AIG
Background & History:
In 1919, Cornelius Vander Starr established an insurance agency in Shanghai, China, to sell insurance to the Chinese. The company flourished in China until early 1949 when Mao Zedong led the Communist People's Liberation Army into Shanghai. Starr moved the company to New York City and continued operations. Over the years, the company expanded into several markets, such as parts of Asia, Latin America, Europe and the Middle East, through the acquisition of subsidiaries.
In the early ‘60s Maurice Greenberg took over the North American operations and shifted the focus from personal lines of insurance to corporate coverage. Additionally, he began selling policies through independent brokers rather than salaried agents to reduce overhead. The company went public in 1969.
*As of July, 2009



