The Wall Street gurus who presided over the sub-prime mortgage crisis currently shredding global share markets have awarded themselves bonuses totalling $US33.2 billion ($38 billion). 

In a concession to the crisis - which has forced America's largest banks to write off billions in bad investments and raise billions more to shore up their capital reserves - the bonuses were down nearly 5 per cent on the previous year. 

The average bonus of $US180,420 ($206,088) in 2007 dipped 4.7 per cent from the previous year, New York state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli said in a statement today. 

Wall St Execs Collect $US33billion Bonuses