According to reports the New York attorney general's office is developing a deal with Aon which would settle its dispute with the company over allegedly corrupt compensation practices.

There were no reports of a deal with Marsh & McLennan (MMC), the company at the centre of Eliot Spitzer's investigation into fraud and bid-rigging.

Spitzer reportedly praised Aon chief executive Patrick Ryan who, he said, had been cooperating with the investigation. No charges had been brought against the company, he said.

On Marsh, Spitzer reportedly said the company would prefer a “resolution sooner rather than later".

But, he said, MMC's initial response to the investigation was not as pro-active as it was at other companies involved.

He said: “There is improper behaviour at many companies by individuals. But again, once we have dealt with the senior leadership of those other companies, they have said, ‘What are the problems? How do we dig into them? Let's resolve them.' That was not the response at Marsh & McLennan.”