"Contractual institutions obtain funds on a regular contractual basis and invest them in financial instruments that mature when contractual obligations must be met. They mostly invest in long-term assets such as corporate equities and bonds, as well as mortgages. Life insurance companies, fire and casualty insurance companies, pension funds and governmental retirement funds are the three main types of contractual institutions."

I have seen recently, where these types of banks have been struggling with the current markets and the available "deals" to bring companies public or other services has declined greatly. Banks like Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan are not able to bring as many new deals to the markets and this will impact their earnings. This will also cause these types of companies to focus on other areas while their "bread and butter" markets are struggling.

What other services (Life insurance companies, fire and casualty insurance companies, pension funds and governmental retirement fund) might these companies rely on during slow times?