February 11, 2008: AIG Reveals Major Problem in Derivatives, Share Price Hit Hard

The insurance corporation AIG submits a regulatory filing showing that its credit default swaps have declined four times more than previously announced (see December 5, 2007): by $4.88 billion in October and November of 2007. It also shows that AIG’s auditors have found a “material weakness” in the firm’s accounting for the contracts, and AIG does not know what they were worth at the end of 2007. The news means AIG shares suffer the worst one-day decline in two decades, falling 12 percent to $44.74. [Bloomberg, 9/16/2008]