Hank Greenberg, AIG’s ex-chief executive who was ousted in 2005, acknowledged on Wednesday that he was “angry” and “unhappy” after his forced resignation from the stricken insurer.

Facing more questioning in court, Ted Wells, AIG’s attorney, sought to draw a link between Mr Greenberg’s exit and the termination of a retirement plan at the insurance group that was controlled by Starr International Company, his private investment firm, which had funded the plan since 1970.