AIG

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Paulson Still Dogged by Ethics Queries
 Paulson Still Dogged 
 by Ethics Queries 
ANALYSIS

Paulson Still Dogged by Ethics Queries

Ex-Goldman exec coddled firm as Treasury sec, critics say

(Newser) - As a former Goldman Sachs exec, Henry Paulson vowed to avoid any potential conflicts of interest when he was appointed President Bush’s Treasury secretary. But seven months after he left office, the nagging questions surrounding Paulson’s tumultuous term in office suggest he may not have succeeded, Gretchen Morgenson...

Jobs Lift Stocks; Dow Up 114
 Jobs Lift Stocks; Dow Up 114 
MARKETS

Jobs Lift Stocks; Dow Up 114

Unemployment report fuels rally

(Newser) - Good news about the labor market fueled a rally in stocks today, the Wall Street Journal reports. Slowing declines in payrolls and a 0.1% drop in unemployment—both figures beat expectations—elevated investor sentiment. AIG jumped 22.2% after reporting a $1.8 billion quarterly profit. The Dow gained...

Ex-AIG Honcho Settles New SEC Case for $15M

(Newser) - The SEC today simultaneously announced a complaint against former AIG chief Hank Greenberg and the resolution of the matter—a $15 million payment to settle the suit, the New York Times reports. Greenberg and a former AIG CFO were accused of “numerous improper accounting transactions” between 2000 and 2005...

Wall Street Rakes in $1B in Fees on AIG Breakup

Morgan Stanley set to pocket $250M in 'advisory services'

(Newser) - The crumbling of AIG forced taxpayers to take on 80% of the company, but breaking the insurance giant up is turning out to be a bonanza for lawyers and banks. The Wall Street Journal calculates that firms will pull in $1 billion in fees from AIG and the Fed—one...

Dow Ends 4-Day Run, Dips 39
 Dow Ends 4-Day Run, Dips 39 
MARKETS

Dow Ends 4-Day Run, Dips 39

Financials rally against broader slump

(Newser) - Stocks fell today on dour data, though some financial firms rallied against the broader slump, the Wall Street Journal reports. The private sector lost 371,000 jobs in July, and the Institute for Supply Management’s index of non-manufacturing activity fell to 46.4 from 47.0 in June. Nonetheless,...

AIG Seeks US Approval for More Bonuses

(Newser) - Two of the least favorite words in the Wall Street lexicon are back in the news: AIG bonuses. The company is requesting the government's permission to dole out millions more to dozens of top executives, the Washington Post reports. Technically, AIG doesn't need the federal approval, but it's still gunshy...

One Man to Blame at AIG
 One Man to Blame at AIG 
GLOSSIES

One Man to Blame at AIG

(Newser) - AIG’s contribution to the world financial crisis may be bafflingly complex, but a single villain is emerging, writes Michael Lewis in Vanity Fair. Joseph Cassano was a "cartoon despot" who ran AIG's Financial Products division, now infamous for its credit-default swaps. Cassano, unfortunately, "didn’t fully understand...

Goldman Engineered 'Every Market Manipulation' Post-Depression

(Newser) - The recession has been good to Goldman Sachs: The world’s most powerful investment bank snatched $10 billion in TARP funds, reclaimed $13 billion from AIG, watched archrival Lehman Brothers disintegrate, and found alumni spearheading Washington’s economic rescue effort. But this isn’t new, Matt Taibbi writes in a...

AIG Comes Out Swinging in $4.3B Lawsuit vs. Ex-CEO

(Newser) - AIG 's longtime CEO sold crucial assets in 2005 out of spite, the company's lawyers charged as they opened their civil suit against the ousted exec today in New York. “Hank Greenberg was mad. He was angry,” said a lawyer for the bailed-out mega-insurer. Greenberg was weeks away...

