Exec Pensions Soared as Stocks Tanked

Steep increases in the pensions of top execs passed largely unnoticed amid the recent uproar about pay and bonuses. The average pension for a top executive rose 19% last year even as share prices fell by an average of 37%. More than 200 execs saw pensions boosted by over 50% by firms using little-scrutinized compensation techniques, finds a Wall Street Journal analysis of 340 firms.