Bonus Watch '12: Morgan Stanley

Author:: Bess Levin
Updated:: Jan 14, 2019
Original:: Jan 19, 2012

The good news: the waiting-- which is the hardest part!-- is over. The bad news: this year's bonuses.

From the front lines:

"Terrible across all divisions. FID, IBD, and even equities hard hit - lots of zeroes at junior levels. Lots of deferred cash and stock for more senior people."

And:

"Demoralizing is best word to describe bonuses this year. Many 0's, average seemed to be down 20-30% YOY** in S&T for VPs/EDs. Brutal day."

Having said that:

"I would say that expectations were set lower and lower until mgmt would be able to exceed them, which they did, slightly. I have to imagine anyone VP or lower who was hired less than 12 months ago got a zero... as should have been expected. Anyone else who got a zero should take it as a sign that they should leave, except maybe in FID, where they just did a shitty job."

**Update: Bloomberg has heard the same thing.

Back in January, Morgan Stanley CEO James Gorman sent a simple messages to his employees, who had been grumbling about their pay: STFU or GTFO. "You're naive, read the newspaper, No.1," Gorman told Bloomberg he would say to any members of his staff that wanted to give him lip about their compensation to his face. "No. 2, if you put your compensation in a one-year context to define your over all level of happiness, you have a problem which is much bigger than this job. And No. 3, if you're really unhappy, just leave." Today, in an interview with the FT, Gorman reiterated his stance and added that in addition to reducing compensation for current employees, the bank will likely be drastically cutting pay for future analysts. If anyone has a problem with that, consider applying for a gig at Bank of Mythical Pre-Crisis Era Bonuses. Alternatively, Gorman is happy to discuss a compensation plan in which you'll be awarded shares of his foot in your ass, which vest immediately. In the latest sign of the pressure Wall Street is under to cut costs and address high pay levels, James Gorman, chief executive, said that staff and remuneration would have to be sacrificed as banks cope with lower profits. “There’s way too much capacity and compensation is way too high,” Mr Gorman said in an interview with the Financial Times. “As a shareholder I’m sort of sympathetic to the shareholder view that the industry is still overpaid.” Morgan Stanley itself is already axing 4,000 jobs, 7 per cent of its workforce, by the end of this year. In the new year, Mr Gorman said, the bank will consider its next round of cost-cutting, including lower pay and bonuses. News of further pay cuts, including potentially for new entrants at the investment bank, comes just weeks after Goldman Sachs confirmed it was overhauling its well-known entry-level programme for analysts. Goldman was said to have tired of the number of analysts in the programme who left the bank for hedge funds. Mr Gorman said that Morgan Stanley will probably keep its own analyst programme, but pay could be reduced significantly. Morgan Stanley Chief Warns On Wall Street Pay [FT] Earlier: James Gorman To Employees: STFU Or GTFO