UNITED STATES
                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                             Washington, D.C.  20549

                                    FORM 13F

                              FORM 13F COVER PAGE


                  Report for the Quarter Ended September 30, 2008



                          AMERICAN FINANCIAL GROUP, INC.
                 One East Fourth Street, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202
     -------------------------------------------------------------------------
     (Name and Address of Institutional Investment Manager Filing this Report)


                         Form 13F File Number:  28-4389


The institutional investment manager filing this report and the person by whom
it is signed hereby represent that the person signing the report is authorized
to submit it, that all information contained herein is true, correct and
complete, and that it is understood that all required items, statements,
schedules, lists, and tables, are considered integral parts of this form.

                                 Robert H. Ruffing
                     	   Vice President and Controller
                                   (513) 579-2144
                -----------------------------------------------
                (Name, Title and Phone Number of Person Signing
                 this Report on Behalf of Reporting Manager)



Signature:

/s/Robert H. Ruffing                  Cincinnati, Ohio     November 12, 2008
-------------------------------
Robert H. Ruffing
Vice President and Controller


Report Type:
     [X]  13F HOLDINGS REPORT.
     [ ]  13F NOTICE.
     [ ]  13F COMBINATION REPORT.













                            FORM 13F SUMMARY PAGE
                            ---------------------




Number of Other Included Managers:                         2
                                                      -----------

Form 13F Information Table Entry Total:                   152
                                                      -----------

Form 13F Information Table Value Total (thousands):     $470,576
                                                      -----------



Name and 13F file numbers of all Institutional Investment Managers with respect
to which this schedule is filed (other than American Financial Group, Inc.):

    Number    13F File Number         Name of Subsidiary
    ------    ---------------         ------------------------------------

       1.          28-498             Great American Insurance Company
       2.	 Unassigned	      Great American Life Insurance Company






































                                                       FORM 13F INFORMATION TABLE


                                                             Column 4:   Column 5:                               Column 8:
                                   Column 2:                  Market     Shares or    Column 6: Column 7:    Voting Authority
        Column 1:                  Title of       Column 3:    Value     Principal   Investment    Other ---------------------------
     Name of Issuer                  Class          CUSIP     (000's)      Amount    Discretion Managers    Sole    Shared    None
     --------------             ---------------- ----------- ---------  ------------ ---------- -------- ---------- ------ ---------


