METLIFE BROKER-DEALER GROUP’S ‘FUND MANAGEMENT SERVICES’ BOLSTERS ADVISORS’ DELIVERY OF INVESTMENT ADVICE TO EMERGING INVESTORS

METLIFE BROKER-DEALER GROUP’S ‘FUND MANAGEMENT SERVICES’ BOLSTERS ADVISORS’ DELIVERY OF INVESTMENT ADVICE TO EMERGING INVESTORS

NEW YORK, August 24, 2009

The MetLife Broker-Dealer Group announced today that it is introducing to all its retail Registered Investment Advisers (MetLife Securities, New England Securities, Tower Square Securities and Walnut Street Securities) a competitive investment advisory solution for emerging investors known as MetLife Fund Management Services.

“With MetLife Fund Management Services, our goal is to offer an investment advisory solution geared to emerging investors seeking comprehensive investment advice and service from a financial professional,” states Rebecca Kovatch, vice president, MetLife Broker-Dealer Group. “At the same time, we’re providing our Registered Investment Advisers (IARs) a solution that allows them to continue a dialogue with clients while increasing efficiencies within their own practices, both of which are particularly important in this challenging market environment.”

MetLife Fund Management Services brings a fully-automated advisory product solution to mutual fund clients whose assets may otherwise be held directly at multiple mutual fund companies and allows IARs to:

• Build and maintain an advisory rather than transactional relationship with his/her client by providing on-going advice
• Offer simplified account maintenance and support, as well as consolidated statements and tax reporting
• Automatic population of existing client information in forms to reduce redundancies
• Provide an automated, on-line application process, insuring increased efficiency and productivity (at the advisor level)
   

“To date, we have received positive reviews from our IARs who see this as a value-add to their businesses, and a strong competitive advantage,” states Jeffrey Wilk, vice president, Broker-Dealer Investment and Advisory Product Management. “This truly innovative solution, that allows an IAR to deliver personalized investment advice through an automated platform to investors with as little as $10,000 to invest, is achieved by leveraging the scale inherent in our multiple platform relationships, and is a continuation of our promise to provide our IARs the tools, resources and solutions to enhance the client experience and their practices.”

MetLife Fund Management Services is supported by the electronic, paperless business procession system known as eApp, which warehouses all business forms in a single electronic repository, and provides systematic validation after an IAR completes the electronic form. It also immediately notifies the IAR of missing information from the application and provides suitability guidance, adding another level to the ease doing business with MetLife.

Additionally, in keeping with its commitment to providing its broker-dealers with best-in-class tools, solutions and support, the MetLife Broker-Dealer Group announced two new innovations earlier this year: the consultative sales support network known as the Pension Resource CenterSM, available for MetLife registered representatives who offer solutions in the qualified retirement plan space for the small to mid-sized business market; and the second generation of its Wealth Management Services (WMS) platform (also supported by eApp) – a comprehensive online investment advisory product platform that enables IARs to seamlessly integrate a client’s accounts into a single, consolidated account.