(Bloomberg) -- Morgan Stanley placed senior equities banker Pawan Passi on leave, according to people familiar with the matter. 

While the bank is looking into his actions, no further information on the review was immediately available, the people said. A Morgan Stanley spokesperson declined to comment. 

Passi, head of the U.S. equity syndicate desk, leads the bank’s communications with investors for equity transactions. The unit executes initial public offerings, equity placements as well as block trades, among other types of deals. He has worked at the New York-based firm for more than 17 years, according to his LinkedIn profile. 

Morgan Stanley, lead underwriter of some of this year’s biggest transactions including Rivian Automotive Inc.’s $13.7 billion IPO, ranks second in U.S. equity offerings, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

(Updates with syndicate desk in third paragraph.)

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