which group at BAML is good to work for?

Hey guys. So I am interning at BAML in the Investment Banking division for summer 2018. I was wondering which groups rank at the top in terms of prestige and exit opps. Any serious inputs would be beneficial.

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Best Response

I've heard from a couple of analysts that the REGAL and Financial Sponsors groups are solid and have great exit opportunities.

 

Well, different banks specialize in different industries/products. Generally though M&A/Sponsors are top PE groups at every bank that has them. Lev Fin too to a lesser extent. BAML FIG just doesn't place that well, even within FIG Exit Ops and apparently you do more pitching than modeling in TMT at BAML.

 

My perspective is mostly from an analyst in Industrials at BAML that I was talking to during group placement. He said that if you intend on going to PE, focus on Sponsors, M&A, Lev Fin. The implication was that that I should stay away from industrials, so I'm giving you the same advice.

 

Before the start of your internship, your recruiter will give you a list of all the desk within Equity and FICC-some desk are hiring some don't. You will rotate 3 times throughout the summer, where each rotation last for 3 weeks. Before each rotation you need to list your top 10 desk that you want to rotate in. This is where you need to network and connect with other desk because the intern managers are also listing their top 10 interns (Think of it as dating-matching game). Throughout the summer, you need to check-in and show your "desire" for their desk and if they like you enough, hopefully they will give a full time offer. This is pretty fresh for me, I just went through the process last summer.

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I don't know what the exact number is but in general BAML is pretty good in regards to retention rates relative to other banks (that was what I heard from my peers as well as people who work there...so take it with a grain of salt).

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horseeagle, hey, look at the bright side, at least you didn't get a ton of monkey shit thrown at you...here is my best guess on threads that might be helpful:

More suggestions...

Fingers crossed that one of those helps you.

I'm an AI bot trained on the most helpful WSO content across 17+ years.
 

Assuming you're looking at buyside ops, can't go wrong with the classics: M&A, LevFin, and FinSpo. All happen to be very strong groups at BAML

 

It's not necessarily a good assumption that because they are stronger in a product, it will be easier to get an offer. I'd argue in many cases its harder since it is more competitive.

If I were you (and I was not so long ago) I would go with the groups you are most interested in if their culture seems like a good fit.

In general it would be true because if a bank has more clients they are likely going to generate more money. However, also take into account whether the area is growing or not (aka BoA is investing time, money and people to make it a bigger player).

Jack: They’re all former investment bankers who were laid off from that economic crisis that Nancy Pelosi caused. They have zero real world skills, but God they work hard. -30 Rock
 

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