MetLife Auto & Home Mobilizes Claim Team to Help Customers Impacted by Hurricane Katrina; 24-hour claim number established—800-854-6011

Business Wire, August 29, 2005

WARWICK, R.I. -- To assist customers who have been impacted by Hurricane Katrina, MetLife Auto & Home, one of the nation's leading auto and home insurance companies, has mobilized its national Catastrophe Response Team. The company has also established a dedicated 24-hour claim number (1-800-854-6011) for customers who have sustained damage.

"MetLife Auto & Home's specially trained staff is working around the clock to help get our customers' autos and homes repaired," said Bob Smith, MetLife Auto & Home's chief claim officer. "To facilitate claim handling, we are dispatching our state-of-the art Catastrophe Response Vehicles to those areas that are hardest hit by the hurricane. Our caring associates will help secure shelter if necessary, guide customers through temporary repairs, issue checks for immediate expenses, and promptly compensate customers for covered damage to property."

Smith also urged those impacted to heed the safety warnings of local officials and to take precautions to protect themselves and their property. It is important to be cautious of hazards that may make it unsafe to enter the home, such as downed power lines and broken glass. If unable to enter, customers should seek shelter elsewhere and re-enter the home only when it is safe to do so.

When it is safe to enter, covering exposed portions of property with heavy-duty tarps and boarding up any broken windows can help protect the premises from additional exposure to the elements and minimize the possibility of additional property damage. In addition, MetLife Auto & Home suggests that consumers save receipts for temporary repairs, begin to make inventory lists of damaged property, and jot down any issues or concerns they have so that insurance personnel can get their claims processed as soon as possible.

Additional disaster preparedness information is available at www.lifeadvice.com (choose "Disaster Preparation"), including ways to prepare for a hurricane, what to do after a hurricane strikes, and helpful links offering additional resources. In addition, tornado and flood watches are in effect for large portions of the eastern United States. Tornado preparedness tips are also available at www.metlife.com, and MetLife has established a web site containing information and tips on how to protect against property damage from a flood. (Visit www.metlife.com, select "Learn the Basics," then "Be Prepared.")

MetLife Auto & Home, an affiliate of MetLife, Inc., is one of the nation's leading personal lines property and casualty insurance companies, with more than 2.7 million policies in force. MetLife Auto & Home was named among the industry's leaders in customer service, according to JD Powers' 2004 Claims Customer Satisfaction survey for auto insurers. For more information about MetLife Auto & Home, visit www.metlife.com.

MetLife Auto & Home is a brand of Metropolitan Property and Casualty Insurance Company and its affiliates, Warwick, RI.