Monday, March 30, 2009

 

AIG crisis could be the tip of an insurance iceberg

The company's situation reflects problems throughout the life insurance industry as investments suffer. Further strain could bring about a second financial crisis.

When insurance giant American International Group Inc. imploded last fall, the firm's problems were quickly blamed not on its core insurance business but on an obscure operation that traded exotic mortgage securities.

But as the economic crisis deepens, it has become clear that AIG's problems extend across most of its business lines, including its massive life insurance and retirement services operations, which reported a staggering $18-billion quarterly loss this month...

...Two key pieces of AIG's life insurance and retirement products operations are Los Angeles-based SunAmerica Inc., which sells retirement annuities, and Houston-based American General Life...

Wintrob is now considering a consolidation of SunAmerica and American General. Both operations say they are well capitalized and have many times the minimum required level of reserves to meet their obligations to their 17 million customers...

LA Times: AIG crisis could be the tip of an insurance iceberg

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