Metlife Makes Available Ibbotson Investment Advisory Service; Ibbotson to Serve as Co-Fiduciary

NEW YORK, NY, October 13, 2004 -- MetLife Retirement & Savings today announced that Ibbotson Associates Advisors’ Plan Sponsor Investment Advisory Service is now available to plan sponsors in the small and mid-sized defined contribution plans that MetLife administers. Plan sponsors, who wish to purchase this service from Ibbotson, will now be able to get independent guidance when choosing an investment option lineup for their participants. Ibbotson will share fiduciary responsibility with the plan sponsor for investment selection.

Ibbotson will start with the 100+ investment options that comprise MetLife’s defined contribution investment menu. These options have already been screened and analyzed by MetLife’s Investment Strategies Group using a rigorous, disciplined process that has been reviewed by Ibbotson and deemed consistent with industry standards and practices. After analyzing these investments, Ibbotson recommends a list of options in five core asset classes and 10 supplemental asset classes/categories that, when used in combination, comprise a suitable array of asset classes and money managers.

"Increasingly, plan sponsors for small and mid-market plans want professional assistance in building a well-diversified retirement program for their plan participants," said Bill Slater, vice president, MetLife Retirement & Savings. "Our alliance with Ibbotson, a professional, third-party investment advisory service, is designed to enable plan sponsors to choose from among the best available options in a variety of asset classes."

"Ibbotson’s plan sponsor advisory service is an ideal solution for small- and mid-tier plans that are concerned about selecting a good mix of high-quality investments, but may not have the same needs or resources as a large defined contribution plan," said Michael Annin, managing director at Ibbotson Associates. "Plan sponsors who purchase this new service are presented with a menu of investments that pass our rigorous selection process. Additionally, we ensure that every core asset class is represented so that participants can build diversified portfolios."

Ibbotson Associates Advisors, LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Ibbotson Associates. Ibbotson Associates, founded in 1977 by Professor Roger Ibbotson, is a leading authority on asset allocation, providing products and services to help investment professionals obtain, manage and retain assets. The company’s business lines include investment consulting and research; planning and analysis software; investment advice; educational and marketing services and a widely used line of NASD-reviewed presentation materials. With offices in Chicago, New York and Tokyo, Ibbotson Associates markets its integrated product line to institutional money managers, insurance companies, plan sponsors and consultants, financial planners, brokers, mutual fund firms, hedge funds, banks and small money managers.

MetLife Retirement & Savings delivers integrated retirement programs and innovative investment management services for defined contribution and defined benefit plans.

MetLife, a subsidiary of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE: MET), is a leading provider of insurance and other financial services to individual and institutional customers. The MetLife companies serve individuals in approximately 13 million households in the U.S. and provide benefits to 37 million employees and family members through their plan sponsors. Outside the U.S., the MetLife companies serve approximately 8 million customers through direct insurance operations in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Mexico, South Korea, Taiwan and Uruguay. For more information about MetLife, please visit the company’s Web site at www.metlife.com.

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