Best bank
Bank of Ireland
Best debt house
Barclays Capital
Best equity house
Davy Stockbrokers
Best M&A house
Lazard Brothers
| Maurice Keane | ||||||
The Irish banking market is dominated by two institutions, Bank of Ireland and Allied Irish Banks. Traditionally, Bank of Ireland has been characterized as the more conservative of the two. While AIB sought growth in an aggressive acquisition strategy in the emerging markets of Poland and Singapore - the newly promoted chief executive Michael Buckley has earned his spurs by knocking these far-flung acquisitions into shape - Bank of Ireland has acquired closer to home. It picked up a modest share of the UK mortgage market when it bought Bristol&West in 1997 and also acquired New Ireland Assurance in the same year. It also operates Lifetime Assurance.
That leaves Bank of Ireland with some strong positions in attractive markets, particularly in long-term savings, wealth management and asset management through Bank of Ireland Asset Management (BIAM).