WASHINGTON (AP) — Top executives at three companies bailed out by U.S. taxpayers during the 2008 financial crisis were ordered to take pay cuts by the federal government.
The Treasury Department says nearly 70 executives at American International Group, Ally Financial and General Motors had their annual compensation reduced by 10%. The CEOs of each company had their pay frozen at 2011 levels.
All three companies have yet to repay what they received from the $700 billion bailout and therefore are subject to pay cuts.
AIG still owes taxpayers around $50 billion. General Motors owes about $25 billion. Ally Financial about $12 billion.
Even with the compensation freeze, the chief executives are expected to be well paid this year. GM CEO Daniel F. Akerson is expected to earn $9 million in stock and salary this year. Ally Financial’s CEO Michael A. Carpenter is set to earn $9.5 million in total compensation. AIG CEO Robert Benmosche will make $10.5 million.
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Company: GAMCO Investors (GBL)
Total 2010 compensation: $56.6 Million
GAMCO didn’t do very well for investors in 2010. The price of the company’s shares was flat, considerably underperforming the S&P 500 increase of 14% that year. The company manages mutual funds and other investments for private individuals and public enterprises.
But GAMCO had a relatively good year in terms of revenue and earnings growth. Revenue rose from $218 million in 2009 to $280 million. EPS was up from $2.03 to $2.55.
Even so, based on the relatively small size of the company and GAMCO’s overall performance, Gabelli is overpaid.
10. Mario J. Gabelli
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Company: Aetna (AET)
Total 2010 compensation: $57.8 million
Aetna’s shares were down 7% in 2010, underperforming the S&P 500 by a large margin. But Williams’ pay was based on several factors, none of which was stock price. EPS, pre-tax operating margins and an increase in the dividend were the major measures of his performance, according to the board.
The board can make the case, persuasively, that the insurance firm had a good year financially in 2010. The company’s EPS rose from $2.84 in 2009 to $4.18 last year, even though revenue fell slightly from $28.3 billion to $27.6 billion. Williams retired in 2011. The board gave Williams a relatively reasonable package as he left, at least based on 2010 performance.
9. Ronald A. Williams
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Company: Vornado Realty Trust (VNO)
Total 2010 compensation: $64.4 million
Vornado’s shares significantly outperformed the S&P 500 in 2010, up over 17% for the year. The board says it relies on EBITDA and total return to shareholders to set CEO pay. Both improved in fiscal 2010 compared to 2009 as EBITDA rose from $1.7 billion to $2.2 billion. Vornado produced strong financials on a GAAP basis as well. Net income per share rose to $3.24 in 2010 from $0.28 the year before. Revenue rose from $2.7 billion to $2.8 billion. Fascitelli is a CEO who earned what he made.
8. Michael D. Fascitelli
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Company: Polo Ralph Lauren (RL)
Total 2010 compensation: $66.7 million
The clothing designer and manufacturer gave investors an extremely good return on their holdings in 2010, as share price jumped 35%. In the fiscal year that ended April 2, EPS rose from $4.85 to $5.91, and revenue grew by 13% to $5.7 billion.
The one question investors might ask is whether Lauren’s compensation is based on fair deliberations by his board. The CEO owns shares that hold 75.6% of the corporation’s voting rights.
7. Ralph Lauren
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Company: General Growth Properties (GGP)
Total 2010 compensation: $66.7 million
When it comes to how investors in General Growth fared, timing was a major factor: Did they buy in before or after it emerged from Chapter 11?
The company entered bankruptcy in April 2009, and it became clear as early as April 2010 that it would exit Chapter 11 later in the year. The company returned to regular operations when the final reorganization was approved last November. The gain in the company’s shares from early 2010 to the end of the year was 14-fold.
While the bankruptcy process makes it impossible to make reasonable P&L comparisons from 2009 to 2010, revenue has remained steady. Metz earned his money for those who took a chance on the company’s stock early last year.
6. Adam Metz
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Company: CVS Caremark (CVS)
Total 2010 compensation: $68.1 million
CVS Caremark shares underperformed the market last year, rising only 8%. That alone makes it hard to justify Ryan’s compensation. The company’s financial results were also poor. Revenue fell from $98.7 billion in 2009 to $96.4 billion in 2010, and EPS fell from $2.55 to $2.49.
5. Thomas M. Ryan
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Company: Verisk Analytics (VRSK)
Total 2010 compensation: $68.4 million
Verisk slightly underperformed the market with its shares rising 14% for the 2010 calendar year. For that return, Coyne’s pay package is extravagant. Still, Coyne should get credit for a relatively strong year in other ways. EPS rose from $0.72 in 2009 to $1.36 in 2010. Revenue rose from $1 billion to $1.1 billion year-over-year.
4. Frank Coyne
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Company: TRW Automotive (TRW)
Total 2010 compensation: $76.8 million
TRW shares soared during 2010, ending the year almost 105% higher. The extraordinary performance was driven by EPS, which rose from $0.51 to $6.49, as revenue moved from $11.6 billion to $14.4 billion. TRW, which supplies car parts, benefited from the rebound in the auto industry, but Plant’s compensation is reasonable based on the results he delivered to shareholders.
3. John C. Plant
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Company: Omnicare (OCR)
Total 2010 compensation: $98.3 million
Gemunder’s 2010 pay package can’t be justified based on shareholder returns. The firm’s stock was up only 2% for the period. It’s no wonder the shares didn’t do better: The company’s EPS fell from $1.81 in 2009 to a loss of $0.91 in 2010. Revenue fell from $6.2 billion to $6.1 billion.
2. Joel F. Gemunder
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Company: McKesson (MCK)
Total 2010 compensation: $145.3 million
McKesson’s shares were up 13% in 2010, underperforming the S&P 500. And while its revenue was $112 billion in 2010, up from $108.7 billion in 2009, EPS fell from $4.62 to $4.29.
In that light, it is hard to imagine how the board of McKesson could have justified giving Hammergen such an extraordinary compensation package.
1. John H. Hammergren
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