Financial services M&A in New York runs on sector depth. This list covers 9 firms active in banking, fintech, insurance, and asset management deals in 2026 - with deal sizes and track records.
Why sector expertise matters here
Financial services buyers think differently from strategic acquirers in other industries. They model regulatory capital, net interest margins, and compliance costs before they look at revenue.
A generalist advisor won't know how to frame your deposit franchise or your fintech's payment processing margins. Sector-specific advisors bring the right buyer language from day one.
The right advisor has closed deals in your specific sub-sector. A bank M&A specialist is not the same as a fintech advisor - the buyer universe, diligence process, and deal structure differ significantly.
Ellty lets you build a virtual data room before advisor outreach. Upload regulatory filings, capital tables, and compliance records - then share each section with specific buyers as diligence progresses.
| Deal Type | Deal Size | Sector Focus | Website | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Keefe, Bruyette & Woods | Both | $50M-$10B+ | Banks, thrifts, insurance, asset management, specialty finance | kbw.com |
| FT Partners | Both | $10M-$5B+ | Fintech, payments, wealthtech, insurtech, lending | ftpartners.com |
| Piper Sandler | Both | $50M-$5B+ | Banks, insurance, specialty finance, fintech | pipersandler.com |
| Houlihan Lokey | Both | $50M-$5B+ | Financial institutions, specialty finance, restructuring | hl.com |
| Berkery Noyes | Both | $5M-$250M | Financial services, fintech, insurance brokerage | berkerynoyes.com |
| MarshBerry | Both | $5M-$500M | Insurance brokerage, agencies, specialty insurance | marshberry.com |
| Lazard | Both | $500M-$50B+ | Banks, asset managers, insurance, financial conglomerates | lazard.com |
| Jefferies | Both | $100M-$10B+ | Financial institutions, fintech, asset management, insurance | jefferies.com |
| Guggenheim Securities | Both | $250M-$20B+ | Financial institutions, asset management, specialty finance | guggenheimpartners.com |
How to verify an advisor's track record
Ask for a closed deal list with transaction values, not just a tombstone wall. You want to see deals that closed in your size range in the last 24 months - not deals from five years ago.
Check that the senior banker pitching you stayed on the deals they list. Bait-and-switch is common: a senior partner pitches, a junior team executes. Ask who will be your day-to-day contact.
Call two or three references from recent sell-side mandates at your deal size. Ask about buyer outreach quality, timeline accuracy, and whether the advisor pushed back on bad terms.
Ellty's mergers and acquisitions page explains what buyers expect from your data room. Having documents organized before your advisor pitches signals preparation and compresses timelines.
Read the financial due diligence guide before your first advisor meeting. Understanding what buyers test in financial services deals helps you frame your numbers accurately.
Financial services M&A data room
Organize banking, fintech, and insurance documents for serious buyers.
Start free 14-day trialWhat an M&A deal looks like: 6 stages
Financial services deals take six to twelve months depending on regulatory complexity. Bank mergers require OCC, FDIC, and Fed approvals that can add months beyond standard timelines.
| What happens | What you need ready | |
|---|---|---|
| Preparation | Valuation, advisor selection, CIM drafting | 3 years financials, regulatory filings, cap table |
| Advisor engagement | Engagement letter signed, process timeline set | Engagement letter, compliance records, licenses |
| Marketing | Teaser and CIM distributed to strategic and PE buyers | Ellty data room with gated access for each buyer |
| LOI | Buyers submit bids, advisor selects shortlist | Management presentation, updated financial models |
| Due diligence | Buyer reviews regulatory, financial, and legal records | Full data room: filings, contracts, compliance audits |
| Close | Purchase agreement signed, regulatory approvals received | Board approvals, regulatory clearance, escrow setup |
9 New York financial services M&A advisors in 2026
These firms are active across banking, fintech, insurance, asset management, and specialty finance in New York in 2026.
1. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods (KBW)
KBW is the leading financial services-only investment bank in the US, with deeper bank and insurance M&A expertise than any generalist firm operating in New York.
Recent Deals: Advised on Glacier Bancorp's acquisition of Guaranty Bank & Trust in June 2025. Has facilitated over 397 deals including 308 M&A transactions as of mid-2025.
