IN BRIEF (Page 16)

AIG may sell Canadian arm

American International Group Inc may sell its Canadian life insurance operations to Bank of Montreal, Canada's fourth-largest bank by assets, said a person with knowledge of the matter. AIG is in talks with the Toronto-based bank and may reach an agreement as soon as today, said the person, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the talks are private. Once the world's biggest insurer by assets, New York-based AIG is being forced to sell dozens of divisions, including a jet-leasing company and insurance operations from the US to Japan, to repay a $60 billion US government loan.

UK economy continues fall