Bailout Expands to Include Big Insurers

Government should focus on reducing stake, restructuring firm, former CEO says

(NEWSER) - AIG’s former CEO told Congress today the bailout of the insurance firm has “failed” and that the government should restructure the company, the Wall Street Journal reports. At a House committee hearing, Hank Greenberg said he blamed his successors for the firm’s implosion: "I think they got greedy. I think they wrote considerably more business than they should have." More»

(NEWSER) - If you want to understand the phrase “too big to fail,” look no further than AIG, the Los Angeles Times reports. With $1.1 trillion at the end of 2007, operations in 130 countries and 74 million customers, AIG is so entrenched in the global financial system that its failure would trigger brutal reactions—and it’s the unforeseen ones that keep federal help coming. More»

Insurer loses $62 billion in Q4 and may break up

(NEWSER) - AIG posted a quarterly loss of $62 billion today—the largest in American history—following news that Washington will provide an additional $30 billion in cash to the insurer and loosen the terms on previous loans. The Treasury and Fed have now intervened four times to prop up AIG, reports the Washington Post. Once again, federal officials said they had no choice but to save the company, fearing global upheaval if it failed. More»

Treasury already needs to ask Congress for next $350B installment

(NEWSER) - With nearly half of the $700 billion bailout committed, a growing array of distressed companies is lobbying the government, the Wall Street Journal reports, increasing the likelihood the Treasury will ask Congress for the rest of the bailout cash soon. But varied interests among legislators and emerging unemployment risks could turn up the pressure to spread those funds beyond financial firms. More»

US scraps insurer's original $123 billion package as company's struggles continue

(NEWSER) - The $123 billion the US pledged to foundering insurance giant AIG will grow to at least $150 billion, reports the Wall Street Journal, as the company continues to hemorrhage money. AIG, which today reported a loss of $24.5 billion in its most recent quarter, will get more cash and lower rates; the federal government will get a $40 billion stake. More»