US Congress weighing ways to recoup AIG bonuses

Scenarios being considered

U.S. lawmakers are proposing various options to try to recoup millions of dollars in bonuses paid to executives of insurer American International Group Inc <AIG.N> after it got billions of dollars in government aid.

Here are a few ideas that lawmakers have floated, some of which could be considered by the U.S. Congress as early as this week:

* The leading candidate among lawmakers for recouping the money is adopting a tax specifically focused on the AIG bonuses because the insurer received taxpayer money from the $700 billion financial bailout. Leaders of the Senate Finance Committee proposed a 70 percent excise tax on bonuses paid to executives at companies that received bailout money.

* Another option would be to use the U.S. government's position as the majority shareholder in AIG, some 80 percent, to sue the company to recoup the money.

* House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi said one option being considered is authorizing the U.S. attorney general to recover excessive compensation payments made by companies that have received government aid.

* Lawmakers have also called for the recipients of the bonuses to voluntarily give up the money.