AIG's Bonus Plan

The notorious insurance company described AIG's bonus plan in its SEC filings.

Annual cash bonus.

Annual cash bonuses are intended to reward overall AIG, business unit and individual performance during the year. The bonus paid to each participant in the executive bonus pool is generally based on an assessment of business unit performance and individual performance for the year, taking into account the individual’s target bonus level for the year.

In addition, to provide the overall AIG performance element, the Committee establishes the annual executive bonus pool for participants (excluding the Chief Executive Officer) at the beginning of the year based on a total bonus level intended to be comparable to market competitors. The annual pool is adjusted by the Committee at year-end within a range of 0 to 150 percent based on AIG’s overall results relative to the current year’s performance objectives, the prior year’s performance, market conditions and estimated performance of competitors. This adjusted pool amount acts as a ceiling for the total annual bonuses to participants and provides an overall AIG performance component.

Does it sound like taxpayers owe executives money for creating a $170 billion black hole? Not in the least.