G. Kennedy Thompson Securities and Exchange Commission, he will get a severance of $1.45 million and accelerated vesting of $7.25 million in restricted stock. Thompson had served the company for 32 years. Lanty Smith replaced Thompson as interim CEO. On July 10, 2008 Robert K. Steel, the former Treasury Undersecretary and Goldman Sachs Group Inc. executive, took over as CEO of Wachovia Corp. However, Wachovia only survived for two more months before it was forced to merge with Wells Fargo. While CEO of Wachovia in 2007, G. Kennedy Thompson received a total compensation of $15,653,559, which included a base salary of $1,090,000, a
Credit crunch banks within the banking system. Easy credit conditions (sometimes referred to as "easy money" or "loose credit") are characterized by low interest rates for borrowers and relaxed lending practices by bankers, making it easy to get inexpensive loans. A credit crunch is the opposite, in which interest rates rise and lending practices tighten. Easy credit conditions mean that funds are readily available to borrowers, which results in asset prices rising if the loaned funds are used to buy assets in a particular market, such as real estate or stocks. In a credit bubble, lending standards become less stringent. Easy credit