It would seem imprudent, given the government’s recent and unprecedented bailout of companies such as insurance giant AIG, for the likes of AIG to even entertain the idea of hefty executive payouts — but clearly, prudence isn’t a highly valued quality on Wall Street of late. Enter New York State Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo.


The New York Times:

American International Group agreed Thursday to help the New York State attorney general’s office recover tens of millions of dollars in improper expenditures, including compensation given to two former top executives.

A.I.G. also agreed to cancel a $10 million severance package for its former chief financial officer, Steven J. Bensinger. He was replaced on Thursday by the giant insurance company’s comptroller, David L. Herzog.

The agreement came a day after Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo assailed A.I.G. for making “unwarranted and outrageous expenditures” that he said violated New York law and that he called particularly “irresponsible and damaging” in light of the federal government’s $123 billion rescue of the company.

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