The world’s largest banks are disbanding their private equity teams, raising fears of creating a talent vacuum when demand for advice and financing on leveraged buy-outs eventually returns.

In the past week alone, Kamal Tabet has taken a sabbatical from Citigroup as head of its global financial entrepreneurs group; Brian Bassett, the head of European leveraged finance at Deutsche Bank, quit to join Pearl Group; and John Sinik, the global head of leveraged finance and European head of private equity coverage at UBS resigned to join TowerBrook Capital Partners.