Marsh & McLennan To Pay $435M Under Settlements

NEW YORK (AP) — Insurance broker Marsh & McLennan Cos. said Friday it will pay $435 million to settle two class-action lawsuits filed in the wake of allegations of bid rigging and price fixing.

The suits were filed on behalf of three retirement plans that experienced steep losses after the charges were made against the company in 2004. The company's stock dropped precipitously after Eliot Spitzer, then New York's attorney general, announced the charges.

Marsh and McLennan said it does not admit to any wrongdoing under the latest settlements.

Under one settlement, March & McLennan will pay $400 million to pension funds in New Jersey and Ohio. About half that will be covered by insurance, and the remainder will be paid for by cash on hand.

The company also settled for $35 million another class-action suit filed on behalf of a Marsh & McLennan retirement fund. Insurance will cover $25 million of the cost.

In 2005, Marsh and McLennan agreed to pay $850 million to end an investigation into charges it took payoffs from insurance companies to steer clients their way. The company also agreed at the time to change its practices and issue a public apology calling its conduct "unlawful" and "shameful."