Bailout CEOs: Make Them Share Taxpayer Risk

$23B is galling, but at least the bank is sensible: Sorkin

(NEWSER) - On Thursday Goldman Sachs is set to announce its third-quarter results, but the talk of Wall Street is the size of this year's bonus pool—predicted to be more than $23 billion. That's the largest figure in the company's history and twice as much as it paid out in 2008, but for New York Times columnist Andrew Ross Sorkin, "we can’t have it both ways": After praying the banks wouldn't fail, now we don't want them to succeed. More»

(NEWSER) - Citigroup will raise salaries for investment bankers and traders as much as 50% to offset a steep falloff in bonus pay and keep the company’s compensation package competitive, Bloomberg reports. Other employees, like those in the consumer banking section, will receive smaller raises. Citi, which took $45 billion in federal bailout funds, also plans to offer its employees stock options to keep them on. More»

Fired Merill CEO tries to 'set the record straight' about $3.6B payout

(NEWSER) - In his first lengthy interview since being pushed out as CEO of Merrill Lynch, John Thain tells the Wall Street Journal that Bank of America—which acquired Merrill in September—is lying about its involvement in the $3.6 billion in bonus payouts that made Thain the poster boy for corporate greed. “Getting fired is one thing,” Thain said. “But nobody has the right to say things that they know aren't true.” More»

Gov't measures to curb cash have backfired with strategies to win execs even more

(NEWSER) - Will the financial crisis slash the pay of executives who helped get us into the mess? Probably not, if past trends continue, writes David S. Hilzenrath in the Washington Post. When government in the past has fought to curb bosses’ cash flow, corporate boards have generally found a way to skirt the spirit of the rules—often making executives even more money as a result. More»

Bailed-out finance firms may cut compensation to silence critics

(NEWSER) - Top Wall Street execs are considering heading off public outrage by cutting their own pay, insiders tell the Wall Street Journal. The big financial firms pay out billions in bonuses to their execs every year. They now fear a public relations disaster is looming as critics charge that the $125 billion bailout is effectively going towards pumping up the pay of the people behind the crisis. More»