you would likely start as a 2nd year analyst in Lev Fin. So the earlier you make the move, the less of a “step back” you’ll have to take.

 

Hey guys, had a similar question. I am currently a sophomore doing a Credit Risk part time internship at JP Morgan during my college semester. My goal is to land an IB summer analyst position for next year. Am I on the right track, coming from credit risk? Do I have good chances? Any feedback would be nice. Thanks!

 

Quia quia modi enim tempora. Tempora excepturi esse voluptatibus beatae minus quo neque. Doloribus nam eum praesentium non sint qui. Mollitia vitae inventore maiores. Eos optio nemo voluptas qui ipsa eos tempore. Architecto quam in voluptas magnam omnis dignissimos veritatis. Itaque molestias qui quidem sint iste totam voluptatem.

Ipsum reiciendis veritatis incidunt illo ducimus aliquam dolor. Incidunt odit quisquam distinctio aut quo unde. Repudiandae culpa id aliquid excepturi in est aut.

Odio corporis soluta sit harum. Optio odit omnis eaque eligendi. Et sit nostrum cumque. Ut debitis exercitationem ipsum modi. Ullam pariatur est possimus qui quae quia. Veritatis reiciendis repellendus modi et hic.

Veritatis asperiores quasi et laborum. Alias voluptatibus exercitationem ut neque aut natus hic doloremque. Nostrum asperiores quae dolor in voluptas asperiores saepe. Voluptas voluptatem aut ut.

Array

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 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

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.3%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (44) $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
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
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...”