American International Group Inc. (AIG) will use shares of AIG common stock in the compensation packages of some of its top employees rather than stock units reflecting a "basket" of AIG companies, as it previously planned.

In November, pay czar Kenneth R. Feinberg called for AIG to pay a portion of the 2009 salary of its top 25 employees in the form of stock units that reflected a basket of four AIG insurance subsidiaries that will eventually be spun off into independent companies.

In a Securities and Exchange Commission filing Thursday, AIG said it requested that the stock salary in some cases be granted in the form of common stock of AIG itself, rather than the basket, and Feinberg gave his permission. The 2009 stock grants are redeemable by the executives in equal portions over a three-year period.

The change comes amid employee concerns over the reduced pay mandated by Feinberg for the handful of companies that received extraordinary TARP relief.

Last week, AIG's former senior counsel, Anastasia Kelly, resigned over the reduced pay requirement. The New York Times reported last week that AIG managers called AIG's stock worthless and resisted getting a large part of their salary in the form of shares.

The four AIG subsidiaries that were to make up the basket of stock units were American International Assurance Co. Ltd. and American Life Insurance Co., AIG's two foreign life insurers; Chartis, its worldwide commercial insurance business; and AIG's domestic life & retirement services business. AIG has said it plans to eventually spin off the companies, perhaps in initial public offerings.

Chartis' spinoff was put on hold as Robert Benmosche, who became AIG's CEO in August, decided to focus on rebuilding the value of AIG units, according to a Wall Street Journal report.

Shares of AIG recently traded up 0.5% at $30.13. AIG shares have been on a rollercoaster in the last year, ranging from a low of $6.60 a share in March 2009 to a high of $55.90 in late August, around the time 2009 compensation was being discussed with Feinberg.