Search

The article discusses the declining popularity among corporate investors and corporate boards of directors in issuing lucrative departure agreements for chief executive officers (CEOs) that are terminated without cause. The article cites statistics from the compensation research firm Equilar to state that about 60 percent of publicly held companies in the index the Fortune 250 have agreements concerning cash severances to outgoing CEOs. The article discusses the cash severance agreements to the ousted CEOs of the firms Mattel Inc., Symantec Corp., and Chesapeake Energy Corp.

The article states that the U.S. agency the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) was scheduled to vote on a final version of a rule requiring companies to disclose discrepancies between the pay of employees and the chief chief executive on August 5, 2015. According to the article, the rule would fulfill a mandate of the 2010 U.S. legislation known as the Dodd-Frank law. The article presents comments from law firm Latham & Watkins partner James D.C. Barrall.

The article discusses an analysis of the compensation for 300 chief executive officers (CEOs) and the returns those CEOs delivered to shareholders conducted by the newspaper "The Wall Street Journal" and the firm the Hay Group. According to the article, the analysis showed that CEOs earned more when investors did. The article discusses the compensation of several CEOs such as communications company Viacom Inc. CEO Philippe Dauman, U.S. conglomerate General Electric Co. CEO Jeff Immelt, and communications firm Liberty Global PLC CEO Michael Fries.

The article cites a survey by the organization the Hay Group that reported that cash compensation for large business enterprise chief executive officers (CEOs) rose to a rate of 37.3 percent of total compensation in 2014. It discusses concerns among shareholders regarding the devaluation of investments and the rate of return for shareholders of large companies. It also discusses the pay for chief executives such as David Zaslav, Robert Iger, and Muhtar Kent.

The article reports that beverage producer Coca-Cola Co. will modify the compensation plans for thousands of its managers by reducing stock options it will issue and increasing the cash component. For some managers performance-based stock awards will be substituted for options. Billionaire investor Warren Buffett was among those who had been critical of the original plans.

The article discusses the compensation for Peter Hancock, who will succeed Robert Benmosche as chief executive officer of insurer American International Group Inc. (AIG) in September, 2014. Hancock's annual salary will be $1.6 million, with additional incentive compensation set at $10.2 million. Commentary is presented on AIG's pay practices and how the company was transformed under Benmosche's leadership.

The article examines the publication's survey of salaries for chief executive officers (CEO), focusing on its finding that executive compensation for CEOs is increasingly linked to financial performance, particularly compensation in stocks. INSET: Methodology: How Pay Survey Was Conducted.

The article discusses the publication's survey of the 2013 compensation for chief executives at 300 large, publicly-traded firms in the U.S. Median pay rose 5.5% to $11.4 million compared to 2012, with the top 10% of executives receiving 23% of the total for all 300. The three highest-paid executives were Larry Ellison of software company Oracle Corp., Leslie Moonves of television broadcaster CBS Corp., and Michael T. Fries of cable-television company Liberty Global PLC.

The article discusses concerns about corporate governance at retailer Wal-Mart Stores Inc. expressed in May, 2014 by shareholder-advisory service Institutional Shareholder Services Inc. (ISS). ISS says Wal-Mart needs to be more forthcoming about a foreign-bribery investigation into the company, and has also raised questions about executive-compensation practices at Wal-Mart. ISS advised that shareholders not vote to re-elect Wal-Mart chairman S. Robson Walton.

The article discusses compensation in 2013 for chief executive officers (CEO) in the U.S. based upon a survey of 50 firms by research organization the Hay Group. Median pay for the sample was $9.8 million, which represented a 4.1% increase over the previous year. Details are presented about the compensation for several CEOs including Clarence Otis Jr. of restaurant operator Darden Restaurants Inc. and Steven Temares of retailer Bed Bath & Beyond Inc.

The article reports that the board of directors of banking company J. P. Morgan Chase & Co. increased chief executive James Dimon's compensation during 2013 to $20 million. In 2013 Morgan's stock modestly outgained the Standard & Poor's 500 index. Morgan also paid some $20 billion in legal costs and settlements during the year. Billionaire and Morgan shareholder Warren Buffett said he thought Dimon should have gotten more.

The article discusses an executive compensation arrangement between the mining and energy company Freeport-McMoRan Copper and Gold Inc. and the chief executive officer Richard Adkerson which involves an upfront severance payment of shares. Topics include the potential impact of executive compensation policies on shareholders and Freeport executives such as James C. Flores.

The article reports that on September 18, 2013 the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) proposed a rule that would require public companies to disclose the difference between their chief executives' pay and the median pay of their workers. Republican SEC commissioner Daniel Gallagher said the rule wouldn't benefit anybody, while Brandon Rees of the AFL-CIO labor union maintained it would alert investors to the link between executive compensation and company performance.

The article reports on a trend in which mutual fund firms are taking a more active role in determining the salaries of board members. Topics include how companies like Occidental Petroleum Corp. and T. Rowe Price Group are planning to implement pay-for-performance incentive packages, why activist investors disapprove of high director salaries, and a chart documenting the rise of median director salaries between 2007 and 2012.

The article discusses large differences in 2012 compensation among chief executives in the same industry. Chief executive Richard Dreilling of retailer Dollar General Corp. was paid $22.5 million, while counterpart Howard Levine of rival Family Dollar Stores Inc. earned $5.2 million. The $19.8 million paid Anthony Alexander of utility FirstEnergy Corp. was more than twice the amount paid to Kevin Burke of Consolidated Edison Inc.

