Recent surveys have shown that the double-digit raises received by many chief executives in the United States ahead of the credit and subprime crises could spur a whole new set of proxy battles. Research reports by The Corporate Library this week showed total annual compensation for chief executives rising by nearly 13 percent with the highest – 23.6 percent – going to S&P 500 CEOs.

Meanwhile, many investors have been suffering quite substantially from massive write-downs in the asset-backed securities markets. This, coupled with a rise in oil prices, has caused many shareholders to demand that CEO salaries match share price trajectories. Many executives insist that their healthy returns in the past should justify their pay this year, but so-called “say on pay” proposals are still gaining traction in many large companies.

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