METLIFE COMPLETES ACQUISITION OF SAFEGUARD
NEW YORK, February 01, 2008
MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) today announced that it has completed its acquisition of SafeGuard Health Enterprises, Inc. (SafeGuard). Terms of the purchase were not disclosed.
"I am very pleased to welcome SafeGuard into the MetLife organization," said Bill Mullaney, president, MetLife Institutional Business. "The company’s solid reputation and dental expertise are an ideal enhancement to MetLife’s benefits offerings, particularly in those areas where employers are looking for dual option dental benefits such as a dental health maintenance organization (DHMO) and preferred provider organization (PPO)."
"It is exciting to leverage the successes of our two organizations – now all part of the same family of companies – to provide customers with additional choice and flexibility in achieving their benefits objectives. I look forward to a smooth transition as we continue to ensure customers receive best-in-class service and support," said Mike Schwartz, vice president, MetLife Dental Product Management.
MetLife, Inc., through its subsidiaries and affiliates, administers dental benefits for approximately 21 million people, more than any single commercial carrier. Delivering dental benefits in the marketplace for 45 years, MetLife is dedicated to developing and offering innovative product solutions, promoting technologies that make utilizing dental benefits easier and creating educational resources for employers, plan participants, and dentists.
About SafeGuard and MetLife
Founded in 1974, SafeGuard Health Enterprises, Inc. was one of the first companies to introduce the concept of managed care dental products. SafeGuard, through its subsidiaries, provides DHMO, PPO, and Administrative Services Only (ASO) dental plans as well as vision plans to its membership. In the over 30 years that SafeGuard has been an industry leader, membership has increased to 1.8 million. The company is a key ancillary benefits provider to Fortune 500 companies, educational institutions, employee benefit trusts and government agencies. SafeGuard’s primary markets are California, Florida, Texas and Nevada. For more information see www.safeguard.net.
MetLife, Inc. is a leading provider of insurance and financial services with operations throughout the United States and the Latin America, Europe and Asia Pacific regions. Through its domestic and international subsidiaries and affiliates, MetLife, Inc. reaches more than 70 million customers around the world and MetLife is the largest life insurer in the United States (based on life insurance in-force). The MetLife companies offer life insurance, annuities, auto and home insurance, retail banking and other financial services to individuals, as well as group insurance, reinsurance and retirement & savings products and services to corporations and other institutions. For more information, please visit www.metlife.com.
This release contains statements which constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements relating to trends in the operations and financial results and the business and the products of the company and its subsidiaries, as well as other statements including words such as "anticipate," "believe," "plan," "estimate," "expect," "intend" and other similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are made based upon management’s current expectations and beliefs concerning future developments and their potential effects on the company. Such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance.
Actual results may differ materially from those included in the forward-looking statements as a result of risks and uncertainties including, but not limited to, the following: (i) changes in general economic conditions, including the performance of financial markets and interest rates; (ii) heightened competition, including with respect to pricing, entry of new competitors, the development of new products by new and existing competitors and for personnel; (iii) investment losses and defaults; (iv) unanticipated changes in industry trends; (v) catastrophe losses; (vi) ineffectiveness of risk management policies and procedures; (vii) changes in accounting standards, practices and/or policies; (viii) changes in assumptions related to deferred policy acquisition costs, value of business acquired or goodwill; (ix) discrepancies between actual claims experience and assumptions used in setting prices for the company’s products and establishing the liabilities for the company’s obligations for future policy benefits and claims; (x) discrepancies between actual experience and assumptions used in establishing liabilities related to other contingencies or obligations; (xi) adverse results or other consequences from litigation, arbitration or regulatory investigations; (xii) downgrades in the company’s and its affiliates’ claims paying ability, financial strength or credit ratings; (xiii) regulatory, legislative or tax changes that may affect the cost of, or demand for, the company’s products or services; (xiv) MetLife, Inc.’s primary reliance, as a holding company, on dividends from its subsidiaries to meet debt payment obligations and the applicable regulatory restrictions on the ability of the subsidiaries to pay such dividends; (xv) deterioration in the experience of the "closed block" established in connection with the reorganization of Metropolitan Life Insurance Company; (xvi) economic, political, currency and other risks relating to the company’s international operations; (xvii) the effects of business disruption or economic contraction due to terrorism or other hostilities; (xviii) the company’s ability to identify and consummate on successful terms any future acquisitions, and to successfully integrate acquired businesses with minimal disruption; and (xix) other risks and uncertainties described from time to time in MetLife, Inc.’s filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The company specifically disclaims any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise.