Lloyd Blankfein, Goldman Sachs Group Inc's CEO has been given a $67.9 million bonus for 2007, the firm said on Friday. This news comes in a period throughout which other top rival CEO’s lost their jobs or didn’t get any bonuses after losing billions of dollars on sub-prime mortgages.

Goldman, one of the world's largest global investment banks, managed to steer clear of a meltdown and capped its fiscal year with outstanding financial results. Consequently, Blankfein’s reward for keeping the form on its right track included $41.1 million of restricted shares and options, as well as $26.8 million in cash.

The CEO wasn’t the only member of Goldman’s management to be rewarded for the job well done. Co-Presidents Gary Cohn and Jon Winkelried will also receive a restricted shares and options valued at about $40.5 million each, up from $25.7 million last year.
Cash payments weren't disclosed for anyone other than Blankfein, who reaped a record-setting $53.4 million last year.

Goldman Sachs Group Inc. exceeded Wall Street profit records for the fourth-consecutive year and this in a period throughout which even banks and securities firms like Citigroup Inc. and Merrill Lynch & Co. had no choice but to take at least $96 billion of write-downs.

Goldman also increased its employee’s salaries and set aside $20.2 billion for the benefits and bonuses which increased 23 percent compared to last year.

“There are successful people and then there's extraordinary success, and they're trying to show as a firm that they're really extraordinary. They're rewarding him for leading such a fabulously successful ship,'' said Jeanne Branthover, managing director of Boyden World Corp., for Bloomberg.

Blankfein, 53, earned a total of $53.4 million in 2006, thus becoming one of the highest paid executives on Wall Street. His bonus reflected the performance of Goldman Sachs, which reported record net earnings of $9.5 billion.