A spokesman for Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who is in the United States, said “there could be no excuse for people breaking the law.”

Mr. Goodwin attracted criticism for keeping his pension, worth £703,000 a year, or $1.03 million, despite a string of ill-timed acquisitions on his watch that led to the bank’s being brought under government control. He rejected calls to surrender the payment, and the government is considering legal options.

It was the first such attack on a property owned by a banking executive since the financial crisis started, but some neighbors told local newspapers they were surprised it did not happen earlier.

The author of an e-mail message sent anonymously to a local newspaper on Wednesday claimed responsibility for the damage and said: “We are angry that rich people, like him, are paying themselves a huge amount of money and living in luxury while ordinary people are made unemployed, destitute and homeless.”

Though Mr. Goodwin resigned in October, the bank continues to pay £290 a month for security at his house. Because of the bank’s losses, Mr. Goodwin, once hailed as a skilled deal maker who turned a small bank into a global financial services operation, became the target of public scorn and a symbol of the decline of Britain’s banks.

“People are looking for someone to blame as they feel the crisis on a day-to-day basis and experience feelings of injustice and anger as they ask themselves, ‘What have I done to contribute to this?’ ” said Sheri Jacobson, a psychotherapist who is clinical director of Harley Therapy in London. “For those who are the target of the scorn it’s extremely difficult, because for a long time they were the champions and they worked hard, and they also look at the situation, saying, ‘My intentions were good.’ ”

Image Workers in France held a 3M executive. Credit... Michel Euler/Associated Press

Some executives have already decided to forgo their bonuses, but companies continue to hand out hefty payoffs for executives of failed companies, setting off public outcries.