Nine former European bankers at Lehman Brothers are claiming over $100m in lost deferred compensation from the administrators of the collapsed US bank, with claims from other ex-senior staff likely to push the figure far higher, in a development that will further fuel debate about the use of long-term deferred pay structures.

Filings lodged last month with Lehman Brothers Holdings' US administrators reveal that a number of former Europe-based bankers have filed creditor claims seeking a total of $106.4m (€71.59m).