AIGが格下げ

破綻懸念のある米大手保険会社AIGですが、月曜日の夜に、その格付けが引き下げられた、とCNNMoney.comが報じています。格付け会社のFitchは、AIGの格付けを「AA-」から「A」に引き下げました。また、スタンダード&プアーズも、同様に格下げの方向で検討中で、もしそうなると、AIGの資金調達は、とても困難になるとのこと。

AIG downgrade could prove costly

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- The pressure on troubled insurer American International Group intensified Monday night as a credit rating agency downgraded the firm.

Another cut could prove very costly to AIG, which is scrambling to raise much-needed capital.

Fitch Rating downgraded AIG to A, from AA-, saying the company's ability to raise cash is "extremely limited" because of its plummeting stock price, widening yields on its debt, and difficult capital market conditions.

The company could be required to post $10.5 billion of additional collateral if it is downgraded one notch by one of the other major rating agencies and $13.3 billion of collateral if downgraded by both, Fitch said in a statement, citing AIG's July 31 estimates.

Standard & Poor's late Friday warned it might downgrade AIG, placing the company on CreditWatch negative.

Hoping to avoid such downgrades, state and federal officials raced Monday to help the insurer gain access to much needed cash. Credit downgrades could doom its business.

New York State gave the nation's largest insurer the power to transfer $20 billion in assets from its subsidiaries to use as collateral for daily operations, said Gov. David Patterson. In exchange, the parent company will give the subsidiaries less-liquid assets.

"It is simply giving AIG (AIG, Fortune 500) in effect the ability to provide a bridge loan to itself," said Paterson, stressing the company is financially sound and that no taxpayer dollars are involved.

Meanwhile, the Federal Reserve asked Goldman Sachs (GS, Fortune 500) and JPMorgan Chase (JPM, Fortune 500) to make $70 billion to $75 billion in loans available to AIG, the Wall Street Journal reported.

However, any discussions are very preliminary, a source close to the matter told CNNMoney.com.

Also, the Fed has hired Morgan Stanley (MS, Fortune 500) to examine alternatives for AIG and determine whether the government should help the insurer, a source said.

JPMorgan and the Fed declined to comment, while Goldman and Morgan Stanley did not immediately return requests for comment.