MetLife Introduces New Disability Insurance Solution for Small Businesses; Flexible Plan Design Provides Customization, Enhanced Employee Benefit Options and Return-to-Work/Stay-at-Work Incentives

"Small businesses are looking for cost-effective benefitssolutions that are easy to implement and administer while effectivelymeeting their employees' needs. The new MetLife disability insurancecontract effectively addresses these requirements by maximizing planflexibility, providing value-rich employee benefits and promotingreturn-to-work/stay-at-work initiatives," said James Jacobsen, vicepresident, MetLife Disability.

The features in the new disability contract include:

Customized plan designs with an employer's unique needs and goalsin mind. For example:

-- An employer has the option of combining or separating limited benefit durations for a number of absence conditions to accommodate a variety of objectives.

-- An employer can combine term life insurance and disability insurance within the same certificate provided by MetLife. This can make it easier for employees to understand - and appreciate - their benefits coverage.

Employee-focused benefits that provide enhanced protection andsecurity in the event of a loss of income, including:

-- An optional Terminal Illness Benefit for long term disability that provides 100% of pre-disability earnings to the employee, for up to 12 consecutive months, if disabled and diagnosed as terminally ill. If the Terminal Illness Benefit is selected for the plan, claimants will have the option to accelerate survivorship benefits under the long term disability contract if disabled and diagnosed as terminally ill.

-- An Organ Donor Benefit for short term disability that provides an increased benefit when the disability absence is the result of donating an organ.

Return-to-Work/Stay-at-Work enhancements so obstacles to returningto work are minimized. Plan features provide:

-- A Moving Expense Incentive that reimburses employees for moving expenses to a new residence if recommended as part of the rehabilitation program approved by MetLife.

-- Increased reimbursements for Family Care Expenses - helping to support an active return-to-work program.

"The foundation of MetLife's disability insurance contractcontinues to be an objective definition of disability that encouragesreturn to work by focusing on an employee's inability to earn incomerather than ability to perform certain job duties," adds Jacobsen."The MetLife disability insurance contract helps employers maintainoverall workplace productivity while providing employees withfinancial security."

MetLife is the number one group disability insurer based on salespremiums and equivalents, as of year-end 2004 (2004 U.S. GroupDisability Sales and In-force Survey, LIMRA International). MetLife isat the forefront of providing innovative disability and absencemanagement solutions through an integrated portfolio of products andservices, such as short term (including state-mandated plans) and longterm disability income insurance, claim administrative services forself-insured customers, Individual Disability Income Buy-Up,integrated occupational and non-occupational disability, FMLAAdministration, and long term disability (LTD) reserve buy-outs.

MetLife, a subsidiary of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE: MET) is a leadingprovider of insurance and other financial services to millions ofindividual and institutional customers throughout the United States.Through its subsidiaries and affiliates, MetLife, Inc. offers lifeinsurance, annuities, automobile and homeowner's insurance and retailbanking services to individuals, as well as group insurance,reinsurance and retirement and savings products and services tocorporations and other institutions. Outside the U.S., the MetLifecompanies have direct insurance operations in Asia Pacific, LatinAmerica and Europe. For more information, please visitwww.metlife.com.