FORT LAUDERDALE, FL--(Marketwire - Feb 12, 2013) - [ MetLife ] today announced that South Florida resident Gil Cohen has been named Market Leader of the South Florida territory. In this capacity, Cohen will oversee firm operations at Cypress Financial Group, an office of MetLife, along with the local New England Financial agency.

"We are pleased to appoint Gil Cohen as a Market Leader for the South Florida territory, because he is an outstanding leader committed to providing superior service to individuals and businesses in the South Florida area," said Larry Adkins, regional vice president, [ MetLife ]. "This appointment is part of an ongoing strategy to leverage our strengths and help us move toward our goal of being a premier distribution organization. Through the collective resources and expertise of the MetLife firms in this area, Gil and his team will provide customers with an even stronger, more diverse range of resources under a unified leadership team with a shared vision -- to help our customers achieve financial security."

"I look forward to working with the team to better assist our customers in this market and continue to strengthen our client relationships," said Gil Cohen. "By drawing upon the best practices of all our offices, we will be able to grow and develop talent and provide even better support services to our financial representatives and their customers."

Cohen is a graduate of Florida International University. He is a member of the General Agents and Managers Association International and has worked in the financial services industry for 19 years, all of which have been spent at MetLife, including eight years with Cypress Financial Group. During this time, he has been the recipient of numerous industry and company awards and honors, including induction into MetLife's Management Hall of Fame.

Cypress Financial Group has its main location in Fort Lauderdale, with offices in Coral Gables, West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, and Plantation. For additional information on Gil Cohen and Cypress Financial Group, call (954) 331-5100 or visit [ www.cypressfinancialgroup.com ].

New England Financial is a registered mark of New England Life Insurance Company, a Boston-based affiliate of [ MetLife ], Inc. (NYSE: [ MET ]), that provides financial products and services to individual and business owner markets through a network of 45 offices and almost 2,200 financial representatives. For more than 170 years, New England Financial has been recognized as one of the premier life insurance and financial services organizations. For more information, please visit the company's Web site at [ www.nef.com ].

Metropolitan Life Insurance Company (MLIC) is a subsidiary of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE: [ MET ]), a leading global provider of insurance, annuities and employee benefit programs, serving over 90 million customers. Through its subsidiaries and affiliates, MetLife holds leading market positions in the United States, Japan, Latin America, Asia, Europe and the Middle East. For more information, visit [ www.metlife.com ].

Some health insurance products offered by unaffiliated insurers through the Enterprise General Agency Inc. (EGA), 300 Davidson Avenue Somerset, NJ 08873-4175. Metropolitan Life Insurance Company (MLIC), New York, NY 10036. Securities offered by MetLife Securities, Inc. (MSI), 1095 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10036 (member FINRA/SIPC). 

New England Financial is the registered mark for New England Life Insurance Company (NELICO), Boston, MA 02116. Securities offered by New England Securities Corp.(NES), (member FINRA, SIPC), a1095 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10036. NELICO and NES are affiliates.

All companies are MetLife companies