Major credit ratings agencies downgraded the American International Group late Monday, worsening its financial health, as Federal Reserve officials and two leading investment banks were in urgent talks to put together a $75 billion line of credit to stave off a crisis at the company.
The credit downgrades are likely to force the company to turn over billions of dollars in collateral to its derivatives trading partners.
Without the financing, which was being arranged by Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase in talks with the Federal Reserve officials, A.I.G. might be forced to declare bankruptcy, according to two people briefed on the situation.
The talks, which began last week and continued through the weekend, added to the sense of agitation in the stock market on Monday, as investors grappled with the implications of the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers, which, like A.I.G., was a large counterparty to derivatives contracts held by countless financial institutions.
Shares in A.I.G. tumbled more than 60 percent on Monday morning as concerns grew that the firm lacked capital to withstand cuts to its debt rating, which were borne out later in the day. The company’s potential write-offs are mounting and may reach $60 billion to $70 billion, according to two people briefed on the situation.
Most of A.I.G.’s businesses are healthy, but its troubles grew from one unit that dealt in complex debt securities and derivatives and now threatens to drain cash more quickly than the financing package can be assembled.