American International Group Inc, the insurer majority owned by the U.S. after a 2008 bailout, is hosting an event at a California facility that advertises “the amenities of an ultra luxury hotel.” The American General unit assembled about 65 people who distribute its products for a two-and-a-half-day stay this week at the Resort at Pelican Hill in Newport Beach, California, said Larry Mark, a spokesman for AIG’s life insurance division. Nine AIG managers were also sent to the resort to make presentations, Mark said in a e-mail. He declined to say the cost of the event for the insurer…“We are back to the business of being in business and we’re in the marketplace competing,” said Mark. [Bloomberg]
parties
As you may have heard, the last several years have not been so hot for RBS. In the last 12 months alone, the bank beat expectation by posting “a bigger-than-estimated first quarter loss” (with a loss of 1.4 billion pounds for the first half), employees have gotten canned, management has already informed staff that 2011 bonuses will be less than 2010′s, you can’t say “ABN Amro” without getting tased, they’re still mopping up the mess from ToiletGate, they just got downgraded by Fitch, and the Queen is riding all their asses. What was left to look forward to? Not much at all but at least there was the annual Christmas party which, since 2008 has amounted to one bag of (fun size) chips per head. It wasn’t a lot but it was something and now? It’s gone.
RBS is canceling Christmas for its investment bankers this year as the government-owned lender tries to reduce costs.
Okay, so, no Christmas party seems a bit harsh but employees can still get into the holiday spirit with non-Christ-based soirées, right? WRONG! There will be no Halloween parties, no pre-Thanksgiving raves, no New Year’s bashes, no Beamer’s Appreciation Day on RBS’s watch. Continue reading »
Last month it was reported that in 2007, executives with Munich Re subsidiary Ergo Versicherungsgruppe came up with the idea to throw a party for top performing sales executives at a bathhouse, featuring a bunch of prostitutes for their consumption. Because such events have the potential to devolve into mass chaos, with buyers and sellers running amok and no one knowing who’s down for what, the Germans had the bright idea to keep order via color-coding. Each hooker would wear an armband, with yellow indicating “available for sexual favors,” red indicating that she was a hostess and white indicating that she was “reserved for executives and top agents.” Additionally, the girls also received a “stamp” following each visit to one of the curtained canopied beds, so party-goers could know how many times she’d been “frequented.” When the story came out, a spokesman for the company said in a statement that incentive trips for successful salespeople “definitely don’t usually proceed the way it’s described.” Since then, current and former employees have countered that that’s actually exactly how they usually proceed and were going to keep proceeding, until Ergo ruined everyone’s good time by banning them indefinitely. On top of that, the company has now gone and taken out a full-page ad that includes an apology for the “mistakes” made by both the firm and the participants. Continue reading »
Last week it was reported that in 2007, executives with Munich Re subsidiary Ergo Versicherungsgruppe came up with the idea to throw a party for top performing sales executives at a bathhouse, featuring a bunch of prostitutes for their consumption. Because such events have the potential to devolve into mass chaos, with buyers and sellers running amok and no one knowing who’s down for what, the Germans had the bright idea to keep order via color-coding. Each hooker would wear an armband, with yellow indicating “available for sexual favors,” red indicating that she was a hostess and white indicating that she was “reserved for executives and top agents.” Additionally, the girls also received a “stamp” following each visit to one of the curtained canopied beds, so party-goers could know how many times she’d been “frequented.” When the story came out, a spokesman for the company said in a statement that incentive trips for successful salespeople “definitely don’t usually proceed the way it’s described.” Apparently he was just kidding because according to Ergo employees, that’s exactly how they “usually” proceed, and were going to keep proceeding, until someone had to go and ruin thing for the whole group. Continue reading »
Just concede it's possible.
While it’s not yet clear if people will be in a celebratory mood, UBS has just invited to New York and Stamford staff to get down in honor of bonus day. Continue reading »
Say what you will about 70 Pine Street– the headquarters of AIG, the most majestic insurance company/hedge fund in all the land, but we’ve all had some good times there, whether directly or as the indirect beneficiaries of stuff that went down. It’s incredibly emotional even just to think about the fact that the company is moving out of the building but in times of great sadness like these, we must put on a brave face, celebrate, and pay homage. To that end, management is throwing a little party next week to mark the end of the era. Refreshments– presumably alcoholic in nature, as is fitting– will be served and while the invite doesn’t say, we’re just going to assume that reenactments of the “best of” moments will take place. Such as:
- The day Hank Greenberg signed off on AIG-FP and Joe Casanno saying by calling him “one of the greats”
- The earnings conference call in May of 2008 when they announced they were raising capital AND raising their dividend
- The time Goldman Sachs sent two dudes over in the middle of the night to shove Ed Liddy’s head in a toilet while the following dialogue took place:
GS Thug: Where’s the money, Liddy? Where’s the fucking money, shithead?
Liddy: It’s uh… uh… it’s down there somewhere, let me take another look. Continue reading »
Are you a man or woman of refined taste based in the UK? Have you been looking for a new bank and require the following:
* A grand opening that involve waitresses toting giant trays of ice cream, batons, “dancers sporting vermilion fright wigs parading on stilts,” white balloons embossed with the legend JOIN THE REVOLUTION!
* A pooch-friendly environment
* A disco-themed lobby
* A founder who lives in an “Italianate mansion in New Jersey”
* The Meredith Whitney stamp of approval
Vernon Hill knows. And he’s got just the place for you. Continue reading »
- Use the Bloomberg command
NH BLG_DEALBREAKER <GO>
to access Dealbreaker
