Biggest CEO Pay Cuts of 2009

Time to indulge in a little schadenfreude, boys. Lloyd Blankfein is used to seeing himself and his bank in the number one position, but I'm guessing he's not too happy about it this time. That's right, kids. Of the top 20 largest CEO pay cuts in 2009, Lloyd saw the largest drop of all in his comp from 2008: down a whopping $40.1 million.

In fact, Wall Street CEOs made up the top 3 on the list, with Vikram Pandit of Citi at number 2 (down $38.1 million from 2008) and Jamie Dimon at number 3 (down $34.5 million from 2008). Bringing Wall Street representation to a full 20% of the list, BofA's Ken Lewis clocked in at number 11 (down $9 million from 2008) with a total comp package of $32,171 for the year. Ouch. I'm pretty sure BofA tellers make more than that. Come to think of it, John Thain paid more than that for a toilet.

We won't be seeing Ken on the biggest pay cut list for 2010, but he might make the biggest pay increase list. He got paid $64 million to walk away from the train wreck he created at the end of 2009. I doubt we'll be seeing any other Wall Street faces on the list next year either.

But the one person we'll be seeing again for sure hit this year's list at number 10: Mark Hurd. If he thought dropping $9.8 million in a year was tough, well, let's just say he learned the hard way to never trust anything that bleeds for a week and doesn't die.

In the final analysis, this list is for the first 12 months following the biggest market massacre in 4 generations, so it makes sense that the top investment bankers would take a huge hit. 2010 numbers will definitely tell a different story. But it's still perversely fun to see the guys at the top take it in the shorts, even if it is an anomaly.

2 Comments
 

Consectetur blanditiis iusto nam iste dolor fugit. Ipsam et alias est. Illum tenetur odio iste consectetur voluptates et molestias. Cum voluptas nihil eligendi nihil laudantium numquam necessitatibus.

Et vero consequatur eum recusandae maiores. Adipisci est aut aut odio. Voluptatem eos suscipit commodi quas est magnam.

Unde ea unde ducimus repudiandae expedita dolores et. Et culpa perspiciatis sit perferendis quasi laboriosam in. Repellat eligendi quae officia eveniet voluptate nisi provident. Cupiditate occaecati aut inventore. Expedita nam et voluptates saepe laudantium voluptatem harum.

Molestiae et commodi architecto cupiditate reprehenderit. Nemo dolor nemo officiis natus et. Pariatur voluptatibus quo id odit quo.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.3%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (44) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (79) $150
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (73) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
10
numi's picture
numi
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”