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WASHINGTON (AP) ― Democratic lawmakers say top banking industry executives were paid far too much in salary, retirement and bonuses while their companies' fortunes declined.

So how much is too much? And just how much did they take home? Three prominent executives of companies stung by the mortgage crisis defended their compensation under intense questioning by lawmakers at a congressional hearing Friday.

Critics say a cozy relationship between top executives and their corner-office counterparts on company boards has allowed executive pay to skyrocket. "I get the feeling, it's you scratch my back, I'll scratch your back," said Rep. Edolphus Towns, D-N.Y.

Here's a look at the pay packages -- as calculated by a House report that made similar pay estimates as earlier media reports -- and the executives' responses:

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ANGELO MOZILO, chief executive of Countrywide Financial Corp.: Realized $120 million through exercising stock options last year while his company's shares plummeted and made $400 million through stock sales since he became CEO in 1998.

Mozilo, the company's co-founder, said that "almost all of my net worth was in Countrywide, I had to come to a point of diversifying my investments," before his planned retirement. Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee's chairman, sarcastically praised Mozlio's timing as "awfully good for yourself," rather than shareholders.

Mozilo said he remains a large shareholder in the company and is not receiving a bonus for 2007 and 2008. His decision to start selling in late 2004 was through a prearranged trading plan, he said.

Lawmakers were especially skeptical about why Countrywide hired a new compensation consultant -- to work specifically for Mozilo -- after another consultant recommended reducing his pay.

Mozilo, emotional at times, said that he will give up $37.5 million in severance payments and other perks as part of his company's proposed sale to Bank of America Corp.

Countrywide's shares are down 86 percent over the past 52 weeks.

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STAN O'NEAL, former chief executive of Merrill Lynch & Co: Received $161 million in stock, options and retirement benefits after leaving the brokerage with its biggest-ever quarterly loss. O'Neal said his compensation was determined independently and was comparable to pay for others in the industry. "I received no bonus for 2007, no severance pay, no 'golden parachute'," he said.

O'Neal also said the bulk of the $161 million was due to deferred compensation, stock and options earned in prior years. Merrill's shares are down 44 percent over the past 52 weeks.

The chairman of the company's executive compensation committee, Chubb Corp. CEO John Finnegan praised O'Neal's performance before the mortgage crisis, but said that last year, "when tangible results were not delivered, Mr. O'Neal lost his job and received no bonus."

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CHARLES PRINCE, former chief executive of Citigroup Inc.: Received a $10 million bonus, $28 million in stock and options and $1.5 million in other perks when he left the bank last year.

Richard Parsons, chairman of Citigroup's compensation committee and former chief executive of Time Warner Inc., said executive compensation must be competitive with pay at other banks to attract and retain top talent.

Citigroup's shares are down 58 percent over the past 52 weeks, and Prince said he accepted responsibility for the company's woes. "I was the chief executive officer, and this happened under my watch," he said.

Shareholder advocate Minow did note that Prince's compensation was "not as far out of whack" when compared with his performance as the other CEOs.

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