LP profile · Corporate
Metropolitan Life Insurance Company
Metropolitan Life Insurance Company is a corporate headquartered in United States (North America). Ranked #19 in the 2026 Dealroom Power Law LP Ranking by realised power-law score across its venture commitments.
Historical Background
- The company was founded on March 24, 1868, as Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, having originally been established in 1863 as National Union Life and Limb Insurance Company to provide insurance to Civil War soldiers and sailors.
- After observing the insurance industry in Great Britain, company president Joseph F. Knapp introduced "industrial" insurance to the US market in 1879. The company completed its mutualization process on January 6, 1915.
Source of Capital
- As a publicly traded insurance company, the firm's capital is primarily derived from premiums paid by its policyholders for life, health, property, and casualty insurance, as well as from its annuity products.
- Additional capital is generated through returns on its own extensive investment portfolio.
Major Events
- In 2000, Metropolitan Life Insurance Company demutualized, becoming a publicly traded company on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol MET.
- The company acquired American Life Insurance Company (Alico) from AIG in 2010 for approximately $16.2 billion.
- In 2017, MetLife completed the spin-off of its U.S. retail life insurance and annuity business into a separate, independent company named Brighthouse Financial.
Allocation Strategy
- MetLife Investment Management, the institutional asset management arm of the company, invests in a range of asset classes including public fixed income, private capital, and real estate.
- The private capital strategy encompasses corporate private placements, infrastructure debt, and private equity fund investments.
- Geographically, the firm's investment activities are global, reflecting its operational presence in over 60 countries.
Sources
- https://www.metlife.com/about-us/metlife-history/
- https://www.zippia.com/metlife-careers-59737/history/
- https://www.company-histories.com/Metropolitan-Life-Insurance-Company-Company-History.html
- https://www.loc.gov/item/lcwaN0015594/
- https://www.reuters.com/article/us-metlife-idUSTRE6A004B20101101/
- https://news.ambest.com/newscontent.aspx?refnum=200032&altsrc=118
- https://investor.metlife.com/news/news-details/2017/MetLife-Completes-Spin-Off-of-Brighthouse-Financial/default.aspx
- https://www.metlife.com/about-us/newsroom/2010/november/metlife-completes-acquisition-of-alico/
- https://www.metlife.com/investments/
- https://www.metlife.com/investments/what-we-do/private-capital/