First Year S&T Analyst: Citi, RBS or Wells Fargo

I need to choose among the following three companies for the 1-st Year S&T Analyst: Citi, RBS & Wells Fargo.

All three companies have great people! I am sure the working environment would be more or less the same (equally good and bad).

But, what about compensation? At the moment, I don't consider going to MBA, etc. If I just want to work as a trader till I am 30-35, which company would likely offer me a higher bonus? (I am assuming the base-pay in all three companies is pretty much indifferent)

Random advantages:
Citi - the company is recovering
RBS - less bureucratic yet. Hence, you start actual trading earlier and (if you are good) you start making big monies earlier
WF - Strong Fixed Income desk

 

You may think that this is the most stupid question on earth. It also seemed to me that way before I went to an interview with RBS. But here is what an RBS trader told me. He said that at RBS you can earn big money more quickly than at Citi or at any other BB firm, if you are smart of course. He is in his late 20-s and he is an MD (he also implied that there are a bunch of young MDs at RBS than at Citi. At least two more 30-35 years old MDs interviewed me before him).

Seriously, this is not bullshit.

Would this "fact" change your responses anyhow?

And regarding the desk: I am not sure at the moment. At all three firms I can pick the desk later on. I will probably try to aim for Fixed Income.

 

I don't see how Citi's fate would be any better than Barcap or RBS' truth be told - Barcap would certainly look the better bet for the long term.

Citi's not the firm it once was - even if they should repay TARP anytime soon, they're still a million miles from coming anywhere close to paying out bonuses at the pre-crisis level.

Beyond the fact that their consumer businesses (notwithstanding the sale and scaling down of their businesses) are still bleeding big time, the fact that they had to sell their stakes in Smith Barney and Phibro (essentially, two crucial cash cows) at knock-down prices just sums it all up.

Barcap would trump Citi/RBS any time...

 

This thread probably just made this kid 10x more confused hahaha... Go with your gut pal. If you did the research on these companies and decided to apply to positions at them didn't you think about this possible outcome? What are you leaning towards?

 

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