2007 LatinFinance/Options Group Brazil Compensation Survey Released

Bankers' Salaries Balloon throughout Latin America as Demand, Deal Flow Rise.

New York and São Paulo, Brazil - LatinFinance, a monthly magazine covering the Latin American financial markets, and Options Group, a leading global executive search and strategic consulting firm, announce the release of their joint survey on compensation trends in the region.

The LatinFinance/Options Group 2007 Brazil Compensation Survey is the first of its kind to document banking salaries in the fast-growing country and is featured in the magazine's July/August issue. The compensation survey published in LatinFinance highlights how the switch to banking in domestic markets will continue to drive personnel costs up.

"The competition is so fierce for good people to raise P&L that we are going to see record salaries in Brazil and the rest of Latin America," says Paul DeLucia, managing partner at Options Group and co-head of the firm's Latin American practice. Options Group, which is headquartered in New York, also has offices in London, Hong Kong, Newport Beach, Sao Paulo, Dubai, Sydney and Tokyo. "Options Group continues to expand its presence in emerging markets to meet this growing demand for real-time market intelligence and executive search services globally," says CEO Michael Karp.

After an unprecedented regional macro and political run, bulge bracket banks are more than just dipping their toes into the region. Senior ECM/DCM bankers are on pace to receive compensation as high as $2.5 million this year; M&A bankers are on pace to make up to $1 million. Research desk heads also can expect salaries topping out at a $1 million at top-tier banks.

About LatinFinance - LatinFinance provides compelling and provocative commentary on Latin America's capital markets and financial systems, designed to keep you informed and ahead of the competition. | www.latinfinance.com

About Options Group - Options Group is a leading global executive search, market intelligence and strategic consulting firm with a focus on the financial services industry. Founded in 1992, Options Group has always prioritized maintaining an intimate relationship with the financial services industry and its key participants. Our geographic reach continues to expand to cover both established and emerging markets in the Americas, Europe and Asia. Since 2000, our search consultants have placed thousands of financial services professionals in Global Markets, Alternative Investments/Hedge Funds, Investment Banking, Quantitative Research and Technology.| Por: PR Newswire