Lehman vs. UBS - Any input would help

Just a general question.

Is working at UBS or lehman considered more prestigous/

Also taking into consideration exit strategies.

any input would help out. Im guessing lehman is perhaps a little better in the US, but UBS is a prestigous global bank. Since i prob wouldnt leave to work in europe, who has the better rep in NYC????

thanks

21 Comments
 

are u kidding? Lehman is a glorified boutique. UBS is a serious bank, especially in M&A, Media, and Healthcare. Lehman is pretty much a mercenary house where a few heavy hitters have got together but theres bad training and bad long term prospects. On the way down big time.

 

I don't know how it's going to play out with Young leaving Lehman and what not but I would say the prestige difference is marginal.

UBS M&A and FSLF in NY place extremely well. I'm sure Lehman's top groups do the same.

 

quality of firm is significantly down now at Lehman

and it just shows the risk of it happening again

Woody Young was Lehman's biggest guy

 
Best Response

How much more activity is expected (near term) in the communications sector? SBC/At&T 21.7bn, Cingular/At&T 47.0bn, At&T/BellSouth 89.4 bn, Sprint/Nextel 46.5bn

All together, over $200bn, on which LEH advised. At&T (the most active in the sector, whom WY had the strongest r/s with) is expected to stay quiet as they digest.

I remember I met a managing director from MS who said that a colleague was basically forced out after he completed a wave of deals. The rationale: the guy was expecting a shitload of $ going fwd and all deals had been exhausted. This may not have been the reason WY was forced out, but Fuld made a calculated move, when he refused to give in to the demands of WY.

Also, the rest of the comm group is intact. Having worked under WY are they not capable of stepping up to the plate, should the situation arise, to advise?

To the OP: as others have noted, the "prestige" difference is marginal. Moreover, said should not be a basis for your decision (if you're even in a position to choose b/w the two). Go with the place you are the best "fit" for.

 

UBS is a massive bank, and can be compared more easily to European firms such as Deutsche Bank and Barclays (though they are primarily in debt as far as Investment Banking goes), and American firms like J.P. Morgan and Citigroup. UBS has nearly 70,000 employees to Lehman's 25,000.

Now, there's absolutely no doubt that UBS beats Lehman in many (if not most/all) areas in the Global League tables. But that, of course, is not the equivalent of more prestige. Citigroup takes a shit on pretty much everyone in terms of numbers and gets a lot of disrespect.

So how do you quantify prestige? I think the best way, especially for junior people, is to make judgments about the mannerisms, character, and intellect of their potential superiors and co-workers. The answer, then, is unequivocally Lehman Brothers.

When you ask about prestige, I think you're asking, "When I walk into a room of my parents' friends and they ask me where I work, which firm will they be more impressed by?"

The answer again, without a doubt, is Lehman Brothers.

Lehman may not do as much business/make as much money as UBS (neither does Goldman Sachs, in terms of net income) but its name carries more weight. It's a pure play investment bank that is growing at a substantial pace, and while it is not as strong globally as UBS, in joining Lehman Brothers (particularly in New York), you will most likely be surrounding yourself with people of greater intellect and general ability.

Personally, I'm not big on prestige, even though it may seem that way from my response. I just felt that most of what was posted was absolute garbage.

 
jgwentworthUBS is a massive bank, and can be compared more easily to European firms such as Deutsche Bank and Barclays (though they are primarily in debt as far as Investment Banking goes), and American firms like J.P. Morgan and Citigroup. UBS has nearly 70,000 employees to Lehman's 25,000.

Now, there's absolutely no doubt that UBS beats Lehman in many (if not most/all) areas in the Global League tables. But that, of course, is not the equivalent of more prestige. Citigroup takes a shit on pretty much everyone in terms of numbers and gets a lot of disrespect.

So how do you quantify prestige? I think the best way, especially for junior people, is to make judgments about the mannerisms, character, and intellect of their potential superiors and co-workers. The answer, then, is unequivocally Lehman Brothers.

When you ask about prestige, I think you're asking, "When I walk into a room of my parents' friends and they ask me where I work, which firm will they be more impressed by?"

The answer again, without a doubt, is Lehman Brothers.

Lehman may not do as much business/make as much money as UBS (neither does Goldman Sachs, in terms of net income) but its name carries more weight. It's a pure play investment bank that is growing at a substantial pace, and while it is not as strong globally as UBS, in joining Lehman Brothers (particularly in New York), you will most likely be surrounding yourself with people of greater intellect and general ability.

Personally, I'm not big on prestige, even though it may seem that way from my response. I just felt that most of what was posted was absolute garbage.

well said.

 

At the end of the day, shit is the same at all the big banks--if you're good, your seniors will push for you providing for good exit opps and even if they don't, you'll know enough to do well in interviews. I'm at LB but have buddies at UBS and we all share the same pain.

 

all the Lehman London people I know are super chilled out. They all like working there and enjoy the culture.

I don't know anybody that well at UBS London to give you that info.

 

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