Some office workers tossed whole pieces of paper out of their windows during the Giants' ticker tape parade on Tuesday—and some of those papers included medical information with Social Security numbers. Other companies probably thought they were fine because they used shredded paper... but this photo shows that one firm probably needs a cross shredder, because this is clearly a stock call option. Probably with enough digging and tape, you could put together the whole document! more ›

A new report came out today from the Special Inspector General charged with auditing the government's TARP program for foundering financial institutions. According to the report, which you can read in full below, the "Special Master" appointed to curb executive pay at companies getting TARP money wasn't all that special after all. Although President Obama and Congress wanted pay caps of $500K for executives at seven companies that got bailed out, 49 fat cats still got paid $5 million or more between 2009 and 2011. Here's why, according to the audit: more ›

Following tomorrow night's worldwide candlelight vigil for Martin Luther King Jr., a group of African American faith leaders will join Occupy Wall Street in a march at 10 a.m. Monday from the Financial District to Madison Square Garden in an effort to "reclaim the dream" and further the slain civil rights leader's fight for economic justice. more ›

Have you heard? There is a momentous contest between two sporting teams of toned millionaires tomorrow, one of which hails from the Excelsior State! And 57-year-old Peter Serafin won't miss a minute, thanks to his $240,000, 20-hour trip across the country to Lambeau Field. Serafin, who shockingly works in finance, has filled a 70-foot RV with "two beautiful waitresses, a driver and even the executive chef at Old Homestead Steakhouse" to ferry himself and five friends to Wisconsin for the game. "It's exciting," he tells the Post, "It's like a dream come true." Yes, all our dreams involve 20 hours of being trapped in a metal box on the highway with fried chicken and "10 live lobsters." more ›

According to the WSJ, Wall Street's end-of-year bonuses will shrink drastically thanks to dismal fourth-quarter figures. Around 400 partners at Goldman Sachs will see their net pay cut in half, while Morgan Stanley's bonuses may dip from 40% to 30%. Some socialist bankers (they exist) might suggest that a falling tide sinks all boats, but those idiots clearly haven't stepped aboard the Serene. Never ones to take fairness lying down, a group of executives at the brokerage firm Jefferies Group are threatening to sue or quit or both if their pay isn't up to par. more ›

[UPDATES BELOW] Exactly three months ago, a group of protesters converged on a privately-owned, public space in Lower Manhattan to protest economic injustice. At noon today, Occupy Wall Street will again attempt to retake private property, this time from a real estate giant that has been supportive of the movement since the beginning: Trinity Wall Street church. more ›

Hope you're happy, Occupy Wall Street. All your rabble rousing has driven a small business owner out of business, the business owner said. You'll recall that Marc Epstein, the owner of the kosher upscale food court that opened in June on Wall Street, laid off a quarter of his staff at the end of October, when the Occupy Wall Street occupation at nearby Zuccotti Park was at its zenith. With business down 30 percent, Epstein described himself as "collateral damage" from Occupy Wall Street, which he characterized as "not serious... If it was, they would not want small businesses going out of business." Now he's out of business. more ›

Those hippie bums looking for a handout in Zuccotti Park can pack up their drums and go home: a Wall Street brokerage firm has magnanimously started offering protesters jobs, starting with one Tracy Postert, who's traded in her protest sign for a desk job just blocks from the park. Postert had been demonstrating at Zuccotti holding signs such as “Reagan sucks," "I’ll vote after the revolution," and "Ph.D. Biomedical Scientist seeking full time employment, ask me for my resume." Guess which one got her the job at John Thomas Financial Brokerage? more ›

Remember when we taxpayers just had to bail out all those financial institutions because they were in terrible financial shape and "too big to fail?" If we fronted them a little money now, we were told, these normally successful banks would keep on humming. But through FOIA requests, Bloomberg News reveals that the bailout was much larger than initially believed—$7.7 trillion by September of 2009, and banks made an estimated $13 billion of the generous terms of the loans. more ›

Ladies: are you curious about online dating but too shy to meet anyone before 2013? Do you enjoy the idea of pinstripes as a metaphor for prison bars? Well, inmate #57431-053 AKA Ray Angeloff would love to meet you, as soon as he's paroled from his federal money laundering charges. Angeloff was sentenced in 2009 to five years in prison for posing as a legitimate Wall Street trader and swindling thousands of investors out of at least $3.5 million. While he's at a low-security wing of a Florida prison, he's looking for love online at PrisonInmates.com. more ›

Because you'll have to talk about SOMETHING at the Thanksgiving dinner table, here are some tips for engaging the topic of Occupy Wall Street. more ›

