"AIG" May be the only three-letter four-letter word in the English language. The company ran into huge problems by selling insurance on financial assets without setting aside reserves to pay out claims. When the financial storm hit, no single private-sector company proved to be as problematic, thanks to the toxic issues surrounding its payments to Goldman Sachs on credit default swaps; its absurd insistence on paying bonuses even as it racked up a $99 billion loss in 2008; and its general lack of oversight from executives.
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