2014 Dividend Scale Announcement

Transcription

1 2014 Dividend Scale Announcement Life Whole MetLife expects to pay approximately $1.25 billion in dividends to eligible life insurance policyhers in This significant payment demonstrates our continued commitment to providing policyhers with value, now and in the long term. The sustained low interest rate environment continues to affect our investment experience and has adversely impacted the dividends for our products. Nevertheless, MetLife s disciplined approach to managing risk and making financial decisions enables us to continue our long history of providing these payments to our participating life insurance policyhers. Here are the details of MetLife s 2014 Dividend Scale: Updated 2014 Dividend Scale Interest Rates Change MetLife Promise Whole Life SM Products 5.25% 5.10% % MetLife Promise Whole Life Products in NY 5.25% 5.10% % Open Block of Business policies, excluding the MetLife Promise Whole Life products: MetLife Whole Life CSO in-force policies Closed Block of Business policies: For ordinary policies issued in 1982 and later For ordinary policies issued before 1982 For industrial policies, which were only issued before 1965 For policies originally issued by New England Mutual Life Insurance Company before the merger with New England Life Insurance Company (NELICO) Open Block of Business policies issued by NELICO, which are in-force policies issued after the merger with Life insurance policy dividends, which are not guaranteed, are based on the performance of participating policies. There are several factors used in determining dividend payouts. Dividend scale interest rates are only one element of the overall dividend calculation. Other factors include mortality, expenses, taxes and policy persistency. Since assumptions used in the determination of dividend payouts can vary significantly among companies, it s important that any comparison of competing products consider all illustrated values projected over the lifetime of the policy, rather than strictly focus on the declared dividend scale interest rate. The 2014 Dividend Scale has received preliminary approval by the boards of directors of each company. It is expected to receive final approval in February The illustration software will be updated to reflect the preliminary 2014 Dividend Scale during the weekend of November 15, We are proud of our long-standing tradition of taking care of our policyhers, and remain committed to making decisions that will ensure we continue to do so. Our financial strength and stability provides our policyhers with assurance that we will deliver on our promises for life. 6.60% 6.10% % General American Life Insurance Company For in-force whole life policies 5.25% 4.90% %

2 1 MetLife consists of,, New England Life Insurance Company, and General American Life Insurance Company, all of which are wholly owned subsidiaries of MetLife, Inc. This amount is expected to be declared by the boards of directors of the issuing companies in February As MetLife Promise Whole Life Select 10, MetLife Promise Whole Life Select 20 and MetLife Promise Whole Life Select 65 were new participating products as of April 29, 2013, they have no history of paying any dividends. MetLife Promise Whole Life, MetLife Promise Whole Life 120, MetLife Promise Whole Life Select 10, MetLife Promise Whole Life Select 20, and MetLife Promise Whole Life Select 65 are issued by generally on Policy Form 5E in all jurisdictions except New York, where they are issued by on Policy Forms 1E NY and 1E NY-A. All guarantees are subject to the claims-paying ability and financial strength of the issuing insurance company. November 2013 Whole Life Insurance Products: Not A Deposit Not FDIC-Insured Not Insured By Any Federal Government Agency Not Guaranteed By Any Bank Or Credit Union BDWL23574 L [0314] 2013 MetLife, Inc. PEANUTS 2013 Peanuts Worldwide

3 Life Whole 2014 Dividend Scale Key Talking Points & Frequently Asked Questions Key Talking Points Sustained low interest rate environment continues to contribute to low dividend scale interest rates across the industry. Interest rates are only one element of the overall dividend calculation. Other factors include mortality, expenses, taxes, and policy persistency. Comparing competitors life insurance policies based solely on dividend scale interest rates does not take into account the overall value of our product features. Dividend scale interest rates should not be confused with internal rates of return. Dividend Rate A1 What are the 2014 Dividend Scale rates? MetLife 1 expects to pay approximately $1.25 billion in dividends to eligible life insurance policyhers in This significant payment demonstrates our continued commitment to providing policyhers with value, now and in the long term. The sustained low interest rate environment continues to affect our investment experience and has adversely impacted the dividends for our products. Nevertheless, MetLife s disciplined approach to managing risk and making financial decisions enables us to continue our long history of providing these payments to our participating life insurance policyhers. Updated 2014 Dividend Scale INTEREST RATES Change MetLife Promise Whole Life SM products 5.25% 5.10% -0.15% MetLife Promise Whole Life SM products in NY 5.25% 5.10% -0.15% Open Block of Business policies, excluding the MetLife Promise Whole Life products: MetLife Whole Life CSO in-force policies Closed Block of Business policies: For ordinary policies issued in 1982 and later For ordinary policies issued before 1982 For industrial policies, which were only issued before 1965 For policies originally issued by New England Mutual Life Insurance Company before the merger with New England Life Insurance Company (NELICO) Open Block of Business policies issued by NELICO, which are in-force policies issued after the merger with 6.60% 6.10% -0.50% General American Life Insurance Company For in-force whole life policies 5.25% 4.90% -0.35% As MetLife Promise Whole Life Select 10, MetLife Promise Whole Life Select 20 and MetLife Promise Whole Life Select 65 were new participating products as of April 29, 2013, they have no history of paying any dividends.

