The U.S. official responsible for setting pay for top executives at finance firms that received billions of dollars in government aid will take his time and conduct his work in private, a spokesman said on Friday.

We are not going to provide a running commentary on this process, said Treasury spokesman Andrew Williams.

The chief arbiter of compensation, Kenneth Feinberg, expects the compensation plans to be submitted by midnight on Friday and may need several weeks to see if they are in order. Feinberg then has 60 days to present his recommendations on compensation for the 25 highest-paid employees at the seven companies that must answer to the government on pay.

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