Exhibit 99.1


[MetLife Logo]                                             NEWS
                                                           For Immediate Release

Public Relations
MetLife, Inc.
1 MetLife Plaza
27-01 Queens Plaza North
Long Island City, NY 11101


Contacts:       For Media:       John Calagna
                                 (212) 578-6252

                For Investors:   Tracey Dedrick
                                 (212) 578-5140


                  METLIFE BOARD OF DIRECTORS DECLARES DATE FOR
                        2005 ANNUAL SHAREHOLDERS MEETING

NEW YORK, January 19, 2005 - The board of directors of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE: MET)
announced today that the company will hold its 2005 annual shareholders meeting
on Tuesday, April 26, 2005. The board also established March 1, 2005 as the
record date for determining shareholders entitled to vote at the meeting. The
meeting will begin at 10:30 a.m. (ET) and will take place in New York City.

MetLife, Inc., through its subsidiaries and affiliates, is a leading provider of
insurance and other financial services to individual and institutional
customers.  The MetLife companies serve individuals in approximately 13 million
households in the U.S. and provide benefits to 37 million employees and family
members through their plan sponsors. Outside the U.S., the MetLife companies
serve approximately 8 million customers through direct insurance operations in
Argentina, Brazil, Chile, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Mexico, South
Korea, Taiwan and Uruguay. For more information about MetLife, please visit the
company's Web site at www.metlife.com.
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