Is the writing on the wall for Lloyd Blankfein (Lloyd Blankfein news)? Fox Business News has been speaking to friends of Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS) CEO Lloyd Blankfein, and they say the embattled executive is keenly aware that his job is on the line. In some ways, you could argue that his fate is sealed. That's because the cloud, represented by the mere threat of a criminal complaint--which may not ever materialized--is enough to prevent him from making any headway in restoring his personal reputation or, more importantly, his firm's.

The firm can't really offer to settle charges that likely will not materialize, so all he can do is wait and suffer. At some point, the board may well decide to realize that the only way to move forward is with a new management team. It hasn't arrived at that point yet; the board continues to voice full approval for Blankfein. But the directors have to worry about their reputations as well. "Senior executives inside the firm for the first time are acknowledging that this support could disappear quickly if Goldman's stock takes a turn for the worse and the controversy surrounding the firm's trading activities continues."

For more:
- here's the FBN article

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