They are bonuses, but the word "bonus" means slightly different things in different industries. In the banking industry, think of it more like a sales commission than a totally optional check for doing a really good job. It's paid out according to a pre-determined formula, not the whim of a manager.
Which makes sense. In the cases of financial institutions needing a bailout while simultaneously paying huge bonuses something must be seriously miscalibrated in their calculations.
