U.S. to launch public offering of AIG common stock

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Treasury Department said on Friday it has initiated a public offering of its common stock in AIG, the insurer the government bailed out in 2008 at the height of the financial crisis.

AIG has said it intends to buy up to $2 billion of the stock sold in the offering, the Treasury Department said in a statement. The size and price of the offering are to be determined, the Treasury said in a statement.

(Reporting by Mark Felsenthal)