Lehman in 2007: Bonus Pool Rose Almost 10%

Bloomberg has this December 13,2007 on Lehman:

Dec. 13 (Bloomberg) -- Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc.'s 2007 bonus payout, the first reported by a Wall Street firm, rose almost 10 percent from last year as revenue gains through August overcame a fourth-quarter decline.

Compensation, including salaries, benefits and bonuses, climbed 9.5 percent to $9.5 billion from $8.7 billion a year earlier, the New York-based company said today in a statement. Bonuses typically account for about 60 percent of compensation, or $5.7 billion compared with 5.2 billion in 2006.

Lehman, the fourth-biggest U.S. securities firm by market value, boosted 2007 revenue by limiting losses from subprime mortgage-related securities and lifting income from fund management, equities and investment banking. The firm said earlier this week that Richard Fuld, Lehman's chairman and chief executive officer, was granted a $35 million stock bonus for 2007, up 4 percent from last year.

Will taxpayers be happy give money to Richard Fuld?