Other Expenses

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2014

Other Income and Expenses [Abstract]

Other Expenses

14. Other Expenses

Information on other expenses was as follows:

	Years Ended December 31,
	2014			2013			2012
	(In millions)
Compensation	$	2,257		$	2,392		$	2,426
Pension, postretirement and postemployment benefit costs	322			364			285
Commissions	828			781			769
Volume-related costs	70			253			241
Affiliated interest costs on ceded and assumed reinsurance	1,009			1,033			1,209
Capitalization of DAC	(424		)	(562		)	(632		)
Amortization of DAC and VOBA	695			261			991
Interest expense on debt	151			153			152
Premium taxes, licenses and fees	328			263			294
Professional services	1,013			989			946
Rent and related expenses, net of sublease income	128			143			123
Other	(306		)	(82		)	(410		)
Total other expenses	$	6,071		$	5,988		$	6,394

Capitalization of DAC and Amortization of DAC and VOBA

See Note 5 for additional information on DAC and VOBA including impacts of capitalization and amortization. See also Note 7 for a description of the DAC amortization impact associated with the closed block.

Interest Expense on Debt

Interest expense on debt includes interest expense (see Note 12) and interest expense related to CSEs. See Note 8.

Affiliated Expenses

Commissions, capitalization of DAC and amortization of DAC and VOBA include the impact of affiliated reinsurance transactions. See Notes 6, 12 and 19 for a discussion of affiliated expenses included in the table above.

Restructuring Charges

MetLife, Inc. commenced an enterprise-wide strategic initiative in 2012. This global strategy focuses on leveraging MetLife, Inc. and its subsidiaries’ scale to improve the value they provide to customers and shareholders in order to reduce costs, enhance revenues, achieve efficiencies and reinvest in their technology, platforms and functionality to improve their current operations and develop new capabilities.

These restructuring charges are included in other expenses. As the expenses relate to an enterprise-wide initiative, they are reported in Corporate & Other. Information regarding restructuring charges was as follows:

	Years Ended December 31,
	2014									2013									2012
	Severance			Lease and Asset Impairment			Total			Severance			Lease and Asset Impairment			Total			Severance			Lease and Asset Impairment			Total
	(In millions)
Balance at January 1,	$	39		$	6		$	45		$	22		$	—		$	22		$	—		$	—		$	—
Restructuring charges	66			8			74			87			16			103			101			18			119
Cash payments	(74		)	(8		)	(82		)	(70		)	(10		)	(80		)	(79		)	(18		)	(97		)
Balance at December 31,	$	31		$	6		$	37		$	39		$	6		$	45		$	22		$	—		$	22
Total restructuring charges incurred since inception of initiative	$	254		$	42		$	296		$	188		$	34		$	222		$	101		$	18		$	119

Management anticipates further restructuring charges including severance, as well as lease and asset impairments, through the year ending December 31, 2016. However, such restructuring plans were not sufficiently developed to enable management to make an estimate of such restructuring charges at December 31, 2014.