Programmers (or software engineers, if you like) almost never ask / negotiate what they're really worth. I don't see how it would be any different in finance.
Probably so. However on Wall Street in general (especially in areas investment banking portfolio management, high frequency trading, etc) programmer salaries in the 100-150k range is the norm. Part of that is simply NYC cost of living, of course, but 60k is really seriously low, even for an entry level gig.
> programmer salaries in the 100-150k range is the norm
This is the norm outside of Wall St as well, for anyone who has actual talent and/or experience and isn't a spineless pushover. For example, a truly talented sales engineer can easily make $250k/year + benefits and equity compensation.