Gen Re Trial Hears Closing Arguments

Today the General Re Corp. finite risk trial began to hear closing arguments began. Prosecutors charge that five defendants conspired to help American International Group Inc. (AIG) commit fraud. Lawyers for two of the defendants countering that no such conspiracy existed.

Source: Source: Business Insurance | Published on February 12, 2008

Jurors heard from Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Glover that the evidence in the case, which included dozens of e-mails, recorded phone conversations and testimony from two cooperating witnesses, hows that the five engineered a loss portfolio reinsurance deal that allowed AIG to inflate its loss reserves by $500 million in 2000 and 2001.

The deal appeared to transfer risk, but the defendants agreed that AIG would not be billed for losses and would secretly refund Gen Re’s $10 million premium and pay Gen Re a $5 million fee, prosecutors allege.

“That’s how you know AIG was not reinsuring General Re for anything: They were paying Gen Re $5 million,” Mr. Glover told the jury. “It was paid to Gen Re so that AIG could add zeros to its balance sheet.”