UK Insurance company Prudential is among the list of bidders for parts of troubled insurance giant American Institute Group (AIG).

The UK firm is thought to be bidding against MetLife and Axa, all of whom are understood to have conducted separate talks with AIG over deals for various sections of their company.

AIG was once the world's largest insurer but has recently fallen into financial difficulties after the collapse of the American sub-prime market. The company was bailed out by the American government for a figure of around $150bn.