EXHIBIT 4(a)




                                  CERTIFICATE



      I, Otto B Gerlach III, Assistant Secretary of American General Finance

Corporation, an Indiana corporation (the "Company"), do hereby certify that

attached hereto is a true copy of resolutions duly adopted by a duly

authorized and appointed committee of the Board of Directors of the Company at

a meeting duly called and held on September 26, 1994, at which meeting a

quorum was present and acting throughout, and such resolutions have not been

amended, modified or rescinded and remain in full force and effect.



      IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto signed my name.



Dated:  September 28, 1994





                                                /S/ OTTO B GERLACH III        
                                                Otto B Gerlach III
                                                Assistant Secretary







American General Finance Corporation

Date:             September 26, 1994

Subject:          Meeting  of  Terms and  Pricing  Committee  (Messrs. Hanley,
                  Leitch, Tuerff and Tuters)

Purpose:          The purpose  of these  resolutions is  to authorize  a shelf
                  takedown   for  the   issuance  of   $150,000,000  aggregate
                  principal amount of 7% Senior Notes due October 1, 1997

                     RESOLUTIONS REGARDING SHELF TAKEDOWN

            WHEREAS, at a meeting  on December 21, 1992, the Terms and Pricing
Committee  of the Board of  Directors of American  General Finance Corporation
(the  "Company") authorized the creation,  issuance and sale of $1,500,000,000
of  debt securities  and  warrants to  purchase  debt securities  (the  "Shelf
Securities"), such debt  securities to  be issued under  the Senior  Indenture
dated as  of February  1,  1993 between  the Company  and  Citibank, N.A.,  as
Trustee, or  the Senior Subordinated  Indenture dated  as of February  1, 1993
between the Company and Citibank, N.A., as Trustee; and

            WHEREAS,  the  Company  filed  with the  Securities  and  Exchange
Commission  (the "Commission") on February 4, 1993 a Registration Statement on
Form  S-3  (Registration No.  33-57910) for  the  Shelf Securities,  which was
declared effective by the Commission on March 1, 1993;

                          1.  Prospectus Supplement.

      NOW, THEREFORE, BE  IT RESOLVED, that the Chairman, the President or any
Vice  President (any  reference to a  Vice President  of the  Company in these
resolutions  shall  be deemed  to include  any Vice  President of  the Company
whether or not designated by a number or a word or words added before or after
the title  "Vice President" and any  terms used herein but  not defined herein
shall have  the meanings given to them in  the Indenture referred to below) of
the Company be, and each of them  hereby is, authorized and empowered, in  the
name and on behalf of  the Company, to sign as required and cause  to be filed
with  the Commission  any and  all amendments (including,  without limitation,
post-effective  amendments) to the above-mentioned Registration Statement, any
prospectus supplements, including, without limitation, a prospectus supplement
describing the  terms and  provisions of  the Notes, as  such term  is defined
below, and  the offer and sale thereof, and any additional documents which any
such  officer  may  deem necessary  or  desirable,  such  amendments and  such
documents  to be  in such forms  as the  officer executing or  filing the same
shall approve, such approval to be conclusively evidenced by his execution  or
filing thereof; and be it 

                          2.  Authorization of Notes.

      FURTHER  RESOLVED, that,  upon  receipt of  the purchase  price therefor
hereinafter  specified,  the  Company  issue, sell  and  deliver  $150,000,000
aggregate principal amount  of its 7%  Senior Notes due  October 1, 1997  (the
"Notes"), to be issued as Registered  Securities (as defined in the Indenture)
pursuant  to the Senior  Indenture dated as  of February 1,  1993, between the







Company  and  Citibank,  N.A., as  Trustee  (such  Indenture  as executed  and
delivered being herein referred to as the "Indenture"); and be it

      FURTHER  RESOLVED,  that  all  references  in  the  definitions  in  the
Indenture to the terms "Security" or "Securities" shall be deemed to and shall
include the Notes; and be it

                              3.  Terms of Notes.

      FURTHER RESOLVED, that the  Notes shall mature and the  unpaid principal
thereon shall be payable on October 1, 1997; and be it

      FURTHER  RESOLVED, that  the rate per  annum at which  interest shall be
payable on the Notes is hereby  fixed at 7%, that interest on the  Notes shall
accrue beginning October 1, 1994, that interest shall be payable semi-annually
on the Notes on April  1 and October 1 each year beginning April  1, 1995, and
that the Regular Record Date (as defined  in the Indenture) for the payment of
such interest shall be the March 15 or September 15 immediately preceding each
such April 1 or  October 1, as the case  may be, and otherwise as  provided in
the Indenture; and be it

      FURTHER  RESOLVED, that no sinking fund  shall be provided for the Notes
and that  the Notes shall  not be redeemable at  the option of  the Company or
repayable at the option of the holders thereof prior to maturity; and be it

      FURTHER RESOLVED,  that the purchase price  for the Notes to  be paid to
the Company  by J.P. Morgan Securities Inc., the Underwriter of the Notes (the
"Underwriter"), pursuant to the Pricing Agreement relating thereto hereinafter
referred to, including the  Underwriting Agreement attached thereto, shall  be
99.56%  of the  principal amount  of  the Notes,  plus  accrued interest  from
October 1, 1994; and be it

