Brief History: Executive Pay

Mauricio Alejo

When the news broke in January that wall street executives were paying themselves handsomely for piloting the U.S. economy into a mountainside, President Obama's response was unequivocal. "It is shameful," he said. Ten months later, even as he moved to curb bailed-out execs' pay, banks are on track to pay employees a record $140 billion this year. Andrew Hall, a star trader at Citi's commodities unit Phibro, made headlines for what could be a $100 million payout. "Frustrating," said White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel with a sigh, appearing on CBS's Face the Nation on Oct. 18.

Critics of lavish...

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