MetLife Launches New Critical Illness Insurance Products; Innovative Solution Designed to Provide Financial Support During Treatment & Recovery

Business Wire, March 28, 2005

--About every 45 seconds, someone suffers a stroke. (Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics - 2004 Update, American Heart Association, based on total year 2000 U.S. population of 281 million people)

--Nearly one-third of all families caring for a seriously ill family member during a two-year period lost most or all of their savings. (LIMRA Report, 2002, Lump Sum Literature Review)

--39% of all cancer survivors in the US are under the age of 65. (National Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, July 25, 2004)

--88% of heart attack patients under the age of 65 are able to return to their usual work. (American Heart Association, 2004 Heart and Stroke Statistics Update)