Equity (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2012

Equity [Abstract]

Schedule of Dividends Paid, Preferred Stock

			Dividend
Declaration Date	Record Date	Payment Date	Series A   Per Share		Series A   Aggregate		Series B   Per Share		Series B   Aggregate
			(In millions, except per share data)
November 15, 2012	November 30, 2012	December 17, 2012	$	0.253	$	7	$	0.406	$	24
August 15, 2012	August 31, 2012	September 17, 2012	$	0.256		6	$	0.406		24
May 15, 2012	May 31, 2012	June 15, 2012	$	0.256		7	$	0.406		24
March 5, 2012	February 29, 2012	March 15, 2012	$	0.253		6	$	0.406		24
					$	26			$	96
November 15, 2011	November 30, 2011	December 15, 2011	$	0.253	$	7	$	0.406	$	24
August 15, 2011	August 31, 2011	September 15, 2011	$	0.256		6	$	0.406		24
May 16, 2011	May 31, 2011	June 15, 2011	$	0.256		7	$	0.406		24
March 7, 2011	February 28, 2011	March 15, 2011	$	0.250		6	$	0.406		24
					$	26			$	96
November 15, 2010	November 30, 2010	December 15, 2010	$	0.253	$	7	$	0.406	$	24
August 16, 2010	August 31, 2010	September 15, 2010	$	0.256		6	$	0.406		24
May 17, 2010	May 31, 2010	June 15, 2010	$	0.256		7	$	0.406		24
March 5, 2010	February 28, 2010	March 15, 2010	$	0.250		6	$	0.406		24
					$	26			$	96

Schedule of Dividends Paid, Common Stock

			Dividend
			Per Share		Aggregate
Declaration Date	Record Date	Payment Date	(In millions, except per share data)
October 23, 2012	November 9, 2012	December 14, 2012	$	0.74	$	811
October 25, 2011	November 9, 2011	December 14, 2011	$	0.74	$	787
October 26, 2010	November 9, 2010	December 14, 2010	$	0.74	$	784	(1)

(1) Includes dividends on convertible preferred stock (see “— Convertible Preferred Stock”)

Components of compensation expense related to stock based compensation

	Years Ended December 31,
	2012		2011		2010
	(In millions)
Stock Options	$	61	$	58	$	45
Performance Shares (1)		80		68		29
Restricted Stock Units		27		18		10
Total compensation expense	$	168	$	144	$	84
Income tax benefit	$	59	$	50	$	29

(1) Performance Shares expected to vest and the related compensation expenses may be further adjusted by the performance factor most likely to be achieved, as estimated by management, at the end of the performance period.

Total unrecognized compensation expense related to stock based compensation and the expected weighted average period over which the expenses will be recognized

	December 31, 2012
	Expense		Weighted Average Period
	(In millions)		(Years)
Stock Options	$	56	1.74
Performance Shares	$	52	1.65
Restricted Stock Units	$	28	1.73

Activity related to Stock Options

	Shares Under Option			Weighted Average Exercise Price	Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Term	Aggregate Intrinsic Value (1)
					(Years)	(In millions)
Outstanding at January 1, 2012		34,713,526		$        40.22	5.35	$	—
Granted		6,247,050		$        37.91
Exercised		(3,817,301	)	$        28.44
Expired		(1,017,994	)	$        47.35
Forfeited		(972,210	)	$        40.23
Outstanding at December 31, 2012		35,153,071		$        40.89	5.50	$	51
Expected to vest at a future date as of December 31, 2012		34,684,396		$        40.94	5.41	$	51
Exercisable at December 31, 2012		24,530,711		$        41.36	4.16	$	50

(1) The aggregate intrinsic value was computed using the closing Share price on December 31, 2012 of $32.94 and December 30, 2011 of $31.18, as applicable.

Weighted average assumptions used to determine the fair value of Stock Options issued

	Years Ended December 31,
	2012	2011	2010
Dividend yield	1.95%	1.65%	2.11%
Risk-free rate of return	0.21%-4.17%	0.29%-5.51%	0.35%-5.88%
Expected volatility	35.59%	32.64%	34.41%
Exercise multiple	1.58	1.69	1.75
Post-vesting termination rate	3.14%	3.36%	3.64%
Contractual term (years)	10	10	10
Expected life (years)	7	7	7
Weighted average exercise price of stock options granted	$      37.91	$      45.16	$      35.06
Weighted average fair value of stock options granted	$      11.33	$      14.27	$      11.29

Stock Option exercise activity

	Years Ended December 31,
	2012		2011		2010
	(In millions)
Total intrinsic value of stock options exercised	$	29	$	41	$	22
Cash received from exercise of stock options	$	109	$	88	$	52
Income tax benefit realized from stock options exercised	$	10	$	14	$	8

Performance Share and Restricted Stock Unit Activity

	Performance Shares				Restricted Stock Units
	Shares			Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value	Units			Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value
Outstanding at January 1, 2012		5,024,094		$        31.50		1,562,849		$        34.74
Granted		2,042,133		$        35.38		971,304		$        35.39
Forfeited		(452,590	)	$        37.36		(171,475	)	$        37.62
Payable (1)		(1,791,609	)	$        20.71		(282,530	)	$        21.88
Outstanding at December 31, 2012		4,822,028		$        36.93		2,080,148		$        36.55
Expected to vest at a future date as of December 31, 2012		4,817,941		$        36.98		2,080,148		$        36.55

(1) Includes both Shares paid and Shares deferred for later payment.

