FORM 4

STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP

Filed pursuant to section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, Section 17(a) of the Public Utilities
Holding Company Act of 1935 or Section 30(f) of the Investment Company Act of 1940

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(Print or Type Responses)                                                                                        Last Report Filed: February 2002

  Lindner III      Carl      H.

  AMERICAN FINANCIAL GROUP, INC. (AFG)

  6.  Relationship of Reporting Person to Issuer
               (Check all applicable)

  One East Fourth Street

3. IRS Identification,
  Number of Reporting
  Person, if an entity (Voluntary)

4. Statement for
   Month/Day/Year

  December, 2002

  X  Director

     10% Owner

  X  Officer (give
     title below)

     Other (specify
           below)

  Cincinnati,   Ohio     45202

5. If Amendment,
   Date of Original
   (Month/Day/Year)

          Co- President       

7. Individual or Joint/Group Filing (Check Applicable Line)
 X Form filed by One Reporting Person
    Form filed by More than One Reporting PersonForm filed by One Reporting Person
    Form filed by More than One Reporting Person

   (City)                    (State)                     (Zip)

Table I - Non-Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of or Beneficially Owned

1.  Title of Security
     (Instr. 3)

2. Trans-
action
Date

2A.
Deemed
Execution
Date, if
any

3. Trans-
action
Code
(Instr. 8)

4.  Securities Acquired (A)
or Disposed of (D)
(Instr. 3,4 and 5)

5. Amount of
Securities
Beneficially
Owned

6. Owner-
ship
Form:
Direct

7. Nature
of In-
Direct
Bene-

(Month/
Day/
Year)

(Month/
Day/
Year)

Code

V

Amount

(A) or
(D)

Price

Following
Reported
Transactions
(Instr. 3 and 4)

(D) or
Indirect
(I)
(Instr. 4)

Ficial
Owner-
ship
(Instr. 4)

Common Stock

12/26/02

G

V

277,039

A

N/A

277,039

D

Common Stock

2,337,965(a)

I

#1

Common Stock

19,826

I

#2

Common Stock

-0-

I

#3

Common Stock

1,290.482

I

#4

Common Stock

509,873

I

#5

Common Stock

81,219

I

#6

Common Stock

-0-(a)

I

#7

Common Stock

18,660(a)

I

#8

Common Stock

18,660(a)

I

#9

Common Stock

18,660(a)

I

#10

Common Stock

1,596,122(a)

I

#11

Common Stock

1,000,000

I

#12

Common Stock

18,660(a)

I

#13

Reminder:  Report on a separate line for each class of securities beneficially owned directly or indirectly.                                              Over 
*If the form is filed by more than one reporting person, see Instruction 4(b)(v)                                                              SEC 1474 (9-02) 

FORM 4  (continued)                                                                        Table II - Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned
(e.g., puts, calls, warrants, options, convertible securities)

1.  Title of Derivative Security
  (Instr. 3)

2. Conver-
sion or|
Exercise
Price of
Deriv-
ative

3.  Trans-
action
Date

3A 
Deemed
Execution
Date, if
any

4. Transac-
tion Code
(Instr. 8)

5. Number of Deriv-
ative Securities Ac-
quired (A) or Dis-
posed of (D)
(Instr. 3, 4 and 5)

6.  Date Exercisable
and Expiration Date
(Month//Day/Year)

7.  Title and Amount of Underlying
Securities
(Instr. 3 and 4)

8. Price
of
Deriv-
ative
ecuri-
ty

9.  Number
of Deriv-
ative
Secur-
ities
Bene-

10. Owner-
ship
Form
of De-
rivative
Secur

11. Nature
of In-
direct
Bene-
ficial
Owner-

Security

(Month/
Day/
Year)

(Month/
Day/
Year)

Date

Expiration

Amount or

(Instr.
5)

icially
Owned
at End
of

Ity
Direct
(D) or
Indi-

Ship
(Instr. 4)

Code

V

(A)

(D)

Exercisable

Date

Title

Number of Shares

Month
(Instr. 4)

rect (I)
(Instr. 4)

Explanation of Responses:
(a)   On 10/2/02, Indirect #2 transferred 156,311 shares of Common Stock to Indirect #1. On 11/18/02 Indirect #1 transferred 967 shares of Common Stock to each of Indirect #8, 9, 10, 11 &13. On 12/24/02, Indirect #7 transferred 17,693 shares of Common Stock to Indirect #13.

Indirect #1   By Carl H. Lindner III For the Second Amended & Restated Carl H. Lindner III Family Trust dated 3-11-94.
Indirect #2   By Martha S. Lindner (Spouse), Trustee For the Second Amended & Restated Martha S. Lindner Family Trust dated 3-11-94.
Indirect #3   By Martha S. Lindner (Spouse).
Indirect #4   Allocated to the Reporting Person's account in the Issuer's Retirement and Savings Plan ("401(k) Plan"), based on a 401(k) Plan statement dated as of 12/31/01.
Indirect #5   By Keith E. Lindner, Trustee under an Irrevocable Trust Indenture with Carl H. Lindner III dated 11-1-82.
Indirect #6   By Keith E. Lindner, Trustee under an Irrevocable Trust Indenture with Carl H. Lindner III dated 7-1-83.
Indirect #7   By Keith E. Lindner, Trustee under an Irrevocable Trust Indenture with Carl H. Lindner III and Martha S. Lindner dated 10-23-84.
Indirect #8   By Keith E. Lindner, Trustee under an Irrevocable Trust Indenture with Carl H. Lindner III and Martha S. Lindner dated 10-23-84.
Indirect #9   By Keith E. Lindner, Trustee under an Irrevocable Trust Indenture with Carl H. Lindner III and Martha S. Lindner dated 8-23-85.
Indirect #10   By Keith E. Lindner, Trustee under an Irrevocable Trust Indenture with Carl H. Lindner III and Martha S. Lindner dated 9-26-89.
Indirect #11   By Carl H. Lindner III Trustee of the Carl H. Lindner III 1997-1 Qualified Annuity Trust dated January 16, 1997.
Indirect #12   CHL Investments, LLC, a limited liability company directly or indirectly wholly-owned by the Reporting Person
Indirect #13   Blake B. Lindner.

**Intentional misstatements or omissions of facts constitute Federal Criminal violations                       Karl J. Grafe ________       January 10, 2003
  See 18 U.S.C. 1001 and 15 U.S.C. 78ff(a).                                                                                   ** Signature of Reporting Person                         Date 
                                                                                                                                                      Carl H. Lindner III
Note:  File three copies of this Form, one of which must be manually signed.                                  By: Karl J. Grafe, as attorney-in-fact             Page 2 
       If space provided is insufficient, see Instruction 6 for procedure.                                                                                                                   SEC 1474 (3/91