CEO compensation plans of publicly traded companies are the root cause of negligent business models.  If these guys owned the company and built it from the ground up, then took it public, well then they are worth their weight in salt.  However, for CEO's of publicly traded companies to command million dollar salaries is morally and ethically hard to justify regardless of the seize and financial strength of the company. What most people are angry about is that CEO's of failed publicly traded companies securing million dollar severance packages when shareholders and bondholders see their investments become worthless.  It is these investors that should be made whole not the CEO's that made their investments worthless.    Their severance package and pay should be suspended ncluding that of the board and any senior executive until and unless the bond holders (secured; unsecured; subordinated; etc) are made whole.  Additionally, the rating agencies who tauted the financial worthiness of these corporate bonds and the accounting firms that audited these companies should all be penalized for violating their fudiciary duty to properly report the financial conditions of the companies they regulated.  The federal government, rather than bailing out these poorly managed companies, should provide bailout relief to the corporate bond holders at a minimum.  On another note, the federal reserve could provide additional relief by insuring depositors accounts for a million dollars rather than the current $100,000.  While the latter does not address the issue of CEO compensation it helps address the issue with depositors making a run on the bank during trying times.  In the end, CEO's of publicly traded corporations regardless of seize should not earn more than $500,000 inclusive of bonus.  No stocks should be granted as deferred compensation.

BAILOUT this non-sense??

The reason Alan Fishman received this severence is because he negotiated it, and with good cause. He was leaving another opportunity he held in order to have a potentially positive impact on a struggling company. He probably left a safe job where he was already getting paid millions of dollars.

So in turn he tells WaMu I will join and I will do my best to turn this company around if you can guarantee me "X" amount of dollars regardless of what happens. It makes sense, he didn't cause this mess, he was in there to FIX it, unfortunately he didn't even realize how big of a hole the company was in.

As far as other execs, the ones who drive the company into the ground, there is no defense for what they did, they should not receieve compensation.

WAKE UP CONGRESS!  look at who we are really bailing out!!!!!!!!!!!!

QUIT WHINING; IT IS CALLED SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST. HOORAY FOR HIM THAT HE HAD THE ----S TO SCREW OTHERS TO GET WHAT HE WANTED.

I dont blame the most recent CEO.  Who wouldn't in their right mind, sign on knowing that the FDIC would sell out your assests from under you?  CEO packages are all negotiated, generally for a long time, before signed.  Good job to him for getting a large signing bonus, and a large severence package.  It's awful and a travesty that the previous CEO, who ran the company into the ground should be the one to profit.  And shame on their board, who agreed to a lucrative contract.  They had to see the writing on the wall that the end was coming.  Not Fishaman's fault, just shrewed business.

We the people of the United States of China. Bought and sold. LOL

As long as everyone thinks that it is not there congessman or senator that is the problem and keeps re-electing them it will never change

total  b.s that it

Have congressional hearings and then FIRE Chris Dodd and Barney Frank..... they have been rewarded for years for screwing things up for many years........

Where was this outrage when democratly placed CEO and CFO at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac got rewarded for screwing things up?????

Democratically led Political correctness has LOWERED STANDARDS in almost ever area, and ruined education, sports, science and entertainment. With a Democratic president a Democratic congress their lower standards have now wrecked the financial industry.

Threatening lawsuits, Clinton's Federal Reserve demanded that banks treat welfare payments and unemployment benefits as valid income sources to qualify for a mortgage. That isn't a joke -- it's a fact.