LinkedIn: KBW on LinkedIn
Sector Focus: Banks, thrifts, insurance, asset management, specialty finance, mortgage
Deal Type: Both
Deal Size: $50M-$10B+
Location: New York, NY (global headquarters)
Website: kbw.com
2. FT Partners
FT Partners is the only investment bank focused exclusively on financial technology - payments, lending, wealthtech, insurtech - with a buyer network that no generalist bank can replicate.
Recent Deals: Co-authored the Global FinTech Report with BCG in 2025-2026. Active in fintech M&A advisory across payments, lending, and wealthtech subsectors.
LinkedIn: FT Partners on LinkedIn
Sector Focus: Fintech, payments, wealthtech, insurtech, lending, regtech, blockchain
Deal Type: Both
Deal Size: $10M-$5B+
Location: New York, NY (also San Francisco)
Website: ftpartners.com
3. Piper Sandler
Piper Sandler's financial services group descends from Sandler O'Neill, one of the most respected bank M&A shops in the country - that heritage carries real credibility with bank boards.
Recent Deals: Completed acquisition of Aviditi Advisors to expand financial services advisory capabilities in 2025. Active in bank, insurance, and specialty finance M&A.
LinkedIn: Piper Sandler on LinkedIn
Sector Focus: Banks, insurance, specialty finance, fintech, broker-dealers
Deal Type: Both
Deal Size: $50M-$5B+
Location: New York, NY (multiple US offices)
Website: pipersandler.com
4. Houlihan Lokey
Houlihan Lokey covers financial institutions M&A and restructuring with a team that handles both healthy transactions and distressed situations - useful when a deal involves regulatory capital pressure.
Recent Deals: Presented at Goldman Sachs 2025 US Financial Services Conference in December 2025. Active in financial institution advisory and restructuring through 2025-2026.
LinkedIn: Houlihan Lokey on LinkedIn
Sector Focus: Financial institutions, specialty finance, restructuring, asset management
Deal Type: Both
Deal Size: $50M-$5B+
Location: New York, NY (global headquarters)
Website: hl.com
5. Berkery Noyes
Berkery Noyes is a New York-based independent investment bank with a strong track record in financial services M&A, including insurance brokerage and financial information services deals.
Recent Deals: Advised Tambellini Group on its sale to MGT-Vistria in March 2025. Active in financial services and insurance brokerage M&A through 2025-2026.
LinkedIn: Berkery Noyes on LinkedIn
Sector Focus: Financial services, fintech, insurance brokerage, financial data
Deal Type: Both
Deal Size: $5M-$250M
Location: New York, NY
Website: berkerynoyes.com
6. MarshBerry
MarshBerry focuses almost entirely on insurance distribution M&A - agencies, brokerages, and specialty insurance platforms. If you're selling an insurance agency in New York, they know every buyer.
Recent Deals: Active in insurance brokerage M&A advisory through 2025-2026. Tracks annual insurance distribution deal volume and advises on agency rollup transactions across the US.
LinkedIn: MarshBerry on LinkedIn
Sector Focus: Insurance agencies, insurance brokerage, specialty insurance, employee benefits
Deal Type: Both
Deal Size: $5M-$500M
Location: New York, NY (national coverage)
Website: marshberry.com
Financial services M&A data room
Organize banking, fintech, and insurance documents for serious buyers.
Start free 14-day trial7. Lazard
Lazard advises on the largest and most complex financial services transactions globally, with strength in cross-border bank and asset manager M&A where deal structure and regulatory coordination are critical.
Recent Deals: Active in large-cap financial institution advisory and strategic reviews through 2025-2026. Advises bank boards and asset managers on transformational transactions.
LinkedIn: Lazard on LinkedIn
Sector Focus: Banks, asset managers, insurance, financial conglomerates, cross-border
Deal Type: Both
Deal Size: $500M-$50B+
Location: New York, NY (global headquarters)
Website: lazard.com
8. Jefferies
Jefferies covers financial institutions, fintech, and asset management with a full-service team that handles both M&A advisory and capital markets mandates for financial services clients.
Recent Deals: Active in financial institutions and fintech M&A through 2025-2026. Advised on PE-backed financial services exits and strategic bank transactions in the US market.
