LONDON (AP) -- Barclays PLC said Wednesday it may pick up some of Lehman Brothers assets and employees in Europe and Asia, on top of the British bank's deal to acquire key U.S. operations from the failed investment bank.

"Options, not obligations," Group Chief Executive John Varley said of the possibility of salvaging more of Lehman Brothers businesses.

Barclays PLC, the third-largest British bank, took advantage of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc.'s bankruptcy reorganization to reach a deal on Tuesday for Lehman's North American investment banking and trading operations for just $250 million.

Barclays also picked up Lehman's New York headquarters and two data centers in New Jersey for $1.5 billion, all subject to court and regulatory approval.

Barclays President Robert D. Diamond Jr. said in a conference call with analysts that Barclays' interest was primarily in the U.S. cash equities business, as part of the company's goal to boost its earnings from North America.

"It's an absolute machine, it's extremely profitable," Diamond said.

"We wouldn't want to miss the opportunity to add some of the talent from the U.K. and Europe to the team," Diamond added.

"It would most typically be where Lehman has a strong position and BarCap (Barclays Capital) a weak

WASHINGTON (AP) -- American taxpayers awoke Wednesday to learn they may end up owning one of the world's largest insurers. They might now lose some sleep wondering whether the government's $85 billion loan to American International Group Inc. was a wise investment.

If the gamble succeeds, the company nurses itself back to health, unhinged financial markets calm down and taxpayers turn a profit.

If it fails, the American public feels the hit -- and possibly finds itself rescuing other major financial institutions, swelling the deficit and potentially driving up interest rates on mortgages, student loans and other debt.

Analysts said Wednesday the odds are pretty high that the rescue will be a good investment for taxpayers, with AIG paying off the loan at a relatively high interest rate and the government potentially making money off its nearly 80 percent equity stake in the company.

In 1979, the U.S. guaranteed $1.2 billion worth of loans to the struggling automaker Chrysler. When the company rebounded four years later, the government reaped more than $300 million in profits.

While relatively unknown on Main Street before Wednesday, AIG is a colossus on Wall Street and financial districts around the globe, with operations in more than 130 countries and $1 trillion in assets on its balance sheet.

Besides life, property and other insurance offerings, AIG provides asset-management services and