The Obama Administration Has Been Very, Very Good To Banksters And Wall Streetians [View all]

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In fact, it's been very good for corporate power and influence in general. It's certainly not just about this. For instance, 71% of his judicial appointments have been corporate lawyers and many of his appointments to various departments and agencies have been banksters and lobbyists. Better than a republican doesn't equal good for the 99% or democracy.


Wall Street bankers saw their annual bonuses rise 15 percent on average, hitting the highest level since the financial crisis, according to figures released Wednesday from the New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli.

His office calculates that the average Wall Street bonus was $164,530. The New York Times reports that the average bonus figure takes in payouts at the lowest levels of the firm to the CEO, which pulls up the average.

That makes last year the third-highest average bonus paid ever, despite a year marked by lower profits and shrinking workforces on Wall Street. But references to bonuses on Wall Street is something of a misnomer since it's such a key part of a banker's annual compensation. The 2013 bonus estimate also got a lift from deferred compensation, often in company stock, that became a greater portion of bonuses paid out in the wake of the financial crisis, the Wall Street Journal reports.

http://www.bizjournals.com/orlando/morning_call/2014/03/wall-streets-average-bonus-rose-15-in-2013.html