Business description of American-International-Group-Inc from last 10-k form

AIG 2009 Form 10-K            2

American International Group, Inc., and Subsidiaries

Part I

Item 1.    Business

    American International Group, Inc. (AIG), a Delaware corporation, is a holding company which, through its subsidiaries, is engaged primarily in a broad range of insurance and insurance-related activities in the United States and abroad.

    Since September 2008, AIG has been working to protect and enhance the value of its key businesses, execute an orderly asset disposition plan, and position itself for the future. AIG has entered into several important transactions and relationships with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York (FRBNY), the AIG Credit Facility Trust (together with its trustees, acting in their capacity as trustees, the Trust) and the United States Department of the Treasury (the Department of the Treasury). As a result of these arrangements, AIG is controlled by the Trust, which was established for the sole benefit of the United States Treasury.

    AIG's four reportable segments are as follows:

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General Insurance;



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Domestic Life Insurance & Retirement Services;



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Foreign Life Insurance & Retirement Services; and



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Financial Services.

    The principal business units in each of AIG's reportable segments at year-end 2009 are shown below. For information on AIG's reportable segments, including geographic areas of operation, and changes made in 2009, see Note 4 to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

3            AIG 2009 Form 10-K

    Throughout this Annual Report on Form 10-K, AIG presents its operations in the way it believes will be most meaningful, as well as most transparent. Certain of the measurements used by AIG management are "non-GAAP financial measures" under SEC rules and regulations. Underwriting profit (loss) is utilized to report results for AIG's General Insurance operations. Pre-tax income (loss) before net realized capital gains (losses) is utilized to report results for AIG's life insurance and retirement services operations. For an explanation of why AIG management considers these "non-GAAP measures" useful to investors, see Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.

    Following is additional information about AIG's operations:

General Insurance Operations

    AIG's General Insurance subsidiaries are multiple line companies writing substantially all lines of property and casualty insurance both domestically and abroad and comprise the Commercial Insurance and the Foreign General Insurance operating segments. In July 2009, AIG's General Insurance subsidiaries were rebranded as Chartis (Commercial Insurance operates as Chartis U.S. and Foreign General Insurance operates as Chartis International). Chartis Private Client Group (Private Client Group) is part of Chartis U.S.

    AIG is diversified both in terms of classes of business and geographic locations. In General Insurance, general and auto liability business is the largest class of business written and represented approximately 15 percent of net premiums written for the year ended December 31, 2009. During 2009, 8 percent, 6 percent and 6 percent of the direct General Insurance premiums written (gross premiums less return premiums and cancellations, excluding reinsurance assumed and before deducting reinsurance ceded) were written in the states of California, New York and Texas, respectively, and 11 percent and 9 percent were written in Japan and the United Kingdom, respectively. No other state or foreign country accounted for more than five percent of such premiums.

    The majority of AIG's General Insurance business is in the casualty classes, which tend to involve longer periods of time for the reporting and settling of claims. This may increase the risk and uncertainty with respect to AIG's loss reserve development.

Commercial Insurance

    Commercial Insurance's business in the United States and Canada is conducted through American Home, National Union, Lexington and certain other General Insurance company subsidiaries of AIG.

    Chartis U.S. writes substantially all classes of business insurance, accepting such business mainly from insurance brokers. This provides Chartis U.S. the opportunity to select specialized markets and retain underwriting control. Any licensed broker is able to submit business to Chartis U.S. without the traditional agent-company contractual relationship, but such broker usually has no authority to commit Chartis U.S. to accept a risk.

    In addition to writing substantially all classes of business insurance, including large commercial or industrial property insurance, excess liability, inland marine, environmental, workers' compensation and excess and umbrella

AIG 2009 Form 10-K            4

coverages, Chartis U.S. offers many specialized forms of insurance such as aviation, accident and health, equipment breakdown, directors and officers liability (D&O), difference-in-conditions, kidnap-ransom, export credit and political risk, and various types of professional errors and omissions coverages. Also included in Chartis U.S. are the operations of Commercial Casualty, which provides insurance and risk management programs for large corporate customers and is a leading provider of customized structured insurance products, and Chartis Environmental, which focuses on providing specialty products to clients with environmental exposures. Lexington writes surplus lines for risks on which conventional insurance companies do not readily provide insurance coverage, either because of complexity or because the coverage does not lend itself to conventional contracts. The Chartis Worldsource Division introduces and coordinates AIG's products and services to U.S.-based multinational clients and foreign corporations doing business in the U.S. Private Client Group provides a broad range of coverages for high net worth individuals.

Foreign General Insurance

    Chartis International writes both commercial and consumer lines of insurance through a network of agencies, branches and foreign-based insurance subsidiaries. Chartis International uses various marketing methods and multiple distribution channels to write both commercial and consumer lines of insurance with certain refinements for local laws, customs and needs. Chartis International operates in Asia, the Pacific Rim, Europe, the U.K., Africa, the Middle East and Latin America.

Discussion and Analysis of Consolidated Net Losses and Loss Expense Reserve Development

    The reserve for net losses and loss expenses represents the accumulation of estimates for reported losses (case basis reserves) and provisions for losses incurred but not reported (IBNR), both reduced by applicable reinsurance recoverable and the discount for future investment income, where permitted. Net losses and loss expenses are charged to income as incurred.