While the pitchforks are aimed at Goldman Sachs and AIG, another player quietly showers its people with cash (via the Financial Times):

Lazard broke ranks with its Wall Street rivals on Wednesday by accelerating promised cash payments to staff in the fourth quarter in a move that pushed the 162-year-old investment bank into the red.

While Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley have deferred bonuses in an attempt to tie rewards more closely to long-term performance, Lazard has moved the other way, eliminating deferred cash payments in an aggressive bid to retain and recruit top bankers.