Public Finance pros and cons
I am applying for FT roles after not receiving a Return offer from my Bank (worked in structured lending). I heard back from a large FI after a couple of weeks, and they want me to choose between Public Finance and S&T (rotating between various equity products) ahead of the interviews. Obviously, S&T sounds a lot more appealing and truly like working with "Markets", which I ideally would like to do Full-time.
It's not a no-brainer, though. Based on my background, I believe I have a higher chance of doing well in the Public Finance process, given that it will likely be less competitive (not competing with kids from S&T internships) and more aligned with my lending and Commercial Banking internship experience (You're working with large, municipal clients and getting a sense of their financing needs & analyzing their credit profiles -- how I understand it). My main goal is to lock in something decent for FT (which PF still objectively is) for peace of mind, but doing so at the cost of a more enticing role is also painful.
I did a lot of agonizingly boring document/processing work this summer, gaining hardly any client or credit-application exposure. I worry that PF could simply be a tedious, process-heavy repeat, except it won't just be an internship. I've also heard that there are limited exits (mostly just DCM). Still need to get an offer first, of course, but don't know which team to target.
I would greatly appreciate any advice, or if someone in Public Finance could provide their honest take/experience. Thank you
Based on the most helpful WSO content, here’s a breakdown of Public Finance (PF) pros and cons to help you weigh your options:
Pros of Public Finance:
Cons of Public Finance:
Key Considerations for Your Decision:
Advice:
If your primary goal is to secure a full-time role for peace of mind, targeting PF might be the safer bet given your background and the potentially less competitive process. However, if you’re passionate about markets and willing to take on a more competitive process, S&T could be worth pursuing. Ultimately, it depends on your risk tolerance and long-term career aspirations.
Sources: Public Finance Q&A, https://www.wallstreetoasis.com/forum/investment-banking/public-finance-qa?customgpt=1, Accounting vs Finance: Part 1 – Career Paths, Public Finance Investment Banking Information, Best sales job in finance
Worked in public finance as an analyst before transitioning. Can't speak to the S&T experience, but my experience in public finance exceeded expectations. The role fundamentally is investment banking, and while you're not directly executing M&A transactions, the capital markets work you do by far exceeds the complexity / analytical rigor of the corporate side. Why is this? Fundamentally boils down to municipal issuers being constrained by revenue streams and legislative policy. For example, the MTA might issue bonds against revenues generated from congestion pricing, or the City of Chicago may issue debt from hotel and occupancy taxes to finance construction of a convention center expansion. Both instances require a deep understanding and analysis of public policy / legislation / demographics, and ultimately a granular model of expected revenues, and the maximum allowable debt issuable per year of revenue / tax generation. Whereas Apple might issue a $500MM 7-year bullet Term Loan A, pledging effectively their entire FCF available for debt service, vs. a specific iPad revenue stream.
I would agree that especially at the more senior levels, senior bankers are effectively figuring out ways to maximize proceeds within the confines of policy / law, and are constantly finding ways to take advantage of tax arbitrage. At the junior level, the work is your typical analysis + bd books + deal execution work, not dissimilar from the corporate side. Pay is a discount to corporate IBD (not by much), but so are the hours (60-75). Exits are not as bad as you say, though traditional buyout or L/S is off the table. But this still leaves interesting roles like direct lending, private credit, endowments, FoF, secondaries, corp strategy, etc. (have seen all of these exits). You will also notice that many senior government officials in big cities like New York / LA / Chi have public finance banking backgrounds.
Now the cons. The work is repetitive, and given credit quality of issuers (i.e. what is the realistic chance that the Commonwealth of Virginia defaults on their debt?) the level of credit analysis / modelling is less than say, a leveraged finance group. The stress testing is not as rigorous. Also, working with the government necessitates lengthy RFP processes that can take nearly 20-40% of an analyst's day-to-day. And finally, agree that fundamentally the level of detail you learn about municipal finance is not very transferable to many other corporate exits.
Overall, pubfin is an intellectually interesting, "sustainable" (from an hours + career perspective) and relatively high paying banking role where you can go home feeling like you're financing tangible U.S. infrastructure projects. Hudson Yards, the first U.S. high speed rail network, battery park city, a universities' new research building, etc. are all financed directly from the issuance of municipal bonds. I think if your eyes are set on maximizing the traditional "corporate" path of high-competition, faster-paced and more lucrative roles, then pubfin may fall short.
How were you able to leverage your position in public finance to lateral towards M&A?
"Incoming Analyst in IB-M&A" had a great write up. Definitely take that to heart as it relates to interest in public finance.
From there, you have to ask yourself in an ideal world, what do you want to be doing with your life in 5 years?
I think "Incoming Analyst in IB-M&A" said it well. From my experience (I work at a very small firm in the MW) I get a lot of deal exposure on municipal bonds and get to work on every part of the process. It's definitely very stimulating to work on local borrowings where I get to see the projects have a positive impact on the surrounding communities. When we have a high volume of deals, it is extremely enjoyable to work on different deals that vary in many ways financially. My best days are sale days, I get a large load of work to do and get to complete a lot of pending tasks, I also get to meet clients which is exciting. Though, most of the time, I feel a little bored waiting around for proposals to come back to me. I like to dive deeper into the tasks at hand, which I would recommend. There isn't much variance from deal to deal unless you dive deeper as an analyst. Extremely chill hours for me, 8:30-4:30, which I would actually prefer to work longer. I'm not sure about S&T but if you're looking for a stable career and above average pay, then PF isn't a bad choice. I would check out the EMMA website and look at an Official Statement for a municipality that works with your potential employer. That is something that I take a good amount of my time doing, I would assume your role would be the same. Obviously, there's a ton of other little things too, but everything revolves around that for the most part. I'm actually at an MA firm and not at an IB, so I'm not 100% sure on the relation.
What are comp/exit ops like at a FA/MA pub fin firm?
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