BoA and Citi and lots of others had to limit executives pay until they paid back their government TARP loans - http://www.nytimes.c...siness/04pay.html
Trouble is, much of the assistance the banks got was well beyond the direct loans from TARP and the like (e.g. direct action by the Fed, etc.) - http://motherjones.c...ig-bank-bamboozle - and it was too easy for them to get out from under the restrictions (without really improving the health of their institutions) and turn on the executive compensation tap again.
Cheers,
Scott.