Thoughts? Comments? What's life like there? Exit Ops?
Recruiter wants to know if I would be interested in a Sr. Analyst position (NY Office). Trying to make the jump to PE but have had relatively little success (Currently finishing up my second year at a small boutique) so I told him I would also be open to some IB jobs.
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Not too sure about "culture", but a friend who interned a year ahead of me at a boutique works there in research. Great place for distressed and HY research. Not sure about what your ambitions are, but I'd jump on the chance.
Not sure how good research places in PE though.
good luck
Thanks for the info. I should mention the role itself is a generalist role in IBD.
Heard it's a good place for credit/restructuring.
imperial is like all the smaller banks. you'll have some opportunities to interview at smaller mm pe shops but the exit opps arent great. have not seen many if any imperial analysts on the buyside
how does imperial compare to guggenheim?
I have interned at both firms (IBD) and can shed some light into this. Imperial is a good MM. They are not Jefferies or HW but they are still good. They have a good lev fin arm, they are full service with S&T, ECM, ER, Credit Research etc..but unfortunately they fall in a very very similar business model as Houlihan Lokey and during my internship many people constantly talked about them going head to head with Houlihan Lokey (half a block away from each other in LA) for many fairness opinions or smaller restructuring deals and losing. The problem is that although they are good at what they do, they lack prestige/name brand (an associate that was at the firm was telling me this) which should not matter but actually does when they are going head to head with another bank for a deal and then have to offer lower advisory or underwriting fees just to win the mandate when the client isnt sure to trust imperial with the transaction.
In relationship to Guggenheim (i interned there this past summer in NY) i really would not put them in the same boat as Imperial. I know people there full time that took Guggenheim over lower tier BBs that they didnt get a top group. They dont do smaller private deals like Imperial might but do MM sized deals as well (as low as $100MM to BB sized deals of $1-5B) and constantly were going neck to neck with other elite boutiques/BBs for a deal. Guggenheim is also being led by Alan Schwartz (for IBD) and ex-global heads from JPM, BAML, Barclays, Bear Stearns etc. The team they have put together for NY and even LA is very impressive. All the MDs i have met have come from top BBs or elite boutiques and they have gotten on very sizeable deals in the past 2 years (http://guggenheimpartners.com/services/securities/all-recent-transactio…) while now recently starting a restructuring arm and ECM one as well. Imperial senior bankers were not on the same level in terms of previous work and just didnt handle themselves as professionally. The firm is well positioned to keep poaching top MDs from global positions at banks (http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/08/guggenheim-hirings-idUSL2N0DP…) is really taking off. Plus, as an analyst you get exposure similar to how Goldman's analysts do and work on several products/deal types within an industry vertical (ex- ecm, lev fin, M&A) rather than just doing coverage/a single product group.
Culturally though, the LA imperial office is phenomenal. Lots of fratty young Berkeley/USC/UCLA studs that know how to get work done and party at the same time. Guggenheim tends to be a bit more serious as they are trying to recreate a Bear Stearns 2.0 and are ambitious about doing so. Cant put a price on culture!
Hope this clears up some of the misconception and yes OP they are actually stronger that division so i would pursue the position if possible.
Great place for LA IBD.
If I had to say, it would be Guggenheim ~ Imperial
Guggenheim wins the prestige battle, but barely.
I have no idea how good the firm is for junior employees, but I had an unreal experience with one of their senior bankers, who tried to get onto a buy-side mandate after losing out on the sell-side that we were representing.
He was easily the biggest moron I ever came across in the many years I spent in banking, and he was operating well below board. One bad apple should not condemn an entire firm, but I do know that he is still there.
These guys are credit? I keep hearing their analysts ask questions on earnings calls and wondering who the fuck they are
Stephen Moyer used to head up research or some shit there
have some respectable people in credit / distressed, but generally unimpressive in regular way IBD
(Note- i have not interned at Imperial NY so my experiences are limited to a summer internship in LA where they are HQ)
anybody have experience with the SF office?
?
Bump
Interested as well
They did raise a fund targeting distressed and SS. Former WIP guys are running it.
Can you pls elaborate?
What else do you want to know?
Imperial Capital - MM IB (Originally Posted: 01/21/2016)
Anyone familiar with this firm? I have a phone interview coming up (FT Analyst out of undergrad) and would love to speak to anyone who has worked for/with them.
As far as I've heard they're pretty well known in the credit/high-yield space. Based out of LA.
Thanks!
Bump--anyone?
SA program is generalist, not sure about what FT looks like though. My info might be a bit dated but you're correct in that they are strong in the credit/high-yield space. Definitely a solid MM firm and not some random shop. Tough hours for sure, they work their analysts hard. Pay below street.
Thanks! Just curious—do you know someone who works at the firm or have you personally worked at IC?
Imperial Capital - Exit opps (Originally Posted: 09/14/2010)
What is the story with Imperial Capital? I know they do a lot of restructuring and they have expertise in a wide range of industries. I also know that their comp is basically street. Anyone know what exit opps / reputation of the firm is like?
I interviewed there once. I was impressed with the group, very professional. I backed off the process when some other opps arose, but I would say its a good group.
good rest group.comp street, based in LA i believe.
However, does have long hours even compared to some other bigger guys, so watch out for that
Imperial Capital New York IBD (Originally Posted: 03/02/2015)
Anyone know anything about this boutique in terms of culture/experience/exit opps? (This would be for the summer and info preferably from someone who has worked there or knows someone who has) Seems on the smaller size but from what I can see pretty good deal flow for its size. Any info much appreciated as I can't find much else on it. Thanks!
sounds like a pretty fratty firm bro
.
