With more than two dozen insurance companies operated by American International Group conducting business in his state, California Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner has appointed a special examiner to monitor their operations.

Poizner’s office said the special examiner will be based in New York, where AIG‘s U.S. headquarters are located, and report to the deputy insurance commissioner for financial surveillance.

Darrel Ng, a spokesman for the California Department of Insurance, told IFAwebnews.com that Michael Stone assumed the role May 26. Stone is a former insurance examiner, who came out of retirement with the department for the new role and has more than 30 years of regulatory experience.

Ng said that Stone’s appointment is not “indefinite,” but “at some point, when there is not such an urgent need, we’ll evaluate” the position’s future.

The majority of AIG’s insurance companies are located in New York, Massachusetts, Texas and Delaware and Stone will work in concert with regulators in those states, according to Poizner, and other states “where the primary regulatory responsibility lies.”

“Hundreds of thousands of Californians have insurance policies with companies owned by AIG,” Poizner said in a statement. “It’s vital that we have somebody on the ground at AIG’s headquarters in New York to immediately recognize any potential problems so we can work with our regulatory counterparts to solve these issues.”