Aon has reported receiving $169 million in contingent commissions in 2003 and $132 million in 2004.

I didn't know what the department was going to do because contingent commissions have been around for longer than you and I have been alive.

The settlement is not expected to ban contingent commissions, which are payments for steering insurance contracts to certain companies.

As part of that settlement, Marsh apologized for its actions, and the company banned the use of contingent commissions.

At issue was the practice of insurance companies' payments to brokers (known as contingent commissions).

At Willis, he has been an outspoken supporter of banning contingent commissions, and a vocal advocate of financial transparency.

He supported regulations to ban contingent commissions, launched a public awareness campaign against them, and made Willis the first company to publicly disavow the practice.

It has not specifically addressed contingent commissions in its rules, a spokesman for the regulator, Joseph Eyre, said.

This difference leads to unclear criticisms of contingent commissions as encouraging conflicts of interest.

Instead, Mr. Spitzer abruptly lost his common touch and announced that he was investigating something called "contingent commissions" in the commercial insurance business.