Are mods compensated? It would be awkward to put them in the position of having valuable accounts by virtue of providing a valuable service but not to pay them.
Yes, they are paid from 25% of forum ads
The forum sells ad space in the area beneath the first post of every topic page. About 25% of ad income goes to the forum moderators as thanks for all of their work. (There are many moderators, so each moderator gets only a small amount -- moderators should be seen as volunteers, not employees.)