Employee Benefit Plans

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2012

Employee Benefit Plans [Abstract]

Employee Benefit Plans

11.  Employee Benefit Plans

Pension and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans

Certain subsidiaries of MetLife, Inc. (the “Subsidiaries”) sponsor and/or administer various qualified and non-qualified defined benefit pension plans and other postretirement employee benefit plans covering employees and sales representatives who meet specified eligibility requirements. The Subsidiaries also provide certain postemployment benefits and certain postretirement medical and life insurance benefits for retired employees. The Subsidiaries have issued group annuity and life insurance contracts supporting approximately 99% of all U.S. pension and other postretirement benefit plan assets, which are invested primarily in separate accounts sponsored by the Subsidiaries.

Measurement dates used for all of the Subsidiaries’ defined benefit pension and other postretirement benefit plans correspond with the fiscal year ends of sponsoring Subsidiaries, which are December 31 for most Subsidiaries and November 30 for American Life.

The components of net periodic benefit costs were as follows:

	Pension Benefits												Other Postretirement Benefits
	U.S. Plans						Non-U.S. Plans						U.S. Plans						Non-U.S. Plans
	Three Months Ended March 31,						Three Months Ended March 31,						Three Months Ended March 31,						Three Months Ended March 31,
	2012			2011			2012			2011			2012			2011			2012		2011
	(In millions)
Service costs	$	56		$	47		$	20		$	16		$	5		$	4		$	—	$	1
Interest costs		101			101			4			4			26			26			1		1
Expected return on plan assets		(121	)		(112	)		(2	)		(2	)		(19	)		(19	)		—		(1	)
Amortization of net actuarial (gains) losses		49			49			—			—			14			11			—		—
Amortization of prior service costs (credit)		2			1			—			—			(26	)		(27	)		—		—
Net periodic benefit costs	$	87		$	86		$	22		$	18		$	—		$	(5	)	$	1	$	1