Don't know much about the NY office, but LA office definitely has a fratty vibe. Bunch of UCLA and USC guys.
Also, it's a solid MM, not boutique. Interviews are very technical and they like to ask questions that aren't in the guides, but if you have an understanding of accounting/finance, they're not that bad.
They have a strong restructuring practice, but not too much RX dealflow now obviously. SA and analyst program is generalist. Exit opps probably limited to MM PE, know a couple of guys who've gone on to HFs and distressed funds.
Overall a solid firm and would be a great SA experience and would serve you well if you wanted to move on to BB/EB for FT.
Imperial Capital Investment Bank Information? (Originally Posted: 06/13/2013)
I was pitched about them by a recruiter and have never heard of them. Anyone know anything about them? Are they reputable? Exit Opps post analyst? Do they have good deal flow? Considered boutique or mm? Thanks!
delete
they're decent. better for debt, LevFin
definitely boutique and mostly middle market. Largely regional, I think stronger on the West Coast than East Coast.
the structure is pretty similar to other MM firms, but for some reason they are VERY top heavy. they have (or had) like 15 MDs I was told and only take ~3 FT analysts in the LA office per year. The analysts supposedly work a lot, and ~90 hrs/week isn't uncommon. from what I was told, the LA office has like 7 VPs, ~7 associates and ~7-8 analysts? so an office of like mid to high 30ish bankers in LA. analysts/associates get a great experience in the sense that they work on several product groups across many different industries (ex- consumer, A&D; M&A, lev fin, restructuring)
but I know from networking that the analysts are paid street at least, 70 base and last years bonus was 50k for 1st years (don't think they do buckets, but I could be wrong because they take like ~10 ft analyst a year)
there is an LA office, SF office, Minneapolis office, NY office, Boston office and I think Chicago. LA is HQ but NY office still has a presence.
also- couchy is right (they do more debt/LevFin than M&A) and decent restructuring work (2013 closed transactions- http://imperialcapital.com/Services/services-01-e.aspx). looks like they'll do some M&A activities here and there but seems to be under lower MM sized deals or some private companies etc.. still not bad but def focus on levfin, debt and distressed deals
they are full service as well, have trading floor and ER team in LA as well and other regional offices. analyst that interviewed me said they hope to be the next Jefferies one day (so I guess they are calling themselves a MM firm)
do a simple linkedin search and you'll see where some people have worked but im sure there is a shit ton of competition in LA as you still have GS, Moelis, MS, HL RX, CS getting first shot at PE/HFs. for exit ops from talking to people in PE in LA, they are similar to Houlihan Corp Fin exit-ops but discounted a bit just because of the HL name and the Imperial name not being as strong. so exit ops will exist but mega fund non-existent and looking at lower level MM funds. Imperial also should have exit ops to distressed funds as well. (note- I did a lot of research on them before my superday this past FT recruitment so I know a good amount haha). hope this helps dude.
Imperial Capital - Any experiences? (Originally Posted: 10/31/2009)
Hey guys, I have an interview with them next week. Can anyone provide any information about them and experiences interviewing with them?
.
..in LA
.
Thanks MMmonkey. I thought there's a firewall between the divisions. How does the S&T desk tell the IB of a restruct.
.
crappy firm
monkeybusiness if you're still around can you talk about what the interview was like....
or anyone else that interviewed recently...
Imperial Capital (anyone work there?) (Originally Posted: 04/25/2011)
I searched, and saw tons of topics on Imperial in the past.
However, I'm curious to know if there is anyone out there who would be willing to do a quick informational interview regarding IB at Imperial.
I have a lot that I'd like to know, and have an interview coming up for FT analyst.
Please PM if you fit the description.
I work there, give me a call
Bump. Anyone else out there have experiences with Imperial Capital IBD?
I wasn't able to get ahold of anyone yet, and have the interview tomorrow :(
Trying to get some info last minute
Did you get the offer?
I'm looking at imperial too...did you get the offer
Imperial Capital - Information? (Originally Posted: 12/12/2007)
Can anyone give me some information about Imperial Capital that's more descriptive than their website? Thanks.
I have heard they do a lot of pitching. I have heard very little though, so I wouldn't necessarily assume that is the case.
I talked to one person who works there and they didn't seem all that impressive. It didn't sound like deal flow was great. I think their only real office is in LA, and is supposed to be in a pretty nice area, but who knows?
I know some people there and have heard they are growing fast - also have some high-profile restructuring clients. Overall, good people and they have one of the nicest offices in LA.
Imperial Capital just acquired a small boutique bank, USBX Advisery Services that was based in Santa Monica. This deal added several MD's who are rainmakers in their respective industries
bump. anyone else have any info on this bank?
i don't know that i would call MDs from USBX Advisory "rainmakers"
if you're talking the LA IB scene, it's going to be CS, GS, and a significantly weakened UBS
yeah I looked at their roster and saw no "rainmakers"
actually, I didn't even see a name that I recognized (granted I am on the other coast)
Thoughts on Imperial Capital? (Originally Posted: 01/25/2009)
I have an interview with Imperial Capital but I don't know much about the firm. Does anyone know much about them (hours, culture, opportunities in the firm- groups, strength among the middle market firms, etc.). Any insight would be greatly appreciated!
Is this for FT or SA? What school are you from?
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