MetLife Auto & Home® to Provide Identity Theft Resolution Service at no Additional Charge to Pennsylvania Customers with Auto Insurance Policies

Business Wire, Dec 19, 2006

WARWICK, R.I. -- MetLife Auto & Home has announced that it will provide Identify Theft resolution services for its Pennsylvania auto insurance customers at no additional charge, effective December 1. The service will be provided to all new business and existing automobile business, including motorcycle and motor home, and will assist customers in resolving a suspected identity theft.

Last year, MetLife Auto & Home was the first insurer to include Identify Theft resolution services with its renters, condominium, and standard homeowners policies in states where approved. The service is now available to its customers in 49 states. Earlier this year, the company announced that it would begin expanding this service to include its automobile policies; the enhancement has already received approval from regulators in 46 states. Unlike "ID theft insurance" coverage, which typically focuses on ID theft reimbursement and is typically sold for $35 - $45 annually, or more, this enhancement to MetLife Auto & Home's auto policies focuses on helping customer's regain their identity, and comes at no additional cost to the consumer.

"We are pleased to be able to offer this service to our auto customers in Pennsylvania," said Bill Mullaney, president of MetLife Auto & Home. "Our customer surveys tell us that 97 percent of our policyholders are concerned about ID theft. Our customers who have been victimized by an identity thief appreciate that we were there to simplify the process and help them put their lives back in order, just as we do when they are victimized by a burglary, a fire, or a reckless driver. While identity theft service is now frequently found in home insurance policies, we also wanted to offer this valuable service to our auto customers so that we could provide the same peace of mind to them."

As with MetLife Auto & Home's Identity Theft and Credit Protection for its property insurance customers, this restoration service will be provided by IdentityTheft 911[TM], one of the nation's foremost providers of identity-theft crisis resolution, defense, and education services. There is no premium for the service and no deductible to pay. The service will be available whether the customer is dealing with:

-- Account takeover: where someone uses a person's accounts to make unapproved charges

-- Identity takeover: where someone uses a person's personal information to establish an alternative identity; opening accounts and making purchases in his/her name

-- Proactive inquiries: where a person has noticed something odd, has received an unexpected call from a creditor, or has lost a wallet

"We've long prided ourselves on removing coverage gaps and many of the surprises that both auto and home insurance customers face when filing claims," said Mullaney. "We're also looking to respond to some of the realities of modern life that cause anxiety for our customers, such as ID theft. This service provides an additional level of comfort to them."

Upon discovering something suspicious regarding their credit, MetLife Auto & Home customers, in states where provision of the service has been approved, simply call the company's toll-free number. The company will transfer that customer directly to IdentityTheft 911, where a counselor will be assigned to the case.

Unlike a call center environment provided by some companies, the same IdentityTheft 911 counselor will work one-on-one with impacted customers/victims to help them reclaim their good names. Customers will have access to a toll-free number to contact their counselor whenever questions arise. Other services provided, at no extra charge, to MetLife Auto & Home customers include:

-- Direct assistance with filing police reports

-- Creation of fraud victim affidavits

-- Creation of a comprehensive case file, which provides assistance for law enforcement

-- Direct assistance with notifying governmental agencies (such as U.S. Postal Service, Passport Services Office, Social Security Administration, DMV)

-- Preparation of all documents and phone calls needed to notify credit grantors

-- Assistance in placing fraud alerts with credit bureaus, closing accounts that have been compromised, adding passwords to accounts, etc.

-- Personal assistance in dealing with debt collectors, if necessary

-- Credit monitoring, to identify fraudulent activity and provide periodic reports of changes to credit information - including sending alerts whenever suspicious activity is detected

-- Fraud monitoring of more than 400 databases (such as state departments of motor vehicles) to identify where someone is trying to use, or change, personal information, such as Social Security Number and/or home address

-- A full year of active follow-up to judge the effectiveness of the fraud resolution and to detect possible recurrent fraud

For more information about preventing identity theft, including tips and a downloadable checklist to avoid being victimized, visit: www.MetLife.com/identitytheft. Consumers can also call 1-800 Met Auto for additional information.