After a dreadful 2011 that saw Wall Street profits plunge, many financial industry workers feared that bonuses, which typically make up a large chunk of their compensation, would fall off a cliff. But according to a new report by New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, the total amount Wall Street firms paid in bonuses only declined by 14% last year, despite the fact that financial industry profits fell by half.

http://business.time.com/2012/03/01/average-wall-street-bonus-dips-to-120k-after-bad-2011/