Investment Banking Industry Overview

Companies that provide corporate finance activities such as advisory, mergers and acquisitions, underwriting, and financial restructuring services.

Summary

There was a time when investment banking conjured up images of blue-blooded financiers in white shoes striking deals over three-martini lunches. While most investment bankers remain well-bred and still sport expensive footwear, their industry isn’t as quite as rarefied as it once was.

Thanks to deregulation and the creation of one-stop “universal banks,” many companies, such as the decidedly consumer-oriented Bank of America (through its Banc of America Securities division), use their massive asset bases to lure investment banking clients.

Full Investment Banking Industry Description

Consolidation

To broaden access to capital, investment banks have been merging with other types of financial institutions (for example, commercial banks, brokerages, insurance companies, finance companies) and with international banks. M&As were propelled in part by the deregulation of the financial services industry. In recent years, foreign investment banks have established a firm presence in the US by acquiring US firms.

Full Investment Banking Industry Trends

• ABN AMRO Finland
• AdMedia Partners, Inc.
• Albany Capital plc

View more Investment Banking Competitors

Hoover's has developed its own industry classifications to better serve its customers. These classifications are mapped to the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) and the older U.S. Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) system. The Investment Banking maps to a number of NAICS codes including:

Full Investment Banking Industry Codes

• Financial Services Technology Consortium
  
• Investment Company Institute
  
• The Association of Private Client Investment Managers and Stockbrokers
  

View more Investment Banking Industry Associations