• The Top 10 Investment Banks To Work For...                                

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No. 1 The Blackstone Group

This list is culled from the Vault Banking 50, created by career resource Vault from their annual Banking Survey of approximately 3,600 banking industry professionals. Each respondent assessed peer banks on a scale of 1 to 10 based on prestige, but are prohibited from ranking their own firm. Bankers also ranked their employer in key quality of life areas, such as "compensation, hours, firm culture, business outlook, and overall satisfaction."

No. 2 Goldman Sachs

No. 3 Morgan Stanley

No. 4 J.P. Morgan Investment Bank

No. 5 Centerview Partners

No. 6 Evercore Partners

No. 7 Houlihan Lokey

No. 8 Greenhill & Co.

No. 9 Perella Weinberg Partners

No. 10 Credit Suisse

SOURCE: http://www.forbes.com/pictures/fjle45iegh/no-10-credit-suisse/ 

10 Best Investment Banks....

1. The Blackstone Group
What insiders say: "Incredible colleagues, great learning experience, you work on extremely complex deals, but there's never a minute of downtime."

What professionals at peer firms say: "Strong restructuring and M&A groups, very prestigious and intelligent, but has a sweatshop reputation."

What we say: Stephen Schwarzman has arguably built the best firm on the Street with perhaps a more powerful career-building name than Goldman. And the firm's rise from No. 2 last year to No. 1 this year in the Vault Banking 50 underscores the fact that the smaller, boutique banks and independent advisory firms are now on par with the bulge brackets (which not so long ago were the undisputed kings of Wall Street and best launching pads for Wall Street careers).

2. Goldman Sachs
What insiders say: "Team-oriented culture where you work with highly motivated, smart, energetic people striving to think beyond status quo; however, hours are insane."

What professionals at peer firms say: "Still the best, the cream of the crop, no one is close, these guys are on both sides of every deal, but their attitude keeps getting worse—dropping quickly due to their arrogance."

What we say: Despite the recent FabFab guilty verdict, Goldman has for the most part stayed clear of bad press for quite some time and is still, by far, the No. 1 dealmaker on Wall Street. Also, when it comes to prestige, Goldman's still golden. 

3. J.P. Morgan Investment Bank
What insiders say: "Team-oriented culture, good deal experience, lots of client exposure, strong exit opportunities, but the work/life balance leaves much to be desired."

What peers say: "Well respected, draws great junior talent, a leader among the bulge brackets, but that huge trading loss hurt their reputation."

What we say: The London Whale squashed tons of prestige (as well as its No. 1 ranking in the Vault Banking 50), but insiders are still in love with Jamie Dimon, and the firm's still solidly in second place as far as the bulge bracket goes (that is, it's just a few strokes behind Goldman). 

4. Houlihan Lokey
What insiders say: "Fantastic colleagues and great deal experience, but the hours can be long and unpredictable."

What peers say: "Middle-market powerhouse and a very good, solid firm, but not that prestigious."

What we say: Treats its employees with incredible respect, offering perhaps the best overall quality of life in investment banking, but lacks name recognition—still nowhere near a household name on Wall Street.

5. Evercore Partners
What insiders say: "Highly prestigious, great deal flow, great deal experience, strong exit opportunities, but not much work/life balance."

What peers say: "Rolls Royce of I-banking—only doing huge, high-impact deals."

What we say: Slowly has become one of the Street's top dealmakers and now demands a tremendous amount of respect throughout the industry. 

6. Morgan Stanley
What insiders say: "Great culture and extremely intelligent coworkers, but there's a work/life imbalance and too much deferred compensation."

What peers say: "Just as solid of an environment to learn in as Goldman, with a much better culture and better people, but lost its luster following the crisis and is in search of an identity."

What we say: Still a top firm with a great name, but banking employees aren't pleased with their comp, or the fact that management seems to be focusing more on wealth management than banking. 

7. Centerview Partners
What insiders say: "Extremely competitive compensation, great colleagues, high-profile assignments, but if you want to stay in banking for just one or two years and then move to private equity, it's probably not the place for you."

What peers say: "Great pay, good culture, best boutique … these guys are on fire right now."

What we say: Once an up-and-coming firm and now a firm with staying power, as well as one with lots of clout on Wall Street, not to mention several hotshots, including a former U.S. Secretary of State, Bob Rubin. 

8. Greenhill & Co.
What insiders say: "Blue-chip clients and thus blue-chip transaction experience, but not as well known as some of its competitors, and the benefits are mediocre."

What peers say: "Good in M&A, a very good boutique, but some people have been unhappy there."

What we say: A great boutique that works on big, important deals, but less sexy than other top independent advisors. 

9. Perella Weinberg Partners
What insiders say: "Amazing people, good compensation, but as a smaller firm we don’t fully cover all industries."

What peers say: "Good boutique that works on some mega deals."

What we say: Another well known, strong boutique, but a couple notches below Evercore, Greenhill, and Lazard when it comes to prestige. 

