Commercial banking - is there such a thing?

Question

Now that career prospects in i-banking look shaky for the next 1, 2, whatever years, is there anyone seriously thinking of commercial banking? Yes, there is no fame, no huge bonuses, no bullish macho culture, nothing even remotely exciting there, but still should be an acceptable option for someone with finance background. Management positions ought to be well-paid, too. What do you think? I want to hear opinions, lots of them.

89nk · Answer

I do not know what commercial banking entails, but I am interested in IB for the bonuses and even more so for the potential exit opportunities. So I would say, I am not interested in commercial banking, unless it provided those two things, since for me, I feel I can switch into commercial banking without paying 150k for an MBA.

Maybe I am wrong about what commercial banking really is, if so please fill me in.

Nerdboy · Answer

Short answer - no fat bonuses and not so great exit opportunities. At least this is true in my part of the world, maybe in UK or the US things are different. That is why I am asking.

Come to think of it, if no one is discussing commercial banking as a good post-MBA career, then things are probably not different.

togafoot · Answer

Many people are already predicting that the days of the fat bonuses for IBankers are over. The assumption is that independent Ibanks now need a capital base, which means they will have to merge with a commercial to complete a sustainable model. A lot of commercial banks have 'Ibanking' arms so its worth looking at that part of the commercials.

Nerdboy · Answer

Yes, this concept of investment banks merging with deposit-taking ones does get around these days. I think it is dreadful - even bigger concentration in the hands of even fewer players. It's a good way to ensure that a crisis worse than the current one will happen at some point in the future. Take a look at this article, especially the last two paragraphs:
https://www.economist.com/finance/displa ... d=12274054

togafoot · Answer

Personally, I think the rise of commerical banks within the IB world will continue. Moreso because some of the Asian banks (China & Japan) are extremely liquid. I wouldn't be surprised to see them dominating in the future due to their increasing purchasing power.

Commercial banking - is there such a thing?

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