HOLDINGS OF GREAT AMERICAN INSURANCE COMPANY
--------------------------------------------
                                                                                                 
GLOBAL CROSSING LTD		    SHS NEW      G3921A 17 5        99       6,521SH   Defined     "          6,521
TYCO INTL LTD BERMUDA                 SHS        G9143X 20 8     1,729      49,375SH   Defined     "         49,375
TYCO ELECTRONICS LTD                COM NEW      G9144P 10 5     1,366      49,375SH   Defined     "         49,375
AFC ENTERPRISES INC                   COM        00104Q 10 7        36       4,957SH   Defined     "          4,957
AMR CORP                              COM        001765 10 6       393      40,000SH   Defined     "         40,000
ALLIANCE RES PARTNER L P          UT LTD PART    01877R 10 8       410      13,000SH   Defined     "         13,000
AMERICAN COMMERCIAL LINES           COM NEW      025195 20 7     2,990     281,000SH   Defined     "        281,000
AMERICAN RAILCAR INDS INC             COM        02916P 10 3     1,091      68,000SH   Defined     "         68,000
AMGEN INC                             COM        031162 10 0     2,074      35,000SH   Defined     "         35,000
ANWORTH MORTGAGE ASSET CP             COM        037347 10 1       740     125,000SH   Defined     "        125,000
BLACK BOX CORP DEL                    COM        091826 10 7     3,845     111,350SH   Defined     "        111,350
BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORP                COM        101137 10 7     2,224     181,250SH   Defined     "        181,250
CBS CORP NEW                         CL B        124857 20 2       627      43,000SH   Defined     "         43,000
CV THERAPEUTICS INC                   COM        126667 10 4       853      79,000SH   Defined     "         79,000
CALAMP CORP                           COM        128126 10 9       184     139,750SH   Defined     "        139,750
CITADEL BROADCASTING CORP             COM        17285T 10 6       214     274,053SH   Defined     "        274,053
CINTAS CORP                           COM        172908 10 5     3,948     137,500SH   Defined     "        137,500
CLEARWIRE CORP                       CL A        185385 30 9       475      40,000SH   Defined     "         40,000
COMCAST CORP NEW                     CL A        20030N 10 1     7,459     380,000SH   Defined     "        380,000
COMPASS DIVERSIFIED HOLDINGS       SH BEN INT    20451Q 10 4     3,346     240,000SH   Defined     "        240,000
COMPUCREDIT CORP                      COM        20478N 10 0        87      22,136SH   Defined     "         22,136
CONSTELLATION ENERGY GROUP I          COM        210371 10 0       972      40,000SH   Defined     "         40,000
DELTA AIR LINES INC DEL             COM NEW      247361 70 2     1,037     139,149SH   Defined     "        139,149
DISH NETWORK CORP                    CL A        25470M 10 9       791      37,675SH   Defined     "         37,675
ECHOSTAR CORP                        CL A        278768 10 6       597      24,786SH   Defined     "         24,786
EMBARQ CORP                           COM        29078E 10 5       451      11,130SH   Defined     "         11,130
FLAGSTAR BANCORP INC                  COM        337930 10 1       492     165,000SH   Defined     "        165,000
FLEETWOOD ENTERPRISES INC             COM        339099 10 3        17      16,700SH   Defined     "         16,700
FULL HOUSE RESORTS INC		      COM        359678 10 9       116      75,171SH   Defined     "         75,171
GLOBALSTAR INC                        COM        378973 40 8        43       4,134SH   Defined     "          4,134
