Bank of America Hires Nine Senior Investment Bankers to Expand U.S. Middle-Market Business

Bank of America⁠ has announced the hiring of nine senior investment bankers as part of a major expansion of its regional investment banking business, reinforcing its focus on serving middle-market companies across the United States. The recruitment drive comes as competition among Wall Street firms intensifies amid a resurgence in mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and rising demand for strategic financial advice from mid-sized businesses.

The new hires will be based in Austin, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Detroit, Minneapolis, New York, San Francisco, and West Palm Beach, expanding the bank’s presence in key economic hubs. According to the bank, the appointments build on its existing network of more than 200 investment bankers operating across 26 U.S. cities, all dedicated to advising middle-market clients on mergers, acquisitions, capital raising and other corporate finance transactions.

Among the most notable appointments are Bob Berry, joining from Rothschild in Boston; Matt Dalton, formerly of Lazard in Minneapolis; Rick Florjancic, who leaves BMO Capital Markets to lead the Chicago office; Ian Mackay, joining from BlackArch Partners in Charlotte; and Joe Winters, who moves from JPMorgan to strengthen the bank’s San Francisco operations. Other additions include Joe Park in Detroit, Mitch Theiss in West Palm Beach, Daniel Webb in Austin and Bo Brown in New York.

Mike Joo, co-head of Global Investment Banking at Bank of America, said middle-market companies remain a vital engine of the U.S. economy and represent a significant growth opportunity for the bank. He noted that the expansion is intended to help businesses access strategic advice, investment capital and financing solutions as they pursue growth, acquisitions and expansion plans.

The hiring initiative comes at a time when investment banking activity has shown signs of recovery after a challenging period marked by higher interest rates and subdued dealmaking. Analysts say improving market conditions, strong equity markets and sustained investment in artificial intelligence have helped revive corporate confidence, leading to an increase in mergers, acquisitions and public offerings.

Bank of America said it has maintained its position as the top-ranked investment bank for global commercial banking clients for the third consecutive year, while continuing to grow its market share. By strengthening its regional investment banking platform, the lender aims to deepen relationships with existing clients and capture new business from privately owned and family-run companies seeking sophisticated financial advice.

The recruitment drive also reflects broader competition among major Wall Street firms for experienced investment bankers. As dealmaking rebounds, banks are increasingly poaching senior talent from rivals to expand sector expertise, strengthen regional coverage and position themselves for expected growth in advisory and capital markets activity. Industry analysts believe the competition for top bankers is likely to remain intense as firms seek to capitalize on improving market conditions and increased corporate investment.