When it comes to working on mergers and takeovers, the energy and utility sectors have not proved a happy hunting ground for Bank of America Merrill Lynch – at least not in its modern guise. But that could be set to change in one of the biggest years on record for dealmaking.

Since the US investment bank was created at the start of 2009 when Bank of America completed its crisis-era takeover of Wall Street rival Merrill Lynch, the combined business has only once - when it finished sixth in 2011 - ended a year above 10th in the advisory rankings for energy and utilities M&A globally, according to data from research firm Dealogic.