4 Q2 A2 Why did MetLife lower its 2014 Dividend Rate on several blocks of business? MetLife remains strong and well positioned to provide the protection that our customers have come to expect. The low interest rate environment continues to put downward pressure on our dividend scale interest rates. However, the dividend scale interest rate will not be changed on many blocks of business of MetLife for the coming year. MetLife has several issuing companies and blocks of policies, like the Closed Block established at the time of demutualization, that are backed by separate assets. Each block s assets are managed separately causing them to have slightly different performance over time, which results in different dividend scale interest rates. Q3 A3 How does MetLife determine the Dividend Scale? Policy dividends are based on factors such as our investment returns, mortality, expenses, taxes, policy persistency, and claims experience. The final determination of dividend scales is always made by each issuing company s board of directors. MetLife s dividend scale is set annually based on this formula: premium income investment mortality charges expenses changes in reserves* *For future claims and expenses. amount available for dividends Q4 A4 How does MetLife calculate the dividend scale interest rate? MetLife uses the portfolio method to determine the interest factor used in the dividend formula. The portfolio yield is based on the average yield of all investments within it. As one block of investments matures, it is replaced with a new block of investments yielding a current market rate. If the new block of investments has a lower yield than the block that matured, then the total average portfolio yield will decrease, as has been the case in recent years. Here s a hypothetical example: Blocks of Investments 5.6 out IN 10 years 9 years 8 years 7 years 6 years 5 years 4 years 3 years 2 years 1 year replacement block hypothetical example Q5 A5 Do all carriers calculate the dividend scale interest rate the same? No. There is no industry standard for calculating a dividend scale interest rate. While subject to many of the same factors and market pressures, competitors calculate and may report dividend scales differently. Comparing competitors life insurance policies based solely on dividend scale interest rates does not take into account the value, features and benefits of our products. Although not guaranteed, it is important to look at the full projected illustrated values of a policy. Q6 A6 If a company has a higher declared dividend scale interest rate than MetLife s, will their policy have higher illustrated values? Whole life insurance dividends are based on many factors especially interest rates, mortality rates and expenses. It is a combination of these factors and several other assumptions that determine the dividends to be paid and the value that accumulates within the product. Therefore, any company whether stock or mutual can have a lower dividend scale interest rate and yet have higher values accumulate within the product.

5 Q7 A7 How does s (MLIC) dividend scale interest rate compare to the rates on a 10-year Treasury Note over the last 30-years? year treasury notes mlic dividend scale % 0 Jan-80 Jan-88 Jan-96 Jan-04 Jan-13 Source: dividend rates as of November 2013 and the 10-year Treasury Notes from the United States Government as of August MLIC s dividend scale has maintained a conservative and stable rate of return over this 30-year period and has sustained higher dividend scale interest rates due to longer durations within the general account portfolio. However, as previously mentioned, as higher yielding investments mature and are replaced with new lower yielding investments, the dividend scale interest rate will be driven downward. 2.78% Q8 A8 What are the insurance policy dividend requirements for stock and mutual companies? Both Stock and Mutual companies operating in NY must comply with stringent regulations regarding reserves and the accumulation of surplus, but the rules are slightly different pertaining to mutual and stock companies. A mutual company is permitted to maintain a surplus above all of its reserves and liabilities while a stock company, like MetLife, can only maintain a surplus above the reserves and liabilities of its participating policies. That means that a mutual company could choose to maintain more surplus and pay out less in dividends while a stock company is only allowed to look at the reserves and liabilities related to its participating policies (which are less than its total reserves and liabilities) when establishing the amount of surplus to maintain. Q9 A9 Are mutual companies able to focus more on policy owners and put aside more surplus toward paying policy dividends than stock companies on their participating (dividend-paying) policies? While both stock and mutual companies put aside money to grow their business, mutual companies do not have the capability to raise money in the public market through selling common stock. The focus on sharehers can motivate stock companies to run a streamlined business with competitive whole life products. Although dividends are not guaranteed, has consistently paid policy dividends to its eligible policyhers. These dividend payments began when it was a mutual life insurance company and have continued now that it is a stock life insurance company. deliberately decided to continue issuing dividend-paying policies when it became a stock company by designing, pricing and filing participating whole life policies. 0 Since the MetLife Promise Whole Life products are issued by in states other than New York, does have the same strong ratings as? A10 Yes, and have the same strong ratings as follows: Company A.M. Best S&P Moody s Fitch A+ Superior 2 nd Highest of 16 AA- Very Strong 4 th Highest of 21 Aa3 Excellent 4 th Highest of 21 AA- Very Strong 7 th Highest of 21 Ratings are based on financial strength of and and are current as of November Policy guarantees are subject to the claims-paying ability and financial strength of the issuing company.

