New York is the heart of the capital markets. Companies rely on placement agents, brokers, and investment bankers to help them raise capital for a success fee, which is often a percentage of the capital raised. But negotiating a clear-cut fee can be challenging. Capital can be raised in many different forms (debt or equity, short term or long term, active or passive) and the ultimate form of the deal may be unforeseeable. Fee provisions can remain in effect for several years, the so-called "tail" period, during which market conditions can dramatically change. As a result, investment banking agreements sometimes provide for a customary or market-based fee—for example, a fee "consistent with investment industry practice."