CSG Partners, an ESOP-focused investment bank, announced that Thomson Reuters ranked it among the nation’s top investment banks for 2011.

CSG Partners ranked among the nation’s top 25 investment banks for M&A transactions with undisclosed values up to $50 million, $100 million, and $250 million. The rankings are based on the number of M&A transactions for US companies. This also capped a year in which CSG Partners received the Acquisition Financing Deal of the Year Award by The M&A Advisor for a recent ESOP transaction.

Larry Kaplan, the founder and managing director of CSG Partners, commented on the rankings, “CSG Partners has brought a unique approach to the middle market. Unlike other firms in the rankings, which offer a broad array of services, CSG Partners is a boutique firm specializing in ESOP transactions as a liquidity strategy for business owners.”

Kaplan added, “With our unique approach, we have experienced substantial growth and have built the nation’s leading investment bank practice for ESOPs. We see this trend continuing, as more business owners consider an ESOP as an alternative to selling to a strategic or financial buyer. We also see a growing interest among management teams on using ESOPs to buy out exiting owners while gaining equity in the business.”

In 2011, CSG Partners represented companies in California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Tennessee, and Texas.

CSG Partners, LLC is a New York-based boutique investment bank specializing in ESOPs, mergers and acquisitions and capital advisory services for middle-market companies.