HOME DEPOT INC                        COM        437076 10 2     4,181     161,500SH   Defined     "        161,500
INFINERA CORPORATION                  COM        45667G 10 3       671      70,159SH   Defined     "         70,159
INSTEEL INDUSTRIES INC                COM        45774W 10 8       435      32,000SH   Defined     "         32,000
INTERSTATE HOTELS & RESRTS I          COM        46088S 10 6       167      70,987SH   Defined     "         70,987
KOHLS CORP                            COM        500255 10 4     9,101     197,500SH   Defined     "        197,500
LEGG MASON INC                        COM        524901 10 5       993      26,100SH   Defined     "         26,100
LODGENET INTERACTIVE CORP             COM        540211 10 9        12       5,949SH   Defined     "          5,949
LOWES COS INC                         COM        548661 10 7     2,227      94,000SH   Defined     "         94,000
MTR GAMING GROUP INC                  COM        553769 10 0       250      75,250SH   Defined     "         75,250
MACYS INC                             COM        55616P 10 4     3,523     195,949SH   Defined     "        195,949
MICROSOFT CORP                        COM        594918 10 4     2,002      75,000SH   Defined     "         75,000
NATIONAL INTERSTATE CORP              COM        63654U 10 0   245,106  10,200,000SH   Defined     "     10,200,000
NEWS CORP                            CL A        65248E 10 4     1,499     125,000SH   Defined     "        125,000
NEWS CORP                            CL B        65248E 20 3       559      46,000SH   Defined     "         46,000
NOVA BIOSOURCE FUELS INC              COM        65488W 10 3        45     297,250SH   Defined     "        297,250
NORTHWEST AIRLS CORP                  COM        667280 40 8       632      70,000SH   Defined     "         70,000
O CHARLEYS INC                        COM        670823 10 3       739      84,500SH   Defined     "         84,500
PATTERSON UTI ENERGY INC              COM        703481 10 1       801      40,000SH   Defined     "         40,000
PEPCO HOLDINGS INC                    COM        713291 10 2       928      40,500SH   Defined     "         40,500
PFIZER INC                            COM        717081 10 3     7,653     415,000SH   Defined     "        415,000
REDDY ICE HLDGS INC                   COM        75734R 10 5        89      24,500SH   Defined     "         24,500
SPDR TR                            UNIT SER 1    78462F 10 3     4,640      40,000SH   Defined     "         40,000
SARA LEE CORP                         COM        803111 10 3       632      50,000SH   Defined     "         50,000
SELECT COMFORT CORP                   COM        81616X 10 3        56      33,709SH   Defined     "         33,709
STAAR SURGICAL CO                 COM PAR $0.01  852312 30 5       205      45,606SH   Defined     "         45,606
TIME WARNER INC                       COM        887317 10 5       343      26,149SH   Defined     "         26,149
TORTOISE ENERGY CAP CORP              COM        89147U 10 0       443      25,800SH   Defined     "         25,800
TRINITY INDS INC                      COM        896522 10 9     2,187      85,000SH   Defined     "         85,000
UAL CORP                            COM NEW      902549 80 7       203      23,051SH   Defined     "         23,051
VIRGIN MEDIA INC                      COM        92769L 10 1     5,829     737,807SH   Defined     "        737,807
WATTS WATER TECHNOLOGIES INC         CL A        942749 10 2       821      30,000SH   Defined     "         30,000
ZENITH NATL INS CORP                  COM        989390 10 9     1,358      37,050SH   Defined     "         37,050





