Investment Banker | Lazard Hires Former UBS Banker Howe Financial Services

* Howe at the head of North American financial services

* Howe left UBS in May, was co-director figure, America

By Paritosh Bansal

NEW YORK, July 25 (Reuters) - Lazard Ltd (LAZ.N) said onMonday hired former UBS AG (UBSN.VX) GaryHowe investment banker, as head of financial advisory institutions in North America.

Howe, who will be based in New York, was formerly co-headof UBS Financial Institutions Group of the Americas. The leftUBS in May and has been off between jobs.

UBS has seen dozens of investment bankers in the years lastthree leave as the financial crisis hit the Swiss bank set curbs difficult andforced unpopular in compensation.

UBS has, however, has been hiring the banks rebuild ranks.Separately on Monday, UBS said it had hired Michael Konigsberg, a former Barclays Capital (BARC.L) banker, as head of finance ofleveraged Americas. [ID: nN1E76O18Q]

Lazard said the appointment Howe 's was effective immediately.

Howe, born in South Africa, joined UBS in 2005 after nine years at Credit Suisse First Boston, and has advised WideRange transactions in financial services.

In recent years, their offerings include Butterfield Bank of MA 's $ 550 million recapitalization and otherinvestors Carlyle Group, and American Express Co.' s (AXP.N) billionacquisition $ 1.1 General Electric Co. 's (GE. N) Corporate PaymentServices.

He also advised Bank of America Corp (BAC.N) in severaltransactions, including leaving the U.S. government "Sbailout program, an operation of $ 18.8 billion capital and theplacement $ 3 billion of its China Construction Bank Corp (601939.SS) game. (Paritosh Bansal Report, edited by Gunna Dickson)