The gall: AIG considers suing the government for its bailout

Some shareholders are bitter that they lost money over the deal

Former AIG CEO Maurice Greenberg
(Image credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

AIG recently rolled out a new television ad campaign called "Thank you, America," in which the company humbly expresses its gratitude for the massive $182 billion bailout it received from taxpayers at the height of the financial crisis. (Watch one of the ads below.) And the Treasury announced in December that it had sold its last remaining stake in the insurance giant, ending a fraught relationship that earned the government a neat $22.7 billion profit — a point underscored by AIG in its latest ad blitz.

But it seems that what AIG is really saying is, "Thank you, America — for nothing." The New York Times reports that AIG's board of directors is considering joining a $25 billion lawsuit against the government for rescuing the company from oblivion. Per Ben Protess and Michael J. De La Merced at the Times:

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Ryu Spaeth

Ryu Spaeth is deputy editor at TheWeek.com. Follow him on Twitter.