Paulson Accepts Limits on C.E.O. Pay: Report

Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson Wednesday agreed to accept executive pay limits for the C.E.O.s of Wall Street firms slated to benefit from the $700 billion bailout initiative winding through Congress, according to several reports.

The Treasury Department, though, denied such a deal was in place. President Bush was scheduled to address the nation on the bailout plan Wednesday night.

Republican presidential candidate John McCain, meanwhile, flanked by former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney earlier Wednesday, joined the chorus of critics calling for a plan that emphasizes greater C.E.O. accountability and curtails rich C.E.O. payouts for floundering companies.

"The senior executives of any firm that is bailed out by Treasury should not be making more than the highest-paid government official," said McCain, according to the Associated Press.

Below is a look at the 2007 compensation packages received by the C.E.O.'s of the major banks at the heart of the U.S. financial fiasco, provided by the East Bay Business Times.

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