10. Credit Suisse
What insiders say: "Friendly workplace filled with extremely intelligent and hardworking people, but you'll work long hours and the compensation could be better.”

What peers say: "Good leveraged finance unit, strong energy and power practice, but have had some layoff and compensation issues."

What we say: Not as powerful of a name as Goldman, J.P. Morgan, or Morgan Stanley, but has managed to stayed away from negative press and is still considered very prestigious. 

To see which firms make up the rest of the Vault Banking 50, click here. And to see which firms topped the Vault Banking Prestige Rankings, click here. In addition, to find out which firms ranked No. 1 in compensation, hours, work/life balance, training, diversity, promotion policies,  international opportunities, and other quality of life categories.

SOURCE:  http://www.vault.com/blog/workplace-issues/50-best-investment-banks-to-work-for/

The World's Top 10 Investment Banks

· Goldman Sachs (GS): One of the oldest banking firms founded in 1869 and headquartered in New York, GS offers a wide range of services spread across four divisions - investment banking, institutional client services, investing and lending and investment management. Goldman Sachs reported net revenues of $34.210 billion for 2013, of which investment banking division contributed $6 billion. Other divisions’ revenues were higher, but maximum percentage growth was in the investment banking space (around 20% - compared to 2012). Earnings per share (EPS) were $16.34.

· JP Morgan Chase (JPM): One of the largest investment banks, JPM Chasereported net revenues of $96,606 million, of which investment banking revenue contributed $1,700 million. EPS was $4.39. “The firm has $2.4 trillion in assets and $211.2 billion in stockholders’ equity” and operates in 60 countries with more than 260,000 employees with a diversified set of services. Apart from investment banking, it also operates in small business finance, international banking, transaction processing and private equity.

· Barclays (BCS): Founded in 1896, the London, UK based investment bank hit the recent headlines for allegations about rigging of London interbank rates and news about huge number of job cuts globally. Backed by a strong workforce of 139,600 employees globally, reports indicate total income of £28,444 million of which the investment banking segment contributed to £10,733 million – a segment decline of 9% compared to previous year. Overall, EPS was 3.8 pence. Along with investment banking, it has a strong presence in retail and commercial banking and card processing business.

· Bank of America Merrill Lynch (BofA-ML): The large entity formed by erstwhile Merrill Lynch being taken over by Bank of America following the 2008 financial crisis, offers a wide array of banking services including investment banking, mortgage, trading, brokerage and card services. Operating in 40 countries across the globe with total revenue of $89,801 million, the investment banking division contributed $6,126 million (up from $5,299 of 2012). The overall EPS was $0.94 for 2013. (Report)

· Morgan Stanley (MS): Founded in 1935 and headquartered in New York USA, the global firm employs 55,794 employees spread across multiple countries. Itreported net revenue of $32,417 million, of which the investment banking segment contributed $5,246 million. EPS was $1.42. Apart from the usual capital raising, M&A, corporate restructuring services, the firm also offers diversified services like prime brokerage, custodian, settlement and clearing, etc.

· Deutsche Bank (DB): Based in Germany and listed on XETRA stock exchange, Deutsche Bank reported a net revenue of EUR 31,915 million. One of the largest financial services firms of Europe, DB specializes in the cross border payments, international trade financing, cash management, card services, mortgage, insurance and the usual investment banking stream. Deutsche has a global presence with operations in 71 countries.

· Citigroup: Tracing its roots back to the origin of Citibank in 1812, Citi today has 251,000 employees with business and operations in 160 countries. Of the total revenues of $76,366 million reported for 2013, contributions from investment banking rose 8% from the prior year to $4,000 million. EPS was $4.35. The bank has a strong presence in investment banking, investment management, private banking and card processing streams.

· Credit Suisse (DHY): With a net income of CHF 2,131 million and EPS of 1.22 in year 2013 (report), the Zurich Switzerland based Credit Suisse group founded in 1856 today employs 46,000 members across the globe in over 50 countries. Apart from the regular investment banking business, it also has presence in taxation and advisory, structural lending, real estate leasing and investment research services.

· UBS: Another Swiss investment firm founded in 1862 and headquartered in Zurich, UBS had a net income of CHF 27,732 million and EPS of 0.83 CHF in the year 2013 (report). The firm has a strong workforce of more than 60,000 employees across the globe with majority of them in US and Switzerland. The firm specializes in services to high net worth and ultra-high net worth individuals, in addition to the investment banking, private, retail and commercial banking streams.

· HSBC: Another London based financial powerhouse founded in 1865 with operation in 75 countries serving 54 million global customers through 254,000 employees, HSBC offers a wide variety of services ranging from forex, leasing, M&A, card processing, account services, investment banking and private banking. Revenue totaling $ 64,645 for year 2013, EPS was 0.84 USD (report).

SOURCE:  http://www.investopedia.com/articles/investing/111114/worlds-top-10-investment-banks.asp