A recent preliminary review of 2007 compensation deals for executives at public companies found that the median value of CEO bonuses actually declined 4.5 percent last year. However, the decrease was small when compared to the 27.1 percent increase in 2006. The research report also found that the overall number of executives receiving bonuses increased slightly, which may have been the reason for the decrease in the median number. And finally, the study found that the salaries for CEOs increased 8.6 percent between 2006 and 2007.

Many attribute the decline in bonuses to the recent economic slowdown and credit market turmoil, which sparked increased scrutiny during the past proxy season and is only like to continue going forward. Some executives are even being questioned by the government over their exorberant pay during times when there company's shareholders were losing money hand over foot. This may also be the reason behind increased salaries, as they are not as heavily scrutinized by bonuses but can still be increased to "retain executive talent". It will be interesting to see just how much the upcoming proxy season affects compensation..