Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner batted back an assault from U.S. lawmakers Wednesday over the bailout of American International Group Inc., saying he took "full responsibility, and great pride" in his decisions, including one to pay banks in full on contracts they had with the insurer.

In the House hearing, members of both parties lambasted Mr. Geithner and his former employer, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, for giving banks a "piggybank full of taxpayer dollars" and adopting an "absolute code of silence" in resisting disclosure of the transactions.