Will Goldman's Top Management Be Held Responsible?

Rare circumstances indeed on this Firday in lower Manhattan where Goldman Sachs finds itself holding its annual shareholder meeting amid protestors.

This annual meeting is typically a very quiet time where most shareholders simply come and say thank you for making so much money.

That's not the case, this year, where Goldman finds itself in the midst of an SEC civil fraud complaint and its stock has dropped dramatically in the last few weeks.

At the end of the day—whether Goldman settles with the SEC or not—top management, including CEO Lloyd Blankfein, will have to be held responsible for the reputational fall that the firm has seen over this last year.

• Goldman CEO Calls for 'Self-Examination'
• Goldman Talks Settlement with SEC
• Goldman to Face Grumbling at Shareholder Meeting
• Has The Goldman Powerhouse Taken One-Hit Too Many?

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• The Dow 30 in Real Time
• The CNBC Stock Blog
• Global Markets Fall: Insight on market slide

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