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 AIG Advisor Group has seen a massive defection from one of its broker-dealers, involving a network of reps that produced more than $41 million in gross revenue last year.
New York Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo has demanded that AIG recover the money it spent on lavish outings, bonuses and golden parachutes — and threatened sanctions if the insurer didn’t heed the order.
Major life insurance companies’ investments in non-prime mortgages are going to continue hurting their capital positions as the year rolls on, according to a study from Fitch Ratings Ltd.
Some representatives and advisers wonder whether their broker-dealer will be able to cut it, and broker-dealer executives are dealing with the trials — and prospects — presented by the financial-markets crisis.
Since the financial crisis shined a harsh light on the viability of stable-value and money market funds, advisers who counsel employers on their 401(k) plans are taking a closer look at these investments.
Not mentioning its broker-dealer network, AIG said it wants to sell a number of business lines, but not its core property and casualty insurance lines.
The broker-dealers in the AIG Advisor Group Inc. will be included as part of the massive asset sale that parent company American International Group Inc. could unveil as early as tomorrow, according to an investment banking source who asked not to be identified.
Financial advisers could soon find themselves paying more for AIG's variable annuities.
Last week's implosion on Wall Street has given financial advisers and their clients a jolt of unprecedented proportions.
Defending his decision to drive Merrill Lynch & Co. Inc. into the arms of Bank of America Corp. in less than 48 hours of negotiations, Merrill chief executive John Thain told the firm's 16,000 brokers last Monday that he had saved their jobs.
MetLife Inc. has some $800 million in exposure to the now-collapsed Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. and the just-rescued American International Group Inc. and is assessing the recoverability of those investments.
After a weekend of turmoil, shares of American International Group Inc. lost more than half their value in the first hour of trading.
Lehman Brothers is verging on collapse, even as Bank of America has reportedly bought Merrill Lynch for $44 billion; AIG hammering out its own rescue strategy.
Lehman Brothers is verging on collapse, even as Bank of America is reportedly in talks to purchase Merrill Lynch and AIG hammers out its own rescue strategy.
Former AIG chairman and chief executive Maurice Greenberg and other former executives at the insurer will have to cough up $115 million as part of a settlement in a derivatives lawsuit with the Teachers’ Retirement System of Louisiana.
