An Equilar news release said these amounts include pension benefits, deferred compensation, outstanding option awards, unvested stock awards, and shares owned outright. A review of Compensation Discussion and Analysis (CD&A) reports at Fortune 500 companies found the prevalence of companies that considered accumulated wealth when determining executive pay levels increased from 8.4% in 2006 to 14.5% in 2007, the announcement said.
The report also includes findings on pay for Non-Rxecutive board Chairs and Lead Directors. Equilar found median total board-level compensation for Non-Executive Chairs at Fortune 500 companies increased from $258,500 in 2006 to $264,000 in 2007 and for Lead Directors, median total compensation increased from $174,843 to $189,413.
In 2007, 71.7% of Non-Executive Chairs and 45.8% of Lead Directors at Fortune 500 companies received a pay premium over regular Board members not holding a leadership role. The data also indicates the prevalence of Fortune 500 companies with independent Board leadership positions grew from 78.4% to 80.9%.
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