Recall that back in September 2008, Warren Buffett (Warren Buffett news) invested $5 billion in then-struggling Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS). The terms of the deal were enviable. He wrangled a hefty 10 percent annual dividend per year. But he also won a clause requiring the bank's top executive to retain large stakes of equity in the bank for as long as he owned his preferred shares.

To make this an even more dubious deal for Goldman, the capital raised apparently does not count as Basel III Tier 1 capital. So it should not be surprising that Goldman wants out of the deal. The bank is considering how it might buy back the shares and replace them with shares that aren't so expensive, Bloomberg reports.

The restriction on common stock sales of top executives may be the driving force here. According to the deal, CEO Lloyd Blankfein, CFO David Viniar and Co-Presidents Gary Cohn and Jon Winkelried (formerly) are all prevented from selling more than 10 percent of their common shares until Oct. 1, 2011, or until Berkshire redeems its $5 billion in preferred stock, whichever comes soonest. So you have to ask: Do the big guys want to cash out? The bigger issue may be the extent that Warren Buffett wants out as well.

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