LinkedIn: Jefferies on LinkedIn
Sector Focus: Financial institutions, fintech, asset management, insurance, specialty finance
Deal Type: Both
Deal Size: $100M-$10B+
Location: New York, NY (global headquarters)
Website: jefferies.com
9. Guggenheim Securities
Guggenheim Securities advises large financial institutions and asset managers on complex strategic transactions, with a senior-led team that handles board-level advisory alongside M&A.
Recent Deals: Active in financial institution strategic advisory through 2025-2026. Advises on large-cap bank and asset manager deals where complexity requires senior expertise.
LinkedIn: Guggenheim Securities on LinkedIn
Sector Focus: Financial institutions, asset managers, insurance, specialty finance
Deal Type: Both
Deal Size: $250M-$20B+
Location: New York, NY
Website: guggenheimpartners.com
Fintech M&A in New York: what's driving deals
Payments and wealthtech are the most active fintech sub-sectors in New York in 2026. Banks are buying fintech capabilities they can't build fast enough internally.
AI integration and embedded finance are pushing deal timelines shorter. Strategic buyers who identify a target move fast in 2026 - competitive fintech processes often conclude within 90 days.
Your advisor needs to know which banks, PE firms, and strategic acquirers are actively deploying capital. The fintech buyer universe shifts every quarter as priorities change.
Ellty's private equity page covers what financial sponsors look for in a data room before submitting a bid. Having your financial model and compliance records organized shows buyers you're ready.
Read the financial due diligence guide before your advisor search. Fintech buyers test unit economics and payment margins before they submit an LOI.
Bank M&A: regulatory timing is everything
Bank deals need OCC, FDIC, and Federal Reserve approvals. Regulatory review timelines stretched past 18 months on some bank mergers in 2025 - factor that into your deal timeline from day one.
Community bank sellers should expect buyers to run CRA compliance and BSA/AML review early. Issues in either area can delay or kill a deal before LOI.
Your advisor should know which regulators will review the transaction and what current processing times look like. That knowledge changes how you sequence the deal.
Ellty lets you organize regulatory filings and exam letters in a due diligence workspace. Share capital adequacy reports with your advisor before outreach begins.
Read the due diligence questions guide to understand what buyers ask in financial institution transactions. Being ready with regulatory history shows you've done the prep work.
Insurance M&A: what buyers actually scrutinize
Insurance M&A buyers - PE rollup platforms and strategic acquirers alike - focus on book of business quality, client retention rates, and carrier relationships before they look at revenue.
Renewal retention below 90% is a red flag most buyers will price into their offer. Your advisor needs to frame your retention metrics before outreach, not after a buyer flags it.
Insurance brokerage deals often include earnouts tied to post-close retention and revenue. Make sure your advisor has experience negotiating earnout structures that protect your upside.
Ellty's secure file sharing lets you share client revenue schedules and carrier agreements with specific buyers only. Dynamic watermarking protects sensitive book-of-business data throughout the process.
Read the due diligence timeline guide before your advisor call. Insurance deals move faster than bank deals but require detailed client data that takes time to organize.
How Ellty helps you close a financial services M&A deal in New York
Set up your data room before your advisor pitches. Buyers expect organized files.
- 1.Upload financial and regulatory docs to a secure roomAdd filings, cap tables, and compliance records now.
- 2.Set access rights per buyer or advisorControl who sees regulatory vs financial records.
- 3.Track document opens and find serious buyersSee who reviewed what and follow up with precision.
Common questions about New York financial services M&A advisors
- Most focus on one sub-sector: banks, fintech, or insurance. Match the firm to your specific deal type and size.
- Expect six to twelve months. Bank deals take longer due to OCC, FDIC, and Federal Reserve approval timelines.
- Banks trade at 1x-2x tangible book. Fintech multiples vary widely by growth and net revenue retention.
- Sector-specific advisors win more. Buyers spot regulatory and capital gaps that generalists can't frame properly.
- Regulatory filings, capital ratios, and compliance audits come before financials in most bank and insurance deals.
- Fintech deals close faster with less regulatory friction. Buyers focus on unit economics and payment margins first.
