For the many new entrants to the prime brokerage market, standing out from the crowd is tough. Losing the architect of your business just two years after launch is one way to garner a few headlines, although not one many would choose to follow.

When Martin Keller quit as head of international prime brokerage at Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein last year, it hardly seemed a ringing endorsement for the bank's ambitions in the market. Keller had brought a team of six from ING Barings to launch DrKW's prime brokerage effort, but departed for Deutsche Bank Wealth Management to be head of hedge fund strategies.