We're accustomed to stories about the luxury market in New York, and how it rises and falls with Wall Street's fortunes. The same dynamic plays out on a smaller scale in Charlotte, where the economy has been aided by the financial services industry over the years. In these lean times, it's a different story. And as Bank of America (BAC) and Wells Fargo (WFC) get ready to hand out bonuses for 2009, there's not a lot of local excitement.

Bonuses are going to be better than last year, but that's not saying much. Reports the Charlotte Observer: At Foreign Cars Italia of Charlotte, "bank bonus season used to provide a boost every February. But Gary Furnas, a sales consultant at the dealership, said he hasn't been involved with a sale to a bank employee since November 2008. That customer, a Bank of America employee, bought a black Ferrari, but then kept it on the lot for two months because he worried that it was too flashy." That's pretty much the tone in town. 

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