Aon: end of contingent fees is a 'wonderful catalyst'.

The settlements that resolved New York state Attorney General Eliot Spitzer's investigation into alleged wrongdoing by brokers brought a positive result for Aon Corp., its president and chief executive officer said.

"It's been frustrating for us--how everything has been lumped together" Greg Case said, encouraging people to read the settlement agreement between Spitzer and Aon and compare it with the agreements with Marsh & McLennan Cos. and Willis Group Holdings Ltd. Marsh faced not only bid-rigging allegations but claims of market timing and other improper practices in its Putnam Funds unit.

Aon didn't rely heavily on contingent commissions for revenue, Case told Best's Review in an interview before the official kick-off reception of the Risk and Insurance Management Society Inc.'s annual conference in Honolulu on April 23.

Sipping on a diet Mountain Dew, Case said he took the helm at Aon, the second-largest broker, about a year ago, "when it wasn't fashionable to come to brokers."

Eliminating contingent commissions "was a wonderful catalyst for us," Case said. "What transparency gives you is a way to trade off price and value."