Next Up to the Corporate Gallows: A.I.G.

This is likely to be an active week on Wall Street. Keep an eye on A.I.G.

The big insurance company, the American International Group, was seeking a $40 billion bridge loan Sunday night from the Federal Reserve, as it faces a potential downgrade from credit ratings agencies that could spell its doom, a person briefed on the matter said.

Ratings agencies threatened to downgrade the insurance giant’s credit rating by Monday morning, allowing counterparties to withdraw capital from their contracts with the company. One person close to the firm said that if such an event occurred, A.I.G. may survive for only 48 hours to 72 hours.

Lehman Brothers already filed for bankruptcy protection while Bank of America is acquiring the troubled Merrill Lynch in a stock swap deal.

Yep, interesting times we're living in.