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The pay cuts didn't last long. Chief executives of publicly traded companies in Maryland and across corporate America saw their compensation rebound in 2010 as profits came back and the stock market recovered much of the ground it lost in the recession. Fourteen of the 19 companies in the Baltimore region that paid their CEOs at least $1 million last year reported increases in executive compensation in 2010, according to a Baltimore Sun analysis. The increases largely reflected improved performances by the companies.

Few things inspire financial journalists, stock analysts and investment bankers like rumors about corporate mergers and acquisitions. M&A action creates drama for the writers, bonuses for prescient analysts and huge fees for the bankers. So perhaps it's no shock that since December there has been background buzz about a possible takeover of Baltimore-based Constellation Energy Group by Chicago-based Exelon Corp. Energy shares are making a comeback. Constellation stock is missing the party.

Medifast Inc. filed a $270 million defamation lawsuit on Thursday against a felon-turned-fraud investigator for making allegations over the past year that a subsidiary of the nutritional products company was operating as a Ponzi scheme. The Owings Mills company is suing Barry Minkow and his Fraud Discovery Institute in California. Medifast said in a statement that Minkow, who spent 7 years in federal prison for fraud he committed with his carpet-cleaning company, had issued "false and misleading reports" in an attempt to manipulate and profit from a drop in Medifast's stock price.

The parent of 1st Mariner Bank, Baltimore's largest independent bank, will ask stockholders in a special meeting next year to give the board the authority to conduct a reverse stock spit, a move intended to increase the company's stock price, according to a document filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission Tuesday. First Mariner earlier this month was warned by the Nasdaq Stock Market that the bank holding company would be de-listed unless it increased its market value and stock price.

The Nasdaq Stock Market has warned First Mariner Bancorp that it failed to meet listing standards and could eventually be dropped from the electronic exchange, the Baltimore bank holding company said Tuesday. First Mariner Bancorp said Tuesday it received two letters last week from Nasdaq. Nasdaq told the parent of 1st Mariner Bank, Baltimore's largest independent bank, that it didn't meet the exchange's minimum requirements for market value and stock price. To trade on the Nasdaq Global Market, First Mariner must maintain a market value of at least $5 million and a $1-per-share stock price for 30 consecutive business days.

The Nasdaq Stock Market has warned First Mariner Bancorp that it failed to meet listing standards and could eventually be dropped from the electronic exchange, the Baltimore bank holding company said Tuesday. First Mariner Bancorp said Tuesday it received two letters last week from Nasdaq. Nasdaq told the parent of 1st Mariner Bank, Baltimore's largest independent bank, that it didn't meet the exchange's minimum requirements for market value and stock price. To trade on the Nasdaq Global Market, First Mariner must maintain a market value of at least $5 million and a $1-per-share stock price for 30 consecutive business days.

Chief executives of public companies have long had a ready answer when criticized about high pay: It's all about company performance. That argument has been put to the test by the toughest financial environment since the Great Depression. If performance is the standard, many of the Baltimore area's top-earning executives seem to be on shaky ground. To see how last year's financial crisis and worsening recession affected pay, The Baltimore Sun analyzed the 20 companies in the metro area that paid their CEOs at least $1 million.

C hief executives of public companies have long had a ready answer when criticized about high pay: It's all about company performance. That argument has been put to the test by the toughest financial environment since the Great Depression. If performance is the standard, many of the Baltimore area's top-earning executives seem to be on shaky ground. To see how last year's financial crisis and worsening recession affected pay, The Baltimore Sun analyzed the 20 companies in the metro area that paid their CEOs at least $1 million.

Robert J. Lawless gave up his final duties at McCormick & Co. spice company Wednesday but said he'll be doing something just as strenuous as running a major corporation - playing on an amateur hockey team in Canada. The 62-year-old is playing in a league made up of players his age. He also plans to play golf and serve on three corporate boards. Lawless technically retired last year, passing on the job of leading the day-to-day operations of the Sparks company to his hand-picked successor, Alan D. Wilson, the company's president and chief executive officer.

Q: What does a reverse stock split mean, and why does a company do it? R.P., via the Internet A: In light of this year's drop in stock prices, more companies could be declaring reverse splits. They can be declared by a firm's board of directors without shareholder approval. A reverse stock split doesn't increase the value of your holdings but reduces the number of shares and increases the share price proportionately. For example, a 1-for-2 reverse split means you get half as many shares, but at twice the price.