AIG Will Be Able to Repay Debt, Poll Says

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- For all of American International Group's (AIG Quote)faults -- and there are many -- TheStreet.com's readers still think the company will be able to repay its mounds of debt.

Almost two thirds -- 64.5% -- of the more than 2,500 voters in our weeklong poll said that AIG will ultimately be able to repay the $85 billion loan it received from the government last fall. Only 35.5% said AIG would be unable to make the payments.

AIG made some strides this week to repay its debt to society.

The company said it will repay $2 billion in short-term debt for its International Lease Finance unit, which was due on Thursday.

The company also sold off its Taiwan unit, Nan Shan Life, for $2.15 billion to Primus Financial. This is the biggest sale AIG has made since it began divesting asset after asset last year.

But the sale, of course, comes with a price. AIG said it will record a charge of about $1.4 billion after taxes in the fourth quarter related to the sale of its 98% stake in the company.

The sale of Nan Shan falls under the "held-for-sale" criteria. The rule, which was initiated in 2001, requires companies to value an asset for sale at the lower of either its carrying amount or its fair value less the cost to sell. Future operating losses cannot be recognized before they occur.