6 1 What will happen to the dividend scale interest rate in 2015? A11 The dividend scale interest rate is determined each year using factors that can vary over time. As a result, dividends can fluctuate from year to year and are never guaranteed. Policy Impact A1 How can dividends help policyhers? Dividends can be an important product design element in participating whole life policies because they can enhance the overall value of the policy. In general, dividend payments can be used to increase the policy benefits in five ways: Accelerated Payment or Premium Reduction Dividends are applied toward the payment of the premium and in some instances may cover the entire annual premium. Additional Paid-Up Insurance or Term Insurance Dividends are used to purchase additional paid-up life insurance, and term insurance under a rider, increasing the overall death benefit. Paid in Cash A check is sent to the client for the full amount of the dividend. Dividends to Accumulate with Interest The dividend is left on deposit with MetLife. The total value of the dividends plus interest, is either added to the death benefit or to the cash value. Repay Policy Loans Dividends are used to repay loan principal or loan interest. Q2 A2 How can in-force clients currently on Accelerated Payment (AP) see how the 2014 dividend scale interest rate change impacts their policy? Running in-force illustrations will help clients better understand if the 2014 Dividend Scale impacts their policy. Please keep in mind that illustrations assume that the 2014 Dividend Scale interest rate will not change for the life of the policy, which is unlikely. Therefore, it is also advisable to run an illustration at a lower dividend scale interest rate to show how potential future dividend changes could impact their policy. Illustrations A1 When will the illustration systems be updated? The illustration software will be updated over the weekend of November 15, 2013 with the new 2014 Dividend Scale Interest Rate. The 2014 Dividend Scale Interest Rates are preliminary and are subject to the actions of the boards of directors of each company in Febuary, New illustration software must be installed as soon as it is received. The use of prior versions after a new version has been released is prohibited. Additional Information What is MetLife s financial stability and position in the financial services marketplace? A1 MetLife and its affiliates are today the largest life insurer in the United States based on life insurance written premiums. 2 MetLife and its affiliates are leading innovators and a recognized leader in protection planning, and retirement and savings solutions around the world. We have established a strong presence in over 60 countries through organic growth, acquisitions, joint ventures and other partnerships. We are strengthening our global brand by extending solutions and core competencies to markets around the world an important driver of growth for the enterprise. Around the world, the MetLife, Inc. companies offer life, accident and health insurance, retirement and savings products through agents, third-party distributors such as banks and brokers, and direct marketing channels. MetLife and its affiliates offer life insurance, disability insurance, annuities, auto and home insurance and other financial services to individuals, as well as group insurance and retirement and savings products and services to corporations and other institutions.

7 1 MetLife consists of,, New England Life Insurance Company, and General American Life Insurance Company, all of which are wholly owned subsidiaries of MetLife, Inc. This amount is expected to be declared by the boards of directors of the issuing companies in February Axco Insurance Information Services Ltd Life insurance policies contain exclusions, limitations and conditions for keeping the policies in force. MetLife Promise Whole Life, MetLife Promise Whole Life 120, MetLife Promise Whole Life Select 10, MetLife Promise Whole Life Select 20, and MetLife Promise Whole Life Select 65 are issued by generally on Policy Form 5E in all jurisdictions except New York, where they are issued by on Policy Forms 1E NY and 1E NY-A. All guarantees are subject to the claims-paying ability and financial strength of the issuing insurance company. Whole Life Insurance Products: Not A Deposit Not FDIC-Insured Not Insured By Any Federal Government Agency Not Guaranteed By Any Bank Or Credit Union 5 Park Plaza, Suite 1900 Irvine, CA metlife.com 200 Park Avenue New York, NY BDWL23578 L [1214] 2013 MetLife, Inc. PEANUTS 2013 Peanuts Worldwide