Office address: 1271 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020
Website: aig.com
Year established: 1919
Company type: financial services
Employees: 25,000+
Expertise: property casualty insurance, risk management, commercial insurance, cyber insurance, group accident and health, captive solutions, management and professional liability, specialty risks, multinational solutions, warranty and service programs
Parent company: N/A
Key people: Peter Zaffino (CEO); Ed Dandridge, Christopher Flatt, Charlie Fry, Keith Walsh, Chris Schaper, and Rose Marie Glazer (EVPs)
Financing status: corporation
AIG (American International Group) is an insurance group in New York that works with clients in more than 200 countries. It offers property casualty insurance, risk management, and financial services, with $24 billion in net premiums written in 2024. The company has a large workforce and a strong presence in both commercial and personal insurance markets.
AIG dates back to 1919, when Cornelius Vander Starr set up American Asiatic Underwriters in Shanghai, China. The company quickly grew, with Nelle Vander Starr joining in 1923 and becoming its first woman executive. By 1926, AIG had opened its first US office in New York City which marked the start of its American story.
AIG moved its main offices to New York City in 1939 because of World War II. It opened offices in Cuba, the UK, and Australia by the late 1950s. In the 1960s, the company was incorporated in Delaware and began trading publicly, which set the stage for even more growth.
AIG made history in 1992 as the first foreign insurer licensed in China in over 40 years. The company also launched one of the first cyber security insurance programs in 1999. The firm then formed a joint venture with Tata Group in India and acquired Travel Guard.
The firm faced a major test during the 2008 financial crisis, receiving government support but repaying it by 2012. The company continued to grow when it acquired Fuji Fire and Marine in Japan and Validus Holdings, Ltd. in 2018.
In recent years, AIG became the title sponsor of the Women’s British Open and helped triple the tournament’s prize money. This highlights its commitment to equality and excellence in sports.
Today, AIG serves clients in about 190 countries and jurisdictions. The company states that it remains dedicated to creating opportunities and raising standards for clients and partners around the world
AIG delivers insurance and investment products for individuals and businesses, using global reach and expertise to meet complex needs:
AIG is also recognized for its strong claims support and global network. The company helps clients manage risk, protect assets, and plan for the future in many markets.
AIG reports that its purpose is to help clients face uncertainty and build confidence for the future. The company says they are shaped by a commitment to learning, trust, and working together, guided by these values:
According to the company, employees are given support and space to grow, with a focus on tackling challenges together. AIG lists several benefits for its staff:
AIG also says that it builds a culture where everyone is respected and included. The company reports it uses fair pay structures and supports career growth for all employees.
Peter Zaffino is the chairperson and CEO of AIG, taking on both roles in 2021 and 2022 respectively. Before joining the firm in 2017, Zaffino held executive positions at Marsh & McLennan Companies and GE Capital. He has a bachelor’s degree from Boston College and an MBA from New York University.
The executive leadership team at AIG brings strong experience in insurance and finance:
AIG’s executive leadership team oversees core functions in marketing, underwriting, reinsurance, finance, risk management, and legal affairs, each led by experienced industry professionals.
AIG welcomed over 120 interns in 2025 to give students real-world experience and build future talent. The company offered hands-on learning in areas like claims, finance, and underwriting, helping interns develop industry skills and professional networks. This program supports its long-term growth by preparing new professionals who understand its business and values.
The company also helped boost the visibility of women’s golf by serving as the title sponsor of the AIG Women’s Open. It helped triple the prize money and secured play on famous courses which made the event more competitive and global. The firm continues its focus on equality and works to lead in supporting women’s sports.
The Obama administration's pay czar is limiting the cash compensation for executives at companies that received the largest taxpayer bailouts to $500,000.
American International Group Inc. recently made several high-level appointments and agreed to sell some assets, but recruiting talent and repaying government debt will remain challenges, according to experts.
A former branch manager who headed one of the largest groups of reps at FSC Securities Corp. is suing the broker-dealer after what he claims was a thwarted and contentious attempt to buy the business from parent AIG Advisor Group earlier last year.
Two long-established advisers have left Royal Alliance Associates Inc., one of the broker-dealers in the AIG Advisor Group, citing mistrust of management after AIG's top executive elected to hold onto — rather than sell — the broker-dealer network.
The AIG Advisor Group Inc. said last week it is making more widespread changes by cutting staff and consolidating operations among the back offices of its three broker-dealers.
A Tennessee representative formerly affiliated with AIG Financial Advisors Inc. spent time making voodoo dolls of his victims to ward off their damaging testimony, prosecutors said.
AIG Advisor Group Inc.'s move to dole out retention bonuses to assuage the 6,000 or so brokers who have remained loyal through the tumult of the past year appears to be too little, too late, or simply too binding for some advisers.
Fee income from annuity sales climbed at bank holding companies during the first three quarters of 2009, but sales of fixed annuities in the bank channel slipped, according to two separate studies released last week.
After two successive profitable quarters, the besieged insurer reports a loss of nearly $9B in the fourth quarter.
In a huge blow to SagePoint Financial Inc., one of three broker-dealers that make up the AIG Advisor Group Inc., its largest branch of reps and advisers is walking out the door following a bitter dispute over the latter's role and future at SagePoint.
American International Group Inc. is launching a plan to revamp how it arrives at incentive pay for its workers, according to the NY Times.
MetLife Inc. is in the final stages of talks with American International Group Inc. about a deal to buy AIG subsidiary American Life Insurance Co. for about $8 billion in stock and access a bridge loan, according to published reports.
Shares of MetLife slid Wednesday, a day after the insurer confirmed that it's in talks with American International Group Inc. about buying the American Life Insurance Company.
American International Group Inc. is set to pay out about $100 million in a fresh round of bonuses to employees of its financial products division, the unit whose risky bets helped sink the company leading to a $180 billion government bailout, according to reports published Tuesday.
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