Will no one think of the young bankers in these hard economic times? Between the third quarters of 2008 and 2011 the financial sector lost 110,000 employees between the ages of 20 and 34. DealBook spoke to one 28-year-old former Credit Suisse employee, who was hired and fired in a week's time. "I did everything right. I came into work every day, I put in long hours, and I still got punched in the face." more ›

As the dust settles on Occupy Wall Street's "day of action" on Thursday, allegations have emerged that some protesters harassed young kids as they walked to school with their parents near Wall Street in the morning. CBS reports that they saw one protester follow a father and his little daughter down one block, while others chanted "follow those kids!" One mother told CBS, "For them it’s horrible. They’re afraid of all the crowds. We’re not even able to get through. They’re just, he’s … very afraid now.” Watch their report below: more ›

Tomorrow is the two-month anniversary of Occupy Wall Street's presence in Lower Manhattan. Despite the loss of its permanent encampment, the movement has ambitious direct action events planned for tomorrow, including a 7:00 a.m. march to shut down the New York Stock Exchange, a 3 p.m. occupation of 16 central subway stations, and a "Festival of Lights" march at 5 p.m. beginning at Foley Square and ending on the Brooklyn Bridge. more ›

Despite earlier signage indicating a 10 p.m. curfew in Zuccotti Park after yesterday's eviction and cleaning, the NYPD clarified that protesters will be allowed to stay in the park 24 hours a day. However, "lying down" remains prohibited, making it difficult for those who have made the park their home to sleep there. One man skirted the rule by sleeping in a semi-upright position. Another who identified himself as homeless curled up in the fetal position on a bench. Two NYPD officers approached him within minutes, and jabbed him in the ribs with their hands. "Sit up. You can't lie down. No sleeping." more ›

It seems like just yesterday when we reported on this "occupation" of Wall Street, whose goal was to "flood into lower Manhattan, set up tents, kitchens, peaceful barricades, and occupy Wall Street for a few months." At the time, we naïvely suggested that they had "better find a slogan, fast," but we've since learned that demands are overrated, and by the measure of that initial goal, the movement has been a success. To celebrate the two-month anniversary of the occupation, the movement is planning to shut down the New York Stock Exchange on Thursday morning and "throw a block party the 1% will never forget." more ›

Yesterday, troubled brokerage MF Global fired its 1,066 employees in the broker-dealer operations as the bankrupt firm tries to find $600 million in investor funds that have essentially disappeared. And apparently some employees found out they were canned from the media. more ›

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, our mother always said, and clearly lawyer Richard Katz agrees. Katz has filed a $730,000 lawsuit against the Setai Club and Spa Wall Street because it stopped serving the "complimentary full breakfast" he was promised with his $5,000 in annual membership fees. A cold buffet is not the same as "whatever you wanted." more ›

According to an analysis by the Times, 51 violations of the SEC's anti-fraud statutes committed over the last 15 years can be traced back to the same 19 banks. In each case, the bank usually pays a nominal fine and promises that it will never happen again, only to be caught breaking the same laws. Basically, these Wall Street banks SWEAR that they'll stop cheating, but the SEC keeps catching them taking showers at 3 a.m. and working "really late tonight." more ›

At 10:30 this morning, elected officials and neighborhood civic leaders began marching 11 miles from 181st and St. Nicholas down to Zuccotti Park, in an event dubbed "End to End for 99%" that seeks to link the communities of Northern Manhattan and the Bronx with the movement in Lower Manhattan. "Our communities have been devastated by the economic assault on middle class and poor families, even as Wall Street has enjoyed a historic financial bonanza," State Senator Adriano Espaillat said in a statement. "We're marching for jobs, we're marching for affordable housing, we're marching for the millionaire's tax," city councilmember Ydanis Rodriguez says. more ›

With his brokerage firm's troubles plastered on the front pages of the NY Times and Wall Street Journal, former NJ Governor Jon Corzine resigned from MF Global today. The company issued a statement saying that Corzine, who once headed Goldman Sachs, would not seek his $12 million severance. Which makes sense, since the firm filed for bankruptcy earlier this week and couldn't find about $700 million in funds. But was Corzine's decision hasty? Because now there are reports that the money has been found! more ›

The owner of the Milk Street Cafe, a big upscale food court that opened in June on Wall Street, has laid off a quarter of his staff, and he predicts he'll go out of business soon. Though he was doing well and on track to break even on his investment next month, the NYPD's barricades on Wall Street— put in place to keep out Occupy Wall Street protesters—have been killing him. Owner Marc Epstein tells us he's had to lay off over 20 employees, and his business is off 30% because Wall Street is a dead zone. Reached by phone today, Epstein says: more ›