FED stands united with AIG
The speedy demise of US investment banks Lehman Brothers and Merrill Lynch in September triggered an unprecedented bail-out by the US Federal Reserve of American International Group worth $85bn.
The speedy demise of US investment banks Lehman Brothers and Merrill Lynch in September triggered an unprecedented bail-out by the US Federal Reserve of American International Group worth $85bn.
It was feared that a collapse of the country’s biggest insurer – and
underwriter of many of the credit default swaps held by financial institutions
globally that are supposed to protect them from such scenarios – would have a
catastrophic domino effect throughout financial markets. As the sun set on 15
September, the day Lehman Brothers filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection
and the day that Bank of America gobbled Merrill Lynch for $50bn, AIG was
already in crisis talks with the Fed.
An 80% share in the country’s biggest insurer came free to US taxpayers with
the next sunrise – at the cost of effectively underwriting the underwriter. AIG
plans to sell off as-yet unspecified assets to pay back the loan, which matures
in 2010.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.