The
investment banking industry is to face an investigation by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT), it has emerged.
It will aim to address concerns that there is insufficient competition in the sector, after many organisations made large profits last year from their
investment banking fees.
UK businesses including Royal Bank of Scotland,
Barclays, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and Citigroup will be part of the probe, which will examine fees for services such as advising companies and underwriting share offers.
The OFT intends to establish whether consumers are adversely affected by some of the work conducted by
investment banks, and may recommend measures for improvement.
Methods implemented by the organisations for underwriting services will be examined, and the OFT will decide if the provision of such services is influenced by regulatory groups.
"In 2009, companies raised an estimated £70 billion of equity capital in the UK, paying an estimated £2 billion in fees for equity underwriting and associated services," the watchdog said.
"Initial discussions have confirmed that there is some dissatisfaction with these services among corporate users of the market."
The OFT will begin its investigation in the summer.
