RBS vs WF

I currently have offers in IBD from RBS in Stamford and Wells Fargo in Charlotte.

1) Would RBS DCM and WF LevFin offer similar exit opportunities?
2) Is there any point in joining their M&A groups?
3) Which firm would offer higher year-end analyst bonuses?

 
Best Response

Answers to your questions:

  1. LevFin is better for exit opps into PE then DCM. DCM in general places into more credit oriented exits than LevFin. LevFin is a more normal banking experience.
  2. M&A is basically always a good bet if it's on the table.
  3. Dealbreaker is running an article about RBS bonuses today. Basically their will be little bonuses for the long term and they may be in some sort of paper. Whether this will be true at the junior levels is yet to be seen. Its always advantageous to be in a US firm as they are more likely to pay street levels of bonuses.

To answer something you didn't ask. Stamford is not as fun as Charlotte. And doing the reverse commute from NYC to Stamford is next to impossible at the junior level.

Go for WF.

--There are stupid questions, so think first.
 

But based on the name alone, isn't RBS better? It feels like WF is so new to the game that it's reputation hasn't caught up to its potential and that's not something that will change quickly.

Despite the financial trouble at RBS, they will still pay their analysts decent bonuses because they are committed to retaining talent. Thoughts?

 

Hopefully this helps. I'm at a Top 5 BB by league tables and this is my unbiased opinion.

  1. RBS is pretty bad at compensation and delays it. It will be quite low if they even PAY IT. If anything WF is going to be paying the high bonuses as they are committed to growing their IBD.

  2. Wells/Wachovia destroys RBS in the league tables. WF is top 10 for Debt, Equity and #7 in M&A. RBS is barely top 20.

  3. RBC > RBS... go read the WF/RBC thread I posted and replace RBC with RBS. I'm sure a Duke kid can handle that.

  4. Exit opps are better at WF, especially in M&A, sponsors, and therefore into top PE firms. By the time you come out it'd be 2-3 years and you should be looking at a good market.

  5. RBS is declining and even at its height in the U.S. was not as good as Wachovia. Meanwhile, Wachovia inherited WF's BS and has a huge opportunity to grow its balance sheet.

  6. Put 1 and 1 together... a good bank (Wachovia) got better whereas an ok bank (RBS) got worse.

Whats with kids asking a question and then arguing with everyone? Either accept the answers or don't ask the question at all. I'd take RBC and Jefferies over the downward spiraling RBS at this point.

 

They didn't come to my campus, and I had my superday last friday. HR has not yet contacted me, nor have they contacted a friend who also interviewed, and we both find the lack of contact inexplicable. Towards the end of the interview day, people walked in to tell me how well I was doing. I'm hoping the delay is just a result of how unorganized the final super day process seemed, but to wait this long (and expect an actual offer) is a little ridiculous.

 

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