Looking for regional banks to apply to

Due to some connections I have, i am planning to apply to Morgan Stanley, UBS, and Piper Jaffray. I am looking for some regional or middle market banks that are located in the midwest. Cities like Chicago, Minneapolis, Kansas City, and Dallas would all be potentially great options. Any help or suggestions would be appreciated.

• LOOK AT THE WEST COAST ALSO, THERE ARE LOTS OF GOOD TECH SHOPS, AND TECH HAS BEEN STRONG LATELY = HIRING WILL BE BETTER FOR NON-TARGETS

Second, when making a cover letter for these middle market banks would it be best to customize each one, or just use a generic format and change key points.

• HAVE A GENERIC, BUT CUSTOMIZE IT MORE THAN JUST CHANGING NAMES, ETC. ADD AT LEAST A FEW SENTENCES THROUGHOUT ABOUT THE PARTICULAR BANK/GROUP. NORMALLY YET IT IS BEST TO HAVE CUSTOM LETTERS, BUT IT WILL TAKE FOREVER, AND FOR YOUR SITUATION I THINK GETTING OUT AS MANY APPS AS POSSIBLE IS A GOOD IDEA

Finally, I have seen some companies that do not offer online applications, but instead ask you to e-mail copies of a cover letter and resume. For these is it better to attach the cover letter or put it in the body of the e-mail.

• BOTH, YOUR E-MAIL SHOULD BE YOUR COVER LETTER, BUT ALSO ATTACH IT SO THAT IT CAN BE E-MAILED AROUND TO PEOPLE IN THE OFFICE IF THEY WANT. I AM NOT SURE IF IT IS BETTER TO HAVE ONE 2 PAGE DOCUMENT WITH BOTH THE COVER LETTER AND RESUME, OR IF YOU SHOULD ATTACH SEPARATELY , YOU WOULD HAVE TO ASK SOME HR PERSON ABOUT THAT