When Lazard announced at the end of October that Matthieu Pigasse was leaving the bank after 17 years, the Parisian rumour mill immediately began predicting that he would go to a rival establishment, with Evercore and Centerview Partners the front runners. Six months later, this has not happened. Officially, this is because Pigasse, who is ever careful to maintain his image, has said that he is working on "a personal entrepreneurial project". Unofficially, it is also because Lazard has forced its