NEW YORK – American International Group, the bailed-out insurer, may be allowed by the U.S. paymaster to boost salaries for some of its highest-compensated executives, two people with knowledge of the matter said.

Among AIG’s 25 top-paid managers, some will get raises of less than 10 percent, while others will have their pay cut, according to one of the people, who declined to be identified because final determinations haven’t been made. The reductions would be smaller than in 2009, the person said. An announcement might be made this month, the people said.

AIG’s top leaders had their cash salaries slashed by an average of 91 percent last year as Kenneth Feinberg, the Obama administration special master for executive compensation, used more stock to link awards to company performance. AIG Chairman Harvey Golub told shareholders that the cuts made “little business sense” because the firm couldn’t keep some of its best managers.

“Feinberg realizes that to retain talent, you can’t be as confining as they were last year,” said Jeanne Branthover, a managing director at Boyden Global Executive Search in New York. “For AIG to be successful and pay back the government, it’s all about their people.”

Feinberg, a Washington lawyer, controls pay for the 25 top-earners at AIG and advises on the compensation for the next 75 workers. Less than half of the group of 25 may get raises, and overall individual awards, including deferred compensation, won’t necessarily increase, said one of the people.

“We are in the middle of discussions with AIG and nothing has been decided,” Andrew Williams, a Treasury spokesman, said via e-mail. “As we have said before, we are not going to provide a running commentary on Mr. Feinberg’s work.”