May 31, 2011
May 31, 2011
Elizabeth Murphy
100 F Street, NE
Washington, DC 20549
Dear Murphy,
America paid a terrible economic price because of irresponsible risk-taking by Wall Street executives. Those executives took those risks because they knew that they could walk away with billions of dollars in bonuses and stock options and never pay for the long-term consequences of their actions. We need tough rules so that Wall Street pay packages don't encourage short-term risk taking.
Your rules should require at least a five year deferral period for executive bonuses at big banks, ban executive hedging of their pay packages, and require specific details from banks on precisely how they ensure that executives will share in the long-run risks created by their decisions. It should apply to the full range of important financial institutions, and draw in all the key executives at those companies.
Once this rule is passed, only you will know the details of its enforcement. But it's important for the public to know the progress you are making on this vital issue. You should report back to the public annually with a detailed report on progress in creating accountability for Wall Street pay.
The implied government guarantee remains. We need these rules to restore confidence in the financial system and to insure reduce the chances of another large financial crisis, requiring another large taxpayer bailout, in the near future.
Sincerely,
Joel Ethan Fried
PS I am an American citizen presently living in the Netherlands. I vote via absentee ballot in U.S. elections from my last US address, in Pennsylvania. The "snail mail" address in the form above is for voter registration purposes only, not to be used in answering this E-mail.
My "snail mail" address is
Oudaen 29
1081 BB Amsterdam
The Netherlands
Referencing Docket No.'s:
OTS: RIN 155-AC49
OCC: RIN 1557-AD39
Fed: RIN 7100-AD69
SEC: RIN 3235-AL06
FHFA: RIN 2590-AA42
FDIC: RIN 3064-AD56
Sincerely,
Mr. Joel Ethan Fried