By Juan Lagorio and Lilla Zuill
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Insurer American International Group Inc
The company, whose shares soared by as much as 24 percent, said it would keep its U.S. property and casualty and foreign general insurance businesses and an ownership interest in its foreign life operations, which generated nearly $40 billion in revenues in 2007.
"Literally, everything else that doesn't fit under that definition we are considering for sale," AIG Chief Executive Edward Liddy said on a conference call with analysts.
Liddy said he didn't expect a fire sale, adding that buyers would have to assume the debt of the businesses they acquire.
"I want to balance speed with value ... We have a number of buyers interested," Liddy said in an interview with Reuters.
Among the assets AIG may sell are its aircraft leasing unit, International Lease Finance Corp (ILFC), and its stake in reinsurer Transatlantic Holdings Inc
It could also sell parts of American Life Insurance Co (ALICO), which operates as a life insurer in more than 55 nations and regions, and a minority stake in American International Assurance Company Ltd.
AIG, which had 116,000 employees in 130 countries at the end of last year, also said it was working on alternatives for its financial products business and securities lending program.
The company, once the world's largest insurer, received a federal bailout on September 16 after losses in its financial products unit drove it to the brink of collapse. The bailout would give the U.S. government 80 percent ownership.
The deal carries a high interest rate and fees, and borrowings must be repaid within two years. AIG also suspended dividends on its common stock.
The insurer's troubles, similar to those of Wall Street firms, stem from guarantees it wrote on mortgage-linked derivatives that have resulted in $18 billion in losses over the past three quarters. AIG's revenue fell 3 percent to $110 billion last year.
It said it had drawn $61 billion on the Federal Reserve facility as of September 30 and used the proceeds to cover securities lending and ensure liquidity.
"I am not a big fan of the word 'never,'" Liddy told analysts, when asked whether AIG would go back to the Fed for more help. "I think what the Federal Reserve has provided us has been very generous, and we are going to do everything we can not to have to go back to them."
AIG's shares, which traded as high as $70.13 in the last 52 weeks, fell to $1.25 in the hours before the bailout. The stock was up 78 cents, or 20 percent, to $4.78 in afternoon trade on the New York Stock Exchange.
"Aside from the derivative mess ... there seems to be a significant amount of value still in AIG despite what happened," said Michael Sheldon, chief market strategist of RDM Financial Group.
INTERESTED BUYERS
Liddy said some of AIG's smaller businesses -- such as the Hartford Steam Boiler Inspection and Insurance Co and its 60 percent stake in Transatlantic -- could sell quickly.
"People are already looking at those. We want to make sure the contracts are rock solid," he said. "Nothing has been signed, but we have started the process."
The company is also in advanced talks with a buyer for part of its domestic personal lines business.
Maurice Greenberg, a former CEO who left the company in 2005 following an accounting scandal, has asked Liddy for the chance to bid on AIG assets.
Liddy said he would consider selling some toxic assets if it made sense for the company to the U.S. government if the $700 billion financial bailout plan is approved.
Blackstone Group LP
(Additional reporting by Euan Rocha and Paritosh Bansal, editing by Derek Caney, Steve Orlofsky and Jeffrey Benkoe)
