Exacerbating those frustrations, the people said, is the decision to exempt investment bankers from the vesting restrictions, seen as a golden handcuff, but enforce them for corporate bankers. Both groups are part of the same division – global corporate and investment banking – run by Matthew Koder.
Such resentments have divided big banks for years. Throughout the industry, rainmakers who land multibillion-dollar merger mandates or big-ticket corporate financings are lionized and can pull down eight-figure pay packages. Meantime, traditional bankers responsible for lower-margin activities such as lending or cash management earn less and feel like second-class citizens.