HOLDINGS OF GREAT AMERICAN
 LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY
----------------------------
TYCO INTL LTD BERMUDA                 SHS        G9143X 20 8     2,736      78,125SH   Defined     "         78,125
TYCO ELECTRONICS LTD                COM NEW      G9144P 10 5     2,161      78,125SH   Defined     "         78,125
AFC ENTERPRISES INC                   COM        00104Q 10 7        54       7,436SH   Defined     "          7,436
ALLIANCE RES PARTNER L P          UT LTD PART    01877R 10 8     1,611      51,124SH   Defined     "         51,124
AMERICAN COMMERCIAL LINES           COM NEW      025195 20 7     3,203     301,000SH   Defined     "        301,000
AMERICAN RAILCAR INDS INC             COM        02916P 10 3       474      29,581SH   Defined     "         29,581
AMGEN INC                             COM        031162 10 0     2,074      35,000SH   Defined     "         35,000
ANWORTH MORTGAGE ASSET CP             COM        037347 10 1       740     125,000SH   Defined     "        125,000
BLACK BOX CORP DEL                    COM        091826 10 7     2,325      67,345SH   Defined     "         67,345
CBS CORP NEW                         CL B        124857 20 2     1,392      95,500SH   Defined     "         95,500
CV THERAPEUTICS INC                   COM        126667 10 4     1,048      97,000SH   Defined     "         97,000
CALAMP CORP                           COM        128126 10 9       186     140,750SH   Defined     "        140,750
CITADEL BROADCASTING CORP             COM        17285T 10 6       213     273,323SH   Defined     "        273,323
CINTAS CORP                           COM        172908 10 5     3,948     137,500SH   Defined     "        137,500
CLEARWIRE CORP                       CL A        185385 30 9       475      40,000SH   Defined     "         40,000
COMPASS DIVERSIFIED HOLDINGS       SH BEN INT    20451Q 10 4     3,372     241,900SH   Defined     "        241,900
COMPUCREDIT CORP                      COM        20478N 10 0        34       8,672SH   Defined     "          8,672
DELTA AIR LINES INC DEL             COM NEW      247361 70 2       745      99,945SH   Defined     "         99,945
DISH NETWORK CORP                    CL A        25470M 10 9     1,187      56,512SH   Defined     "         56,512
ECHOSTAR CORP                        CL A        278768 10 6       896      37,179SH   Defined     "         37,179
FLAGSTAR BANCORP INC                  COM        337930 10 1       492     165,000SH   Defined     "        165,000
FLEETWOOD ENTERPRISES INC             COM        339099 10 3        26      25,000SH   Defined     "         25,000
FULL HOUSE RESORTS INC		      COM        359678 10 9       174     112,757SH   Defined     "        112,757
GLOBALSTAR INC                        COM        378973 40 8       128      12,402SH   Defined     "         12,402
HOME DEPOT INC                        COM        437076 10 2     4,440     171,500SH   Defined     "        171,500
INFINERA CORPORATION                  COM        45667G 10 3       855      89,388SH   Defined     "         89,388
INSTEEL INDUSTRIES INC                COM        45774W 10 8       438      32,216SH   Defined     "         32,216
INTERSTATE HOTELS & RESRTS I          COM        46088S 10 6       250     106,481SH   Defined     "        106,481
LEGG MASON INC                        COM        524901 10 5       479      12,597SH   Defined     "         12,597
LODGENET INTERACTIVE CORP             COM        540211 10 9        18       8,923SH   Defined     "          8,923
LOWES COS INC                         COM        548661 10 7     2,483     104,804SH   Defined     "        104,804
MTR GAMING GROUP INC                  COM        553769 10 0       375     112,875SH   Defined     "        112,875
MACYS INC                             COM        55616P 10 4     2,158     120,000SH   Defined     "        120,000
MICROSOFT CORP                        COM        594918 10 4       667      25,000SH   Defined     "         25,000
NRG ENERGY INC                      COM NEW      629377 50 8     2,203      89,028SH   Defined     "         89,028
NATIONAL CITY CORP                    COM        635405 10 3     1,963   1,121,541SH   Defined     "      1,121,541
NEWS CORP                            CL A        65248E 10 4     1,499     125,000SH   Defined     "        125,000
NEWS CORP                            CL B        65248E 20 3       778      64,000SH   Defined     "         64,000
NOVA BIOSOURCE FUELS INC              COM        65488W 10 3        45     297,750SH   Defined     "        297,750
NUVEEN FLTNG RTE INCM OPP FD        COM SHS      6706EN 10 0       591      78,300SH   Defined     "         78,300
O CHARLEYS INC                        COM        670823 10 3     1,358     155,256SH   Defined     "        155,256
PATTERSON UTI ENERGY INC              COM        703481 10 1       801      40,000SH   Defined     "         40,000
PFIZER INC                            COM        717081 10 3     5,255     285,000SH   Defined     "        285,000
PIMCO HIGH INCOME FD                COM SHS      722014 10 7     1,049     122,800SH   Defined     "        122,800
REDDY ICE HLDGS INC                   COM        75734R 10 5        68      18,650SH   Defined     "         18,650
SELECT COMFORT CORP                   COM        81616X 10 3        83      50,563SH   Defined     "         50,563
STAAR SURGICAL CO                 COM PAR $0.01  852312 30 5       285      63,409SH   Defined     "         63,409
TORTOISE ENERGY CAP CORP              COM        89147U 10 0     1,475      85,900SH   Defined     "         85,900
TRINITY INDS INC                      COM        896522 10 9     2,187      85,000SH   Defined     "         85,000
UAL CORP                            COM NEW      902549 80 7       464      52,798SH   Defined     "         52,798
VIRGIN MEDIA INC                      COM        92769L 10 1     3,812     482,588SH   Defined     "        482,588




