Vikram Pandit, Citigroup's chief executive officer, said he would be happy to talk with protesters, calling their sentiments "completely understandable."

"Trust has been broken between financial institutions and the citizens of the U.S., and that is Wall Street's job, to reach out to Main Street and rebuild that trust," Pandit, 54, said today at a breakfast organized by Fortune magazine in New York.

Since Sept. 17, thousands of demonstrators have transformed a park in lower Manhattan, near the site of the World Trade Center, into a sea of blue tarps, sleeping bags and tables offering free medical care and food.

In Boston, more than 100 people were arrested near the city's financial district where scores have been camping out in tents since Oct. 1 to protest Wall Street policies, according to the organizing group, Occupy Boston. The arrests followed a march by thousands of students from Boston Common to the area where the tents are pitched.

'Class Warfare'

Chanos, 53, said the "disjointed" nature of the demonstration, which started last month in New York's financial district and spread to cities such as Washington and Seattle, shouldn't be underestimated because protests in the sixties started in a similar way.

"The elderly and savers have been hurt by Fed policy," said Chanos, whose firm is based in New York.

"Class warfare by the 99%? Of course, they're fighting back after 30 years of being shot at," Gross said on a Twitter post.

Fink, whose firm has $3.7 trillion under management, said last week he understands the concerns of protesters speaking out against financial companies in New York and other cities.

"These are not lazy people sitting around looking for something to do," Fink, 58, said on Oct 5 during an event in Toronto. "We have people losing hope and they're going into the street, whether it's justified or not."

'Paycheck To Paycheck'

Fink received $23.8 million in compensation for 2010, a 50 percent increase from the previous year.