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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2009
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4

Ex AIG Boss: It's Not My Fault

Says he doesn't back retention bonuses

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(Newser) – AIG’s former CEO tells CBS that the bonuses now sparking national outrage would not have happened under his watch. Hank Greenberg, ousted in 2005, said he doesn’t back such retention bonuses, blamed the firm's collapse on the "stupidity" of his successors, and thinks the current CEO should go. “When I was there, nobody had a contract in the company, including me. I didn't believe in them. If you didn't do the job, you didn't deserve to be there,” he said.

“We had bonuses based on performance. If you didn't perform, you didn't get a bonus,” he added. But a communications VP for the firm called it “absolutely astounding that Mr. Greenberg would claim that he never put in place retention agreements. His entire long-term management compensation was a retention agreement.” The current CEO, Edward Liddy, blamed Greenberg for AIG’s problems in testimony to Congress this week, the AP notes.

Former longtime American International Group Inc. CEO Maurice
Former longtime American International Group Inc. CEO Maurice "Hank" Greenberg, left, smiles while seated next to media producer Quincy Jones during a reception in Beijing, Saturday, Aug. 9, 2008.   (AP Photo/Tom Curley)
AIG Chairmen Edward Liddy waits to testify on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, March 18, 2009, before the House Capital Markets, Insurance and Government Sponsored Enterprises subcommittee.
AIG Chairmen Edward Liddy waits to testify on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, March 18, 2009, before the House Capital Markets, Insurance and Government Sponsored Enterprises subcommittee.   (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
Former longtime American International Group Inc. CEO Maurice
Former longtime American International Group Inc. CEO Maurice "Hank" Greenberg attends a reception hosted by the China-United States Foundation in Beijing, Saturday, Aug. 9, 2008.   (AP Photo/Tom Curley)
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TerrifiedCitizen
Mar 20, 09 2:20 PM CDT
I think “bonuses” might sound like a hand-out to hourly workers or someone who’s never worked in sales or management, and that's part of the rationale driving all the disbelief and media hysteria. To bring it down to a more fundamental equation and give it perspective, let's suppose the going market price for your employment services is $20.00 per hour. The company makes you an offer of $15.00 per hour but says if you meet this list of targets or goals that they have, we will give you the added $5.00 per hour that you would have made at years end in the form of a bonus... it simply ties your compensation to your effort. Now, the company decides the goals that the employee must achieve, and if they're intelligent, it’s tied to overall fiscal health in addition to other performance goals. The salary range may be subjective and established by a number of free-market factors; I'm not saying some of these individuals might not be overpaid; but I do know that these career people often constitute a different breed of employee who work many more hours, nights and weekends away from their families doing many things that most workers won't… just for the opportunity to operate in these pay ranges. I may be off a little, but I don't think the average hourly employee can even relate to a working environment like that; much less want to suffer the years of academic training and experience just to get the chance to sink or swim in positions of such weighty responsibility with sharks at your back at every turn. So, if you haven't been there, maybe you shouldn't throw rocks until you have an informed point of reference. It would also probably help to read up on AIG's changes & progress at: http://www.aig.com/home_385_131629.html Lastly, the money promised and paid to these employees really pales in comparison to the funds many of these politicians received in contributions for their wildly expensive campaigns, and have now doled back out with interest (using your money) to the same BBB companies (Big Beautiful Business). The hysteria and hype in Washington is designed to appease the majority of mostly uninformed voters and at the same time provides a media circus event to draw attention away from this legal but corrupting relationship between politics and business... which is what really needs to change. Reply
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SPH
Mar 20, 09 3:51 PM CDT
Again....Cut and paste is lazy....
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Lula
Mar 20, 09 5:13 PM CDT
I think Terrified Citizen comments are to long. Could this be another Corona-King???? Reply
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radnip
Mar 21, 09 12:41 AM CDT
We're such a religious country and yet...where're the morals? Reply
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