U.S. financial firms have been cutting staff dramatically this year, with more layoffs expected to come from Wall Street, according to a report from outplacement consulting firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc.  Unlike the widespread layoffs stemming from the financial crisis of 2008, which were followed by hiring when markets recovered, the 2011 reductions appear to be more permanent, the firm said. According to the report, the financial sector has outlined 21 percent more job cuts so far this year than it did in 2010. Banks, insurance firms and brokers have outlined plans to eliminate 11,413 positions through May, according to publicly available information cited by Challenger, compared with 9,431 during the same period a year ago.