Role of Right Bookrunners

I have a question for people in IB.
What are the roles of the right bookrunners? Let's say you are an institutional investor. You always go to the lead bank to submit your commitment and hopefully receive allocations.

What exactly would a right bookrunner do? Do they control the allocations?

10 Comments
 

Basically get paid to do nothing except risk capital overnight. And obviously marketing to your client base to build up demand.

 
meabric

Basically get paid to do nothing except risk capital overnight. And obviously marketing to your client base to build up demand.

Mostly this. Active right bookrunners will sometimes help fill the book, depending on the logistics of the offering.

"For all the tribulations in our lives, for all the troubles that remain in the world, the decline of violence is an accomplishment we can savor, and an impetus to cherish the forces of civilization and enlightenment that made it possible."
 

got it. the economics just doesn't make sense if the right bookrunners don't do jack. i guess they just want to distribute the revolver hold.

 
PA

got it. the economics just doesn't make sense if the right bookrunners don't do jack. i guess they just want to distribute the revolver hold.

You know what the ultimate dream is? When a smaller bank is lead left on the deal and they have to do everything, and you are to the right of them with EQUAL economics and you don't have to do anything other than get approval. The syndicate has to do work, but on the banking side you just sit back and watch the fees roll in. It happens fairly often in my experience.
 
PA

got it. the economics just doesn't make sense if the right bookrunners don't do jack. i guess they just want to distribute the revolver hold.

The economics of capital markets transactions isn't determined by "who does the most work on the offering". It's determined by relationships and by the amount of unpaid work that firms have done outside the offering. Realistically, you only need one bank to accomplish most equity / debt offerings. The rest are being rewarded for some other work / relationship.

"For all the tribulations in our lives, for all the troubles that remain in the world, the decline of violence is an accomplishment we can savor, and an impetus to cherish the forces of civilization and enlightenment that made it possible."
 
NorthSider PA:

got it. the economics just doesn't make sense if the right bookrunners don't do jack. i guess they just want to distribute the revolver hold.

The economics of capital markets transactions isn't determined by "who does the most work on the offering". It's determined by relationships and by the amount of unpaid work that firms have done outside the offering. Realistically, you only need one bank to accomplish most equity / debt offerings. The rest are being rewarded for some other work / relationship.

An example would be giving out econ based on tier/capital committed in the RCs/TLs.

 

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