The President recently signed into law the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 (the “Act”), which aims to restore liquidity and stability to the financial system, to protect the value of Americans’ homes and savings and to promote economic growth. The Act includes a number of provisions relating to executive compensation, which have important implications for financial institutions selling troubled assets under the Act.

The Act subjects financial institutions that sell assets to the Treasury to restrictions on executive compensation based on the nature of the sale. In a recent Memorandum, my colleagues and I identify several items that demand immediate attention from institutions that may become subject to these restrictions:

• Severance Agreements. Financial institutions that have previously determined to enter into severance agreements with senior executive officers or individuals who may become senior executive officers should execute these agreements prior to engaging in sales of troubled assets under the Act, although it is unclear whether the prohibition on new golden parachute agreements will apply retroactively to cover arrangements entered into after enactment of the Act but prior to such sales.

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