The Treasury Department has issued a new set of guidelines on executive pay for financial institutions that are receiving government assistance to address the current financial crisis. 

The department said that the measures are designed to ensure that public funds are directed only toward the public interest in strengthening our economy by stabilizing our financial system and not toward inappropriate private gain.

The guidelines distinguish between banks participating in any new generally available capital access program and banks needing "exceptional assistance." Generally available programs have the same terms for all recipients, with limits on the amount each institution may receive and specified returns for taxpayers.

If a firm needs more assistance than is allowed under a widely available standard program, then that is exceptional assistance. Banks falling under the "exceptional assistance" standard have bank-specific negotiated agreements with the Treasury. Examples include AIG, and the Bank of America and Citi transactions under the Targeted Investment Program.

If banks fall under the exceptional assistance standard, they must limit senior executives to $500,000 in total annual compensation (except for restricted stock).   Current programs providing exceptional assistance to financial institutions forbid recipients of government funds from taking a tax deduction for senior executive compensation above $500,000. The new guidance takes this restriction further by limiting the total amount of compensation to no more than $500,000 for these senior executives except for restricted stock awards.

Other parts of the guidance include:

• Any Additional Pay for Senior Executives Must Be in Restricted Stock that Vests When the Government Has Been Repaid with Interest:  Any pay to a senior executive of a company receiving exceptional assistance beyond $500,000 must be made in restricted stock or other similar long-term incentive arrangements.  The senior executive receiving such restricted stock will only be able to cash in either after the government has been repaid – including the contractual dividend payments that ensure taxpayers are compensated for the time value of their money – or after a specified period according to conditions that consider among other factors the degree a company has satisfied repayment obligations, protected taxpayer interests or met lending and stability standards. Such a restricted stock strategy will help assure that senior executives of companies receiving exceptional assistance have incentives aligned with both the long-term interests of shareholders as well as minimizing the costs to taxpayers.
• Executive Compensation Structure and Strategy Must be Fully Disclosed and Subject to a "Say on Pay" Shareholder Resolution:  The senior executive compensation structure and the rationale for how compensation is tied to sound risk management must be submitted to a non-binding shareholder resolution. There are no "Say on Pay" provisions in the existing programs.
• Require Provisions to Clawback Bonuses for Top Executives Engaging in Deceptive Practices:    Under the existing programs providing exceptional assistance, only the top five senior executives were subject to a clawback provision.  Going forward, a company receiving exceptional assistance must have in place provisions to claw back bonuses and incentive compensation from any of the next twenty senior executives if they are found to have knowingly engaged in providing inaccurate information relating to financial statements or performance metrics used to calculate their own incentive pay.
• Increase Ban on Golden Parachutes for Senior Executives:  The existing programs providing exceptional assistance to financial institutions prohibited the top five senior executives from receiving any golden parachute payment upon severance from employment, a ban that will be expanded to include the top ten senior executives.  In addition, and at a minimum, the next twenty-five executives will be prohibited from receiving any golden parachute payment greater than one year's compensation upon severance from employment.
•   Require Board of Directors' Adoption of Company Policy Relating to Approval of Luxury Expenditures:  The boards of directors of companies receiving exceptional assistance from the government must adopt a company-wide policy on any expenditures related to aviation services, office and facility renovations, entertainment and holiday parties, and conferences and events. This policy is not intended to cover reasonable expenditures for sales conferences, staff development, reasonable performance incentives and other measures tied to a company's normal business operations. These new rules go beyond current guidelines, and would require certification by chief executive officers for expenditures that could be viewed as excessive or luxury items. Companies should also now post the text of the expenditures policy on their web sites.

The Treasury Department also said that it intends to issue proposed guidance subject to public comment on the following executive compensation requirements relating to future generally available capital access programs.

• Limit Senior Executives to $500,000 in Total Annual Compensation Plus Restricted Stock – Unless Waived with Full Public Disclosure and Shareholder Vote: Companies that participate in generally available capital access programs may waive the $500,000 plus restricted stock rule only by disclosure of their compensation and, if requested, a  non-binding "say on pay" shareholder resolution. All firms participating in a future capital access program must review and disclose the reasons that compensation arrangements of both the senior executives and other employees do not encourage excessive and unnecessary risk taking.  Under the current Capital Purchase Program, the companies were only required to review and certify that the top five executives' compensation arrangements did not encourage excessive and unnecessary risk-taking. 
• Require Provisions to Clawback Bonuses for Top Executives Engaging in Deceptive Practices:    The same clawback provision that applies to companies receiving exceptional assistance will apply to those in generally available capital access programs.  Thus, in addition to the clawback provision applicable to the top five executives as under the Capital Purchase Program, a company receiving assistance must have in place provisions to claw back bonuses and incentive compensation from any of the next twenty senior executives if they are found to have knowingly engaged in providing inaccurate information relating to financial statements or performance metrics used to calculate their own incentive pay.  
• Increase Ban on Golden Parachutes for Senior Executives:  Even under generally available capital access programs, the golden parachute ban will be strengthened:  Upon a severance from employment, the top five senior executives will not be allowed a golden parachute payment greater than one year's compensation, as opposed to three years under the current Capital Purchase Program.
• Require Board of Directors' Adoption of Company Policy Relating to Approval of Luxury Expenditures:  This policy will be the same for companies accessing generally available capital programs as it is for those receiving exceptional assistance. There are no guidelines on luxury expenditures under the current Capital Purchase Program.

[These new standards will not apply retroactively to existing investments or to programs already announced such as the Capital Purchase Program and the Term Asset-Backed Securities Loan Facility .]