AXA, Metlife, Prudential, CIC in AIG unit talks: sources
The logo of American International Group Inc. (AIG) on the outside of their corporate headquarters in New York, November 10, 2008.
Credit: Reuters/Mike Segar
TOKYO (Reuters) - Insurance firms Axa SA (AXAF.PA), MetLife Inc (MET.N) and Prudential Plc (PRU.L), and China's sovereign wealth fund CIC are all in talks to buy a unit of U.S. insurance firm AIG in a deal that is likely to fetch $10.8 billion, financial industry sources said on Wednesday.
Each of the four firms is in separate talks with AIG (AIG.N) about buying its unit, American Life Insurance Co, or Alico, and the deal is likely to close in the new year, said the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
AIG, once the world's largest insurer by market value, is looking to shed assets around the globe to repay a $152 billion U.S. government rescue package.
On top of that, it owes around $10 billion to other financial services firms for trades that have gone sour, the Wall Street Journal reported this week.
Alico has operations in 55 countries, including Japan, where it generates more than half of its revenue. The firm is Japan's fifth-largest life insurer in terms of revenue.
Top U.S. life insurer Metlife and France's Axa are bidding for the unit's global business, while Britain's Prudential is looking to pick up the Asian operations outside of Japan, the sources said.
China's CIC is looking to take a partial stake, the sources said.
Separate sources told Reuters on Tuesday that U.S. insurer Prudential Financial (PRU.N), Canada's Manulife Financial Corp (MFC.TO) and three other companies were expected to bid for two Japanese units of AIG.
(Writing by David Dolan; Editing by Sophie Hardach)
