SCENARIOS-US Congress weighing ways to recoup AIG bonuses

March 17 - 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.