Wall St bonuses up 17 pc

Wall Street paid out $20.3 billion of bonuses in 2009,up 17 per cent from a year earlier,New York States comptroller said,as the financial industry recovered fitfully from a near meltdown. Speaking on CNBC television,Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli said profit for all of Wall Street could top $55 billion for 2009,when the economy began to stabilize and as lenders raced to repay federal bailout money.