Mr. Speaker, the answer is obvious. What bothers me about those huge recompenses we give to CEOs and several other layers of bank executives is the competitive position it puts us in internationally. We always hear from the private sector about the need to be competitive internationally. If we compare those incomes with others around the world, the reality is they are almost unheard. About the only other place we see them is in the United States.
Senior bankers, CEOs of banks in Europe make nowhere near the same types of incomes or benefits that our CEOs and senior executive people get. They try to keep some kind of a ratio between their employees and their senior people. That is important for morale. It is also important for the financial well-being of the institution.
I do not know how many times we have seen reports, not just in the banking system but elsewhere where CEOs will derive these huge incomes or benefits in stock options, et cetera, when in fact the institution is not doing very well. That is a shame, but it is also something that from a competitive standpoint should not be followed as a policy.