PricewaterhouseCoopers Corporate Finance has been diligently trying to distinguish itself from the other accountancy firms over the past two years and has won some plaudits for doing so.

Philip Wright, global leader of corporate finance and recovery, says: 'We are no longer aiming at quantity. We're not going for large numbers of deals we're looking for higher revenues per partner and we have a minimum fee, which varies around the world.' He points to the growth in average deal size which has gone up from around £25m (€40m) in 1997 to around £50m for the year ending June 2001.