AIG staff told to keep their heads down in bonuses row

Staff at US insurance giant AIG have been warned to stay inconspicuous in public amid growing anger over bonuses paid out despite the billions in government aid used to keep the company afloat .

In a leaked memo, the firm’s corporate security team advise employees to remain “vigilant” due to the “growing sense of public attention fuelled by increased media scrutiny”.

They are warned to travel in pairs at night, not to wear the company logo in public and to avoid conversations about AIG.

It comes as politicians in Washington attempt to claw back $165m (€121m) in bonuses paid out to around 415 executives at AIG. Earlier this week President Barack Obama described the windfall payments as an “outrage”, blaming the firm’s financial woes on “recklessness and greed”.

AIG has so far received about $170b ($125bn) in bail-out money to rescue it from potential collapse.

As a result it is now 80% government-owned.

News of the bonuses have led to widespread anger among the general public - whose taxes have been used to prop up the ailing firm.