Like Father, Like Son: Dodd Fights for Future
Like Father,
Like Son: Dodd Fights for Future
INTERVIEW

Like Father, Like Son: Dodd Fights for Future

Conn. senator's recent troubles echo those of his disgraced dad

(Newser) - For the second time in recent memory, a Senator Dodd from Connecticut is accused of corruption and faces a rocky political future, Newsweek reports. The current senator, Chris Dodd, is a 28-year veteran and former presidential candidate, but after devising an AIG loophole and appearing to make shady housing deals,...

Geithner Back From the Dead, Politically

Once-ridiculed Treasury chief now on top of his game

(Newser) - After a rough start, Timothy Geithner has found his sea legs. Many were calling for the Treasury secretary’s head after his botched handling of February's bailout speech and the AIG bonuses. But, reports Politico, as the economy stabilizes, Geithner’s getting the hang of things. His regular meetings have...

Liddy to Leave AIG
 Liddy to Leave AIG 

Liddy to Leave AIG

(Newser) - AIG chief Edward Liddy is stepping down after eight months on the job, the Wall Street Journal reports. The government appointed Liddy chairman and CEO last fall after the feds bailed out the insurance giant. Liddy recommended splitting the job into two roles and will remain until his replacements are...

Obama Wants to Tame Wild Derivatives Market

(Newser) - President Obama wants to put the so-called dark markets under control, the New York Times reports, seeking congressional approval to regulate the byzantine world of derivatives trading—which played a large role in the current financial mess. In a letter to lawmakers, Treasury chief Timothy Geithner calls for an oversight...

Fed Knew of AIG Bonuses 5 Months Before Storm

Geithner's New York Fed planned for controversy in Sept. '08

(Newser) - Senior officials at the New York Federal Reserve knew about AIG's plans to pay large bonuses more than 5 months before controversy erupted, according to documents seen by the Washington Post. Correspondence and phone records show that the central bank was working with AIG, lawyers, auditors, and PR firms to...

Top Subprime Lenders Owned by Bailout Banks

Analysis of gov't data reveals sources of the economic meltdown

(Newser) - Some 21 of the top 25 subprime lenders that triggered the global economic collapse were either owned or financed by banks that ended up needing bailouts, an analysis by the Center for Public Integrity finds. Among the backers, who make huge profits on the subprime business, were Lehman Brothers, Merrill...

AIG's 2008 Bonus Pool Rises to $454M

Company gives congressman the biggest figure yet

(Newser) - Lawmakers and journalists keep pressing AIG about how much it paid out in bonuses in 2008, and the number keeps getting bigger, reports Politico. In response to a query from Rep. Elijah Cummings, the company now says it paid $454 million, about 4 times the figure it told Politico in...

Credit Rating Agencies Off-Base But Bullet-Proof

(Newser) - Until the day Lehman Brothers declared bankruptcy, all three of the major credit-ratings agencies swore its debt was safe, rating it A or better. They rated AIG at AA. And they gave 75% of the $3.2 trillion of subprime mortgage securities iron-clad AAA ratings. Moody’s, S&P and...

Goldman Back on Top, Thanks to Uncle Sam
Goldman Back on Top, Thanks to Uncle Sam
OPINION

Goldman Back on Top, Thanks to Uncle Sam

Competitors killed off, AIG conveniently saved, bank rakes in profits

(Newser) - Goldman Sachs reported a $1.8 billion profit yesterday, and it owes it all to its helpful Uncle Sam, writes William Cohan in the New York Times. “Government Sachs,” as it’s come to be known, has been pulling Washington’s strings for years, and now its competitors...

Kids to AIG: 'Not All of USA Hates You'

(Newser) - It seems fourth-graders have a greater store of empathy than the rest of this crisis-wracked nation. When a Houston teacher asked students how they felt about the AIG bonus scandal, it provoked the usual boos and hisses. But when she put the kids in an AIG employee’s shoes, they...

AIG Bailout Has Failed: Greenberg

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...

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