Do unknown boutique investment banks pay anywhere near the bulge brackets?

Seems like there are loads of small investment banks scattered all over the UK and USA, I'm not talking about Greenhill, Jeffries etc. they obviously pay well, but do the pretty much unknown banks pay salaries + bonuses comparable to the more known IBs?

Seems like there are loads of small investment banks scattered all over the UK and USA, I'm not talking about Greenhill, Jeffries etc. they obviously pay well, but do the pretty much unknown banks pay salaries + bonuses comparable to the more known IBs?

What happened to freedom of speech?

I don't think career progression is as good, and not to mention exit opps won't be nearly as good.

Yes, small iBanks can pay equal to or more than a big investment bank. However, it can be harder to make money. In investment banks, the front line people - traders, salespeople and corporate finance folk are paid according to how much revenue they bring in for the bank. This is the same no matter what the size of the firm is. With a well-known iBank, money is easy to make. You don't have to work so hard to convince the client. In a smaller shop you do. Everyone knows this so to make themselves more attractive small iBanks usually pay you a much larger percentage of what you earn.

I almost took a job with a small iBank that was going to commit to paying me 30% of all revenue that I bring in.

In a large iBank they would never commit to any sort of fixed percentage correlation between what you bring in for the firm and your comp. Typically, the best payers pay you c.5% of what you bring in because they know the money would have been made anyway regardless of who was sat in your desk, the brand sells.

Hope that helps,
(The) Girl Banker