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A.M. Best Assigns Ratings to MetLife, Inc.'s New Shelf Registration

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  Published in Business and Finance on Thursday, December 2nd 2010 at 7:05 GMT by Market Wire
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OLDWICK, N.J.--([ BUSINESS WIRE ])--A.M. Best Co. has assigned indicative ratings of aa-a to senior unsecured debt, abbb+a to subordinated debt and abbba to preferred stock and trust preferred securities, which may be issued under the recently filed and approved shelf registration statement of MetLife, Inc. (MetLife) (headquartered in New York, NY) (NYSE: MET). The outlook assigned to all ratings is negative.

"A.M. Besta™s Ratings & the Treatment of Debt."

The assigned ratings to the securities, which may be issued under the shelf registration statement, are consistent with the current ratings of MetLifea™s outstanding securities.

The new shelf registration replaces MetLifea™s previous shelf registration filed in November 2007, which has expired. Consequently, the ratings for the previous shelf registration have been withdrawn.

MetLifea™s issuer credit rating of aa-a, its existing debt ratings and the ratings of its insurance operating entities are all unchanged.

The principal methodology used in determining these ratings is [ Besta™s Credit Rating Methodology -- Global Life and Non-Life Insurance Edition ], which provides a comprehensive explanation of A.M. Besta™s rating process and highlights the different rating criteria employed. Additional key criteria utilized include: aEquity Credit for Hybrid Securitiesa and a[ A.M. Besta™s Ratings & the Treatment of Debt ].a Methodologies can be found at [ www.ambest.com/ratings/methodology ].

Founded in 1899, A.M. Best Company is the world's oldest and most authoritative insurance rating and information source. For more information, visit [ www.ambest.com ].

Copyright © 2010 by A.M. Best Company, Inc.ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.