Credit Suisse's novel plan to pay bankers with a brew of its own toxic bonds and corporate loans has gotten off to an unexpectedly strong start, which could put further political pressure on other Wall Street firms to change how they pay their employees.

Late on Wednesday, the bank told 2,000 of its top bankers that a $5bn (€3.5bn) fund of soured mortgages and bonds -- which it granted as a big portion of 2008 pay -- had returned 17% since January, according to people familiar with the matter.