Pay Czar Cuts Bonuses, But Boosts Salaries

(NEWSER) - Just because top banking executives took home hefty paychecks in recent months doesn't mean they'll get to keep the money, reports Reuters. White House pay czar Kenneth Feinberg declared he has clear authority to "claw back" egregious bonuses already paid out by any bank that received federal TARP money. More»

175 top earners will see pay cuts averaging 50%

(NEWSER) - President Obama’s pay czar will cut compensation for the 25 highest-paid employees at seven companies that took large amounts of government aid. The 175 executives will face salary reductions of 90%, but with other compensation elements added in, the total reductions average 50%. Ken Feinberg also will require the seven bailed-out firms to change the way they do business in an effort to discourage excessive short-term risk-taking. More»

Warren confirms cuts to 25 top earners at 7 companies

(AP) - The Treasury Department today is expected to order seven companies that have not paid back last year's US government bailouts to halve their top executives' average compensation. The cuts apply to the 25 highest-paid executives at banks and other companies that received the most assistance, with salaries being slashed by as much as 90%. The move, reported last night, is "real," TARP overseer Elizabeth Warren confirmed to CBS this morning. More»

$500K cap lifted for top auto industry execs

(NEWSER) - "Pay czar" Kenneth Feinberg has made more exceptions to the $500,000 salary cap for execs at bailed-out firms. Compensation packages approved this week include a $9.5 million plan for GMAC CEO Michael Carpenter, which includes a $950,000 salary, Reuters reports. The exemptions were agreed to because they were "exceptional cases," according to a Treasury official, who did not elaborate. More»

But legal hurdles loom for pre-bailout deals

(NEWSER) - Pay czar Kenneth Feinberg is making another run at AIG’s bonus payouts—or trying to, with the help of a little arm twisting. Feinberg doesn’t have authority over the$198 million in bonuses promised to employees at the infamous trading unit because the contracts were created before the bailout. So instead, he’s threatening to slash the pay of other AIG executives, which he does control, if they don’t claw back the bonuses, the New York Times reports. More»