I did read the letter from Gregory Belliston and saw that it stated " informal view". That doesn't sound like a very "formal view" or decission. Here's to 2011.

I also found GB's decission about Goldman's pay. Tried to copy the story only, but it was a problem.

Goldman loses bid to exclude pay from proxy vote

* SEC denies Goldman bid to leave question off proxy

By Ross Kerber

BOSTON, March 16 (Reuters) - Goldman Sachs Group Inc (GS.N) has lost its bid to exclude a proposal on executive pay from its upcoming annual proxy filing, according to a response from U.S. securities regulators.

Under fire for its continued generosity to executives so soon after the U.S. government bailout of the financial sector, Goldman has taken steps such as capping compensation expense for 2009 despite posting a record profit.

But that has not ended the pressure, including a suit filed last week by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers fund, claiming the bank's executives are overpaid.

The proxy matter, pursued by shareholder activists led by the nonprofit Nathan Cummings Foundation of New York, takes the criticism on a slightly different tack.

The foundation filed a proposal that would require Goldman's compensation committee to produce a report comparing pay for top managers like Chief Executive Lloyd Blankfein with median wages at the company. It also sought an evaluation of whether the pay is excessive and should be modified.

Goldman Sachs asked the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for permission to leave the measure off the proxy ballot that will be mailed to all shareholders, citing what it called errors in the way the activists had written the supporting statement for their proposal.

But in letter dated March 11, SEC special counsel Gregory Belliston told the firm: "We are unable to conclude that you have demonstrated objectively that the portions of the supporting statement you reference are materially false or misleading."

As a result, Goldman may not omit the proposal, Belliston wrote. Goldman Sachs declined to comment on the ruling.

Lance Lindblom, president of the Nathan Cummings Foundation, said he was pleased by the SEC's decision.

"The SEC is saying, 'We totally do not buy Goldman Sachs' arguments," he said. "Frankly, we were shocked that Goldman Sachs was trying to get us knocked off the proxy."

Lindblom said the original proposal had contained one error: it incorrectly cited a court decision related to pay rather than a news article about that decision. He said he has offered to fix the language.

(Reporting by Ross Kerber; Editing by Richard Chang)