MetLife Introduces Shield Level Selector

New York – May 6, 2013– MetLife announced the launch of MetLife Shield Level Selector^_, a new single premium deferred annuity designed to help investors protect and build assets for retirement. Investors can customize their levels of protection, maintain growth opportunities and flexibly allocate their purchase payments to fit their needs. This may help them regain confidence in their long-term retirement plans.

Designed for investors who are seeking tax-deferred growth potential and some protection, Shield Level Selector offers the ability to transfer some or all downside risk to MetLife, while still maintaining the opportunity for growth potential. Investors can select the level of protection they want, based on their risk tolerance. Levels of protection start with Shield 10, which protects against the first 10 percent loss (i.e., if the index is down 12%, MetLife absorbs the first 10% index loss and the investor’s account value only goes down by 2%).

“Investors know they need to grow their retirement assets, but are wary of the market,” says Elizabeth Forget, senior vice president, MetLife. “In a recent survey, we found that over one-third of consumers would feel more comfortable investing if they were protected from a loss of up to 10 percent. Over two-thirds would be motivated to put their money back to work with a downside cushion of up to 25 percent.⁴ This is where Shield Level Selector really helps meet a need.”

Shield Level Selector is innovative and features:

· A variety of Shield Options, each consisting of a level of protection, index, and term. Investors can elect to have MetLife absorb the first 10 percent, 15 percent, 25 percent or 100 percent of index loss.
· Five index options to which clients can link their potential earnings, up to a pre-determined Maximum Growth Opportunity: S&P 500^® Index, Russell 2000^® Index, NASDAQ-100 Index^®, MSCI EAFE Index and/or the Dow Jones-UBS Commodity Index. Shield Level Selector does not invest directly in any index.
· Step Rate options that let investors lock in a pre-determined percentage of growth if the index is either flat or up at the end of the term.
· One-, three- and six-year terms. Not all indices or terms are available with each level of protection.
· A standard death benefit or an optional Return of Premium Death Benefit.

“Shield Level Selector gives investors the flexibility to make informed decisions about how to allocate a portion of their retirement assets,” says Forget. “They can choose from different levels of protection, indices, and time frames. Then, at the end of each term, they can revisit their choices and adapt to changing market conditions based on their personal risk tolerance.”

Shield Level Selector complements MetLife’s broad annuity product set by addressing clients’ needs for a tax-deferred investment with some protection during the accumulation phase. MetLife is a leading provider of annuity products that offer protected growth and income solutions to clients and advisors seeking to solve the challenges of investing for retirement.

For more information on MetLife Shield Level Selector, visit www.metlife.com/shield.

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