New York, Jan 6, 2026, 14:41 EST — Regular session
- AIG shares slid about 6% after the insurer disclosed a CEO transition plan.
- Former Aon executive Eric Andersen will join as president and CEO-elect on Feb. 16.
- Analysts flagged uncertainty as investors weigh continuity of AIG’s turnaround.
American International Group shares fell on Tuesday after the insurer said Chief Executive Peter Zaffino plans to retire by mid-2026 and move to executive chair, with former Aon president Eric Andersen lined up as successor. AIG stock was down 6.2% at $79.13 in afternoon trade. 1
The leadership change lands at a delicate moment for AIG, which has leaned on tighter underwriting and capital returns to win back investors after years of uneven results. A sudden shift at the top can matter as much as an earnings miss if markets fear a change in risk appetite or buyback pace.
Analysts said the lack of detail around the timing risks distracting management and the market. “At a minimum, the announcement creates uncertainty, discontinuity and distraction in management ranks,” JPMorgan’s Jimmy Bhullar wrote, while Evercore ISI said Andersen may face a learning curve given AIG’s complexity. 2
Andersen will join on Feb. 16 as president and CEO-elect — the board’s designated successor — and is expected to take the top job after June 1, with Zaffino staying on as executive chair, the company said. Aon shares were down about 0.1% and the S&P 500 was up about 0.6%.
Zaffino, who also chairs the board, framed the move as an orderly handoff after a multiyear overhaul. “Now is the appropriate time to begin to transition leadership of the company,” he said in the statement. 3
Investors have largely credited Zaffino with restoring underwriting profits and using buybacks and dividends to lift the stock, even as the insurer navigated management churn. AIG shares rose about 20% in 2025, Barron’s reported. 4
Technically, Tuesday’s drop dragged AIG below its 50-day moving average of about $79.98, a trend line some traders use to gauge momentum. The stock has traded between $69.24 and $88.07 over the past 52 weeks, according to Yahoo Finance data. 5
The risk for bulls is that a prolonged transition dulls focus on underwriting discipline — the core job of pricing risk so premiums cover claims and costs — just as insurers face swings in catastrophe losses and competitive pricing. Any sign that capital returns slow, or that targets shift, could keep pressure on the shares.
