The US pay czar plans to review executive compensation at Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan Chase and 417 other firms that took government bailout funds, to determine if any bonuses, salary or other compensation paid during a short window should be returned, according to government officials.

Kenneth Feinberg, the Treasury Department's special master for compensation, will send a letter today to 419 firms that received TARP funds seeking data on compensation paid to the top 25 executives.