UBS (UBS) on Tuesday became the first investment bank to announce a major “clawback” of bonuses after a rogue trading scandal at the Swiss bank last year led to deep losses.
Given the intense regulatory and political pressure on banks to rein in hefty bonuses that encourage excessive risk taking — as well as what is undeniably a difficult operating trading environment — will clawbacks soon become a common reality on Wall Street?
Compensation experts like Alan Johnson at Johnson Associates, a compensation consulting firm, are not so sure.
“Most decisions are not made by an individual but by a group of people,” said Johnson in an earlier interview with TheStreet on the issue. “The danger is that clawbacks may not be done in a fair way. That is, done in a discriminatory, arbitrary and unfair basis.”
Forbes / February 10, 2012