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[SpoochyMcGoo]

American International Group Inc. in recent weeks has sought to rally support among investors and credit-ratings firms for a controversial deal: the sale of securities backed by insurance policies on the lives of older people.

There have been few offerings of these types of securities, which critics have called "death bonds," "blood pools" and "collateralized death obligations" because they pay off when the insured dies. And AIG's effort so far isn't panning out. Standard & Poor's recently declined to provide a rating, an essential step in selling such securities to most investors.