Liability Award Unit Activity

	Unit Options			Restricted Units			Performance Units
Outstanding at January 1, 2012		1,083,370			510,681			233,257
Granted		440,185			395,765			158,724
Exercised		(26,855	)		—			—
Forfeited		(126,383	)		(75,930	)		(39,823	)
Paid		—			(90,080	)		(46,994	)
Outstanding at December 31, 2012		1,370,317			740,436			305,164
Expected to vest at a future date as of December 31, 2012		1,281,440			666,392			274,648

Schedules of statutory net income, and capital and surplus by subsidiary

		Years Ended December 31,
Company	State of Domicile	2012		2011		2010
		(In millions)
Metropolitan Life Insurance Company	New York	$	1,320	$	1,970	$	2,066
American Life Insurance Company	Delaware	$	317	$	334	$	803
MetLife Insurance Company of Connecticut	Connecticut	$	848	$	46	$	668
Metropolitan Property and Casualty Insurance Company	Rhode Island	$	235	$	41	$	273
Metropolitan Tower Life Insurance Company	Delaware	$	61	$	63	$	151

	December 31,
Company	2012		2011
	(In millions)
Metropolitan Life Insurance Company	$	14,295	$	13,507
American Life Insurance Company	$	3,044	$	3,310
MetLife Insurance Company of Connecticut	$	5,331	$	5,133
Metropolitan Property and Casualty Insurance Company	$	1,987	$	1,857
Metropolitan Tower Life Insurance Company	$	781	$	828

Dividend Payment Restrictions

	2013		2012			2011
Company	Permitted w/o     Approval (1)		Paid (2)	Permitted w/o     Approval (3)		Paid (2)	Permitted w/o     Approval (3)
	(In millions)
Metropolitan Life Insurance Company	$	1,428	$    1,023	$	1,350	$    1,321 (4)	$	1,321
American Life Insurance Company	$	523	$    1,300 (5)	$	168	$       661	$	661
MetLife Insurance Company of Connecticut	$	1,330	$       706 (6)	$	504	$       517	$	517
Metropolitan Property and Casualty Insurance Company	$	74	$       100	$	—	$         30	$	—
Metropolitan Tower Life Insurance Company	$	77	$         82	$	82	$         80	$	80
MetLife Investors Insurance Company	$	129	$         18	$	18	$         —	$	—
Delaware American Life Insurance Company	$	7	$         —	$	12	$         —	$	—

(1) Reflects dividend amounts that may be paid during 2013 without prior regulatory approval. However, because dividend tests may be based on dividends previously paid over rolling 12-month periods, if paid before a specified date during 2013, some or all of such dividends may require regulatory approval.

(2) Reflects all amounts paid, including those requiring regulatory approval.

(3) Reflects dividend amounts that could have been paid during the relevant year without prior regulatory approval.

(4) Includes securities transferred to MetLife, Inc. of $170 million during the year ended December 31, 2011.

(5) During May 2012, American Life received regulatory approval to pay an extraordinary dividend for an amount up to the funds remitted in connection with the restructuring of American Life’s business in Japan. Subsequently, $1.5 billion was remitted to American Life. See Note 19. Of this approved amount, $1.3 billion was paid to MetLife, Inc. as an extraordinary dividend.

(6) During June 2012, MICC distributed shares of an affiliate to its stockholders as an in-kind extraordinary dividend of $202 million as calculated on a statutory basis. Regulatory approval for this extraordinary dividend was obtained due to the timing of payment. During December 2012, MICC paid a dividend to its stockholders in the amount of $504 million, which represented its ordinary dividend capacity at year-end 2012. Due to the June 2012 in-kind dividend, a portion of this was extraordinary and regulatory approval was obtained.

Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)

	Years Ended December 31,
	2012			2011			2010
	(In millions)
Holding gains (losses) on investments arising during the year	$	12,777		$	13,945		$	10,092
Income tax effect of holding gains (losses)		(4,738	)		(4,783	)		(3,516	)
Reclassification adjustments for recognized holding (gains) losses included in current year income		53			755			(733	)
Income tax effect of reclassification adjustments		(20	)		(260	)		255
Unrealized investment loss of subsidiary at the date of disposal		—			(105	)		—
Income tax on unrealized investment loss of subsidiary at the date of disposal		—			37			—
Allocation of holding (gains) losses on investments relating to other policyholder amounts		(3,675	)		(6,248	)		(2,598	)
Income tax effect of allocation of holding (gains) losses to other policyholder amounts		1,362			2,146			905
Allocation of holding (gains) losses on investments relating to other policyholder amounts of subsidiary at the date of disposal		—			93			—
Income tax effect of allocation of holding (gains) losses on investments relating to other policyholder amounts of subsidiary at the date of disposal		—			(33	)		—
Net unrealized investment gains (losses), net of income tax		5,759			5,547			4,405
Foreign currency translation adjustments, net of income tax expense (benefit) of ($249) million, $162 million and ($226) million		110			(146	)		(354	)
Foreign currency translation adjustments of subsidiary at the date of disposal		—			(7	)		—
Defined benefit plans adjustment, net of income tax expense (benefit) of ($296) million, ($266) million and $69 million		(546	)		(494	)		96
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of income tax		5,323			4,900			4,147
Other comprehensive (income) loss attributable to noncontrolling interests		(9	)		38			(5	)
Other comprehensive income (loss) attributable to MetLife, Inc., excluding cumulative effect of change in accounting principle		5,314			4,938			4,142
Cumulative effect of change in accounting principle, net of income tax expense (benefit) of $0, $0 and $27 million (see Note 1)		—			—			52
Other comprehensive income (loss) attributable to MetLife, Inc.	$	5,314		$	4,938		$	4,194