MetLife Auto & Home® the First National Insurer to Provide Identity Theft Resolution Service at no Additional Charge with its Auto Insurance Policies

Business Wire, March 28, 2006

WARWICK, R.I. -- MetLife Auto & Home today announced that it will be the first national insurer in the U.S. to provide identity theft resolution services on its automobile policies at no additional charge, in all states where approved by regulators. Last year, the company was the first insurer to include the service with its renters, condominium, and standard homeowners policies in states where approved, and the service is now available to its customers in 49 states. The company has begun filing the auto-policy enhancement with regulators and has already received approval in 22 states in just a few weeks. It will roll out this policy enhancement to its auto customers beginning in early May. Unlike "ID theft insurance" coverage, which may include ID theft resolution service and is typically sold for $35 - $45 annually, or more, this enhancement to MetLife Auto & Home's auto policies comes at no additional cost to the consumer.

"Our customer surveys tell us that 97 percent of our policyholders are concerned about ID theft," said Bill Mullaney, president of MetLife Auto & Home. "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, as well as responding 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.

MetLife Auto & Home, a subsidiary of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE: MET), is one of the nation's leading personal lines property and casualty insurance companies, insuring over 3.8 million autos and homes. The company was named among the industry's leaders in customer service according to J.D. Power & Associates' 2005 Claims Customer Satisfaction surveys for both auto and home. For more information about MetLife(R), visit www.metlife.com.