Fitzhenry, Colleen Agt

Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, also known as MetLife, was established in 1863 when a group of New York City businessmen raised nearly $100,000 to found the National Union Life and Limb Insurance Company. The company s services include life insurance, annuities, auto insurance, home insurance and long-term care. MetLife announced in January 2005, its intention to purchase Citigroup s Travelers Life & Annuity and substantially all of Citigroup s international insurance businesses for $11.5 billion. Once completed in the summer of 2005, combining Travelers Life & Annuity with MetLife makes the company one of the largest individual life insurers in North America based on sales, as well as one of the largest providers of retail annuities and institutional annuities. Metropolitan Life Insurance Company has a branch location in Williamsville, N.Y., where it employs nearly 100 people.