The article reports that several large U.S. drug companies including Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. and Eli Lilly & Co. have modified their compensation policies to permit the clawback of executive compensation for instances in which the company or its investors have been harmed by executive behavior. The United Auto Workers (UAW) Retiree Medical Benefits Trust has been influential in prompting the change.

The article reports that several U.S. companies have reformed their compensation practices in response to pressure from shareholder activists. The accelerated vesting of stock options and payment by firms of certain taxes owed by executives are among policies that activists have criticized. Information is presented about changes made at banking company Citigroup Inc. and drug maker Abbott Laboratories.

The article discusses a trend among corporate boards in the U.S. to limit the compensation of chief executive officers for years during which their firms' shareholders experienced negative returns. Drug company Pfizer Inc. and telecommunications firm AT&T Inc. are among companies that have adopted executive pay restrictions since 2006. Irving S. Becker of consulting firm Hay Group predicts 40% of U.S. public companies could have such limits in place by the year 2015.

The article discusses the decision by the board of directors at the bank J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. to reduce the executive compensation package for chief executive officer (CEO) Jamie Dimon. Topics include an incident at the bank in 2012 which led to six billion dollars in trading losses; inquiries by financial regulators into risk management at the bank; and net income at J.P. Morgan in 2012. INSET: Whale Tale.

The article reports that the large trading losses known as the London Whale are likely to impact the 2012 bonus given to J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. Chief Executive (CEO) James Dimon. It is said that the firm's Chief Investment Officer, Ina Drew, has also been criticized for her oversight of the losses, while vice chairman Douglas Braunstein may also see a reduced bonus.

The article discusses executive compensation for chief executive officers (CEOs) of U.S. companies in 2011. The article cites data compiled for the newspaper on executive compensation by U.S. research firm Hay Group to state that executive pay generally correlated to the stock performance of a company. The article examines such relationships in the compensation of Oneok Inc. CEO John Gibson, Western Refining CEO Jeff Stevens, and Dean Foods CEO Gregg Engles.

The article states that U.S. bank J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. chief investment officer Ina Drew left the bank on May 14, 2012. The article discusses Drew's total compensation of $31.5 million for 2010 and 2011, and whether her resignation would impact her retirement package. The article also examines the status of equity awards of $14.7 million owed to Drew and the concept of clawbacks of distributed funds.

The article reports that Eugene Isenberg, former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Nabors Industries Ltd., has agreed to waive a $100 million termination payment owed him by the firm due to his replacement as CEO by Anthony Petrello and subsequent election as Chairman of the Board of directors. A civil complaint filed against the payment by institutional stockholder the Erie County, Pennsylvania public employee pension plan is discussed.

The article discusses Dennis Kozlowski, former chief executive of conglomerate Tyco International Ltd. who is serving a jail term after being convicted in 2005 of looting Tyco. He believes the sentence he received was overly harsh, and expresses support for those who are angry over large pay packages received by financial-services executives whose banks received bailout money from the U.S. government.

The article discusses results of the publication's survey of chief-executive compensation at 350 large U.S. companies in 2010. The median value of total compensation for chief executive officers (CEOs) was $9.3 million, 11% more than in 2009. Philippe P. Dauman of media firm Viacom Inc. was the best-paid CEO with a total pay package of $84.3 million.

The article discusses bonuses paid to U.S. corporate chief executive officers (CEOs) in 2010. At 50 large firms surveyed CEO bonuses increased an average of 30.5%. Chief executive Robert A. Iger of entertainment firm Walt Disney Co. received a $13.5 million payout. Criteria used by firms to determine bonuses included net income, cash flow, and return on equity.

The article discusses the publication's survey of pay for chief executives at the 456 largest U.S. public companies as of November 2010. Gregory B. Maffei of media firm Liberty Media Corp. had the biggest total pay package for the most recently-completed fiscal year, totaling $87.1 million. The median annual bonus was $1.67 million, 11% higher than for the previous year.

The article discusses shareholder opposition to home-loss subsidies offered by firms to reimburse relocating executives for losses incurred on the sale of their homes. By one estimate more than seventy percent of companies offer such payments. Proxy adviser Institutional Shareholder Services has recommended that investors withhold support from directors at several firms that paid such subsidies, including video-game maker Electronic Arts.

This article presents information about the highest paid chief executives in the world and how their pay was affected by the world economy. Ray R. Irani of Occidental Petroleum was the highest paid and his pay increased in 2009. Robert A. Iger of the Walt Disney Co. saw his salary reduced by more than 50 percent in 2009 while Jay S. Fishman of Travelers Group Inc. increased his pay by more than 50 percent in 2009.

The article discusses the pay package for Black & Decker Corp. (B&D) chief executive Nolan D. Archibald, who will become executive chairman of Stanley Black & Decker Inc. once B&D shareholders approve the purchase of their firm by tool-manufacturer Stanley Works. Archibald could receive up to $89 million dollars during the combined company's first three years.

The article reports that Robert Kelly of Bank of New York Mellon Corp. has emerged as the leading candidate to succeed Ken Lewis as chief executive officer at Bank of America Corp. Kelly and the bank's board of directors are said to be negotiating over pay, with the bank reluctant to commit to a figure that might provoke public criticism.