‘Some AIG employees will pay back bonuses’

Some employees at AIG Inc's Financial Products group will return their retention bonuses.

Some employees at American International Group Inc’s Financial Products group will return their retention bonuses amid outrage over the $165 million in payouts to a unit that hobbled the insurer,the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday.

AIG has drawn intense fire from the public,politicians and President Barack Obama for accepting up to $180 billion in government aid and then handing out fat bonuses.

In congressional testimony on Wednesday,AIG chairman Edward Liddy said he had asked employees receiving more than $100,000 in bonuses to repay at least half. He also said some employees had already given back their entire bonuses. Some had taken payouts and left the company,he said without providing details.

One of the people who agreed to return his bonus was Douglas Poling,who received the largest payment of more than $6.4 million,the Journal said,quoting a person familiar with the matter. Poling,48,is an executive vice president responsible for energy and infrastructure investments,the Journal reported on its website. When contacted by the paper,Poling declined comment.

Poling and about 400 other current and former employees from AIG’s financial products unit received bonus payments,according to the paper.

AIG told the Journal that James Haas,47,and Jon Liebergall,43,the co-heads of North American marketing for AIG’s financial products unit,would also return their bonuses.

In a statement,AIG said they are both “willing to do what Mr. Liddy has determined is appropriate.”