We've been talking recently about pink slips at U.S. banks over the next year or so. The hiring boom that many were hoping for never fully bloomed. But there is some selective hiring going on.

In London, where banks are in no better shape than U.S. banks, there's a big push now to add investment bankers, as many expect a deal boomlet soon, according to the New York Times.

In particular, Bank of America Merrill Lynch is "adding senior bankers in an effort to rebuild the franchise after many Merrill Lynch bankers left the firm following the acquisition," reports the Times. This week, Bank of America hired four investment bankers from other top banks, notably Citigroup and HSBC, for its financial services industry group.

Across the board, bonuses this year in London will once again be muted. As the market picks up, there may be indeed be some pent-up demand for job switches. Many thought the market for bankers was soaring in the U.S. as well. It may have been a dead-cat bounce.

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