Century City investment bank Houlihan Lokey is seeking a valuation of as much as $1.57 billion in its initial public offering scheduled for today, Bloomberg reports. The firm, which specializes in advising companies on middle-market deals, is hoping to take advantage of the rise in mergers. The company’s top brass and Japanese finance firm Orix Corp., which purchased Houlihan in 2007, stand to benefit from the IPO.