HOLDINGS OF OTHER ENTITIES
EACH HAVING LESS THAN
$100 MILLION IN 13F SECURITIES
------------------------------
ACE LTD                               SHS        H0023R 10 5     3,339      63,000SH    Sole                 63,000
GLOBAL CROSSING LTD                 SHS NEW      G3921A 17 5       216      14,224SH   Defined     2         14,224
AMR CORP                              COM        001765 10 6       638      65,000SH   Defined     "         65,000
AMERICAN COMMERCIAL LINES           COM NEW      025195 20 7       425      40,000SH   Defined     "         40,000
AMERICAN RAILCAR INDS INC             COM        02916P 10 3       610      38,000SH   Defined     "         38,000
BERKLEY W R CORP                      COM        084423 10 2     2,755     117,000SH    Sole                117,000
BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORP                COM        101137 10 7       307      25,000SH   Defined               25,000
BRISTOL MYERS SQUIBB CO               COM        110122 10 8       209      10,000SH   Defined     1         10,000
CHUBB CORP                            COM        171232 10 1     3,898      71,000SH    Sole                 71,000
COMCAST CORP NEW                     CL A        20030N 10 1    14,625     745,000SH   Defined     2        745,000
COMPUCREDIT CORP                      COM        20478N 10 0        59      15,000SH   Defined     "         15,000
DELTA AIR LINES INC DEL             COM NEW      247361 70 2       748     100,233SH   Defined    1,2       100,233
EATON VANCE TAX MNG GBL DV E          COM        27829F 10 8       449      40,000SH   Defined     1         30,000
EMBARQ CORP                           COM        29078E 10 5        30         750SH   Defined                  750
ING GLOBAL EQTY DIV & PREM O          COM        45684E 10 7       194      17,500SH   Defined     1         17,500
ISHARES TR                       MSCI EAFE IDX   464287 46 5     2,421      43,000SH   Defined     "         43,000
ISHARES TR                      DJ US TECH SEC   464287 72 1       972      20,500SH   Defined     "         20,500
LOWES COS INC                         COM        548661 10 7     1,303      55,000SH   Defined               55,000
MANAGED HIGH YIELD PLUS FD I          COM        561911 10 8        23      10,000SH   Defined     1         10,000
METROPCS COMMUNICATIONS INC           COM        591708 10 2     1,399     100,000SH   Defined              100,000
NORTHWEST AIRLS CORP                  COM        667280 40 8       452      50,000SH   Defined               50,000
O CHARLEYS INC                        COM        670823 10 3       610      69,698SH   Defined               69,698
PEPCO HOLDINGS INC                    COM        713291 10 2       229      10,000SH   Defined     1         10,000
PFIZER INC                            COM        717081 10 3     1,014      55,000SH   Defined               55,000
PHILADELPHIA CONS HLDG CORP           COM        717528 10 3     5,506      94,000SH    Sole                 94,000
POWERSHARES ETF TRUST           DYNAMIC MKT PT   73935X 10 4       990      24,400SH   Defined     1         24,400
POWERSHARES ETF TRUST           HI YLD EQ DVDN   73935X 30 2       235      21,300SH   Defined     "         21,300
REDDY ICE HLDGS INC                   COM        75734R 10 5       292      79,881SH   Defined     2         79,881
RELIANT ENERGY INC		      COM	 75952B 10 5        85      11,547SH    Sole                 11,547
ROYAL BK SCOTLAND GROUP PLC     ADR PREF SHS R   780097 74 7        84      10,000SH   Defined     1         10,000
SPDR TR                           UNIT SER 1     78462F 10 3     5,684      49,000SH   Defined     "         49,000
SELECT SECTOR SPDR TR           SBI HEALTHCARE   81369Y 20 9     1,207      40,150SH   Defined     "         40,150
SELECT SECTOR SPDR TR           SBI CONS STPLS   81369Y 30 8       968      35,060SH   Defined     "         35,060
SELECT SECTOR SPDR TR           SBI CONS DISCR   81369Y 40 7     1,426      51,120SH   Defined     "         51,120
SELECT SECTOR SPDR TR           SBI INT-FINL     81369Y 60 5     1,193      60,000SH   Defined     "         60,000
SELECT SECTOR SPDR TR           SBI INT-UTILS    81369Y 88 6       249       7,500SH   Defined     "          7,500
UAL CORP                            COM NEW      902549 80 7       355      40,318SH   Defined     2         40,318
VIRGIN MEDIA INC                      COM        92769L 10 1     5,372     680,000SH   Defined     "        680,000
WATTS WATER TECHNOLOGIES INC         CL A        942749 10 2     7,196     263,100SH   Defined     "        263,100

                                                             ----------
                                 REPORT TOTAL                 $470,576
                                                             ==========