Stocks in the news: AIG, Deere & Co., Tiffany, J. Crew, Microsoft

American International Group Inc. (AIG) has been authorized by its board to pay CEO Robert Benmosche's $7 million in compensation, after it laid to rest concerns that he might quit his post. This breaks down to an annual salary of $3 million in cash and $4 million in fully-vested AIG stock, which he can't sell for five years. With a performance bonus, the value of his pay package could reach $10.5 million.

Deere & Co. (DE) reported a quarterly net loss of $222.8 million, or 53 cents a share, on Wednesday on weak equipment sales, which fell 28% to $5.33 billion, and a series of one-time charges. Excluding charges, Deere would have earned 23 cents per share. The company also gave a fiscal 2010 outlook below analyst projections. Shares fell 1.3% in pre-market trading.