      FURTHER RESOLVED,  that the initial  price to  the public  of the  Notes
shall  be 99.713% of the principal amount  of the Notes, plus accrued interest
from October 1, 1994; and be it

      FURTHER RESOLVED, that  pursuant to  Section 203 of  the Indenture,  the
Notes are  to be issuable in  permanent global form without  coupons, that the
aggregate  amount of  Outstanding  Securities (as  defined  in the  Indenture)
represented  thereby may from time to time  be increased or reduced to reflect
exchanges  and that  the U.S.  Depository (as  defined in the  Indenture) with
respect to the Notes shall  initially be The Depository Trust Company;  and be
it

      FURTHER  RESOLVED, that the form,  terms and provisions  relating to the
Notes to be established pursuant to Section 301 of the Indenture, and the form
of Note  relating thereto  to be  established pursuant  to Section 201 of  the
Indenture,  submitted  to  this  meeting, completed  in  accordance  with  the
foregoing resolutions and  with such  changes therein,  additions thereto  and
deletions  therefrom as  the officers  executing the  same shall  approve, the
approval  of such officers to be conclusively evidenced by their execution and
delivery thereof, be, and they hereby are, approved; and be it

                 4.  Officers' Certificate and Company Order.







      FURTHER  RESOLVED,  that  the  Chairman,  the  President  or  any   Vice
President, together with the Treasurer, any Assistant Treasurer, the Secretary
or any  Assistant Secretary of the Company be, and they hereby are, authorized
and empowered,  in the name  and on behalf of  the Company, to  execute, seal,
acknowledge and deliver an Officers' Certificate (as defined in the Indenture)
and  a  Company Order  (as defined  in the  Indenture)  relating to  the Notes
pursuant to Sections 301 and 303  of the Indenture, in such forms and  in such
number of counterparts as the officers  so acting shall approve, the  approval
of such officers to be conclusively  evidenced by their execution and delivery
thereof; and be it

                               5.  Paying Agent.

      FURTHER RESOLVED, that Citibank,  N.A. be, and it hereby  is, designated
and appointed Paying Agent (as  defined in the Indenture) with respect  to the
Notes at its Corporate Trust Office (as defined in the  Indenture) pursuant to
Section 1002 of the Indenture; and be it

                            6.  Execution of Notes.

      FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Chairman, the President or any Vice President
of  the Company be, and  each of them hereby  is, authorized and empowered, in
the  name and  on  behalf of  the Company,  to execute  and deliver  under the
corporate seal attested to by the Treasurer or Secretary of the Company or one
of its Assistant Treasurers  or Assistant Secretaries the Notes  as authorized
above in substantially such  form, completed in accordance with  the foregoing
resolutions  and with such  changes therein,  additions thereto  and deletions
therefrom as the  officers executing the  same shall approve, the  approval of
such officers to  be conclusively  evidenced by their  execution and  delivery
thereof; and be it

                            7.  Pricing Agreement.

      FURTHER RESOLVED, that  the form,  terms and provisions  of the  Pricing
Agreement, including the Underwriting  Agreement attached thereto, relating to
the Notes, between the  Company and the Underwriter,  copies of which  Pricing
Agreement were submitted  to this meeting, be, and they  hereby are, approved,
and  the Chairman, the  President, any  Vice President,  the Treasurer  or any
Assistant Treasurer be, and each of them hereby is, authorized  and empowered,
in  the name and  on behalf of  the Company, to  execute and deliver,  in such
number of  counterparts as  the officer so  acting deems advisable,  a Pricing
Agreement relating  to the Notes in  substantially the form presented  to this
meeting,  completed in accordance with the foregoing resolutions and with such
changes  therein, additions  thereto and  deletions therefrom  as the  officer
executing  the  same  shall  approve,  the  approval  of  such  officer  to be
conclusively  evidenced by  his execution and  delivery thereof  (such Pricing
Agreement, as executed and delivered, being herein referred to as the "Pricing
Agreement"); and be it

                        8.  Letter of Representations.

      FURTHER RESOLVED, that the form, terms  and provisions of the Letter  of
Representations relating  to certain  matters arising  in connection  with the
issuance of the Notes, among the Company, the Trustee and The Depository Trust







Company,  copies of  which Letter  of Representations  were submitted  to this
meeting, be, and they hereby  are, approved, and the Chairman,  the President,
any Vice President, the Treasurer  or any Assistant Treasurer be, and  each of
them hereby  is, authorized and  empowered, in the name  and on behalf  of the
Company, to execute and deliver, in such number of counterparts as the officer
so  acting deems advisable, the Letter of Representations in substantially the
form presented to this  meeting, with such changes therein,  additions thereto
and deletions therefrom  as the officer executing the same shall approve, such
approval to be conclusively evidenced by their execution and delivery thereof;
and be it 

                              9.  Miscellaneous.

      FURTHER RESOLVED, that each of the  officers of the Company be, and each
of them acting alone hereby is,  authorized and empowered, in the name  and on
behalf of the Company, to take, or cause to be taken, any and all action which
such officer  may deem necessary  or desirable to  carry out the  purposes and
intent of  the foregoing resolutions and to perform, or cause to be performed,
the obligations  of the  Company under the  Notes, the Indenture,  the Pricing
Agreement and the Letter of Representations.