NEW YORK, Nov. 18, 2015 – Steven A. Kandarian, chairman, president and CEO of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE: MET), issued the following statement today on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a free trade agreement among 12 nations of the Pacific Rim.

“After analyzing the text of the TPP, MetLife will support the agreement and seek congressional support for its ratification.”

“As one of the largest life insurers in the world with operations in nearly 50 countries, MetLife has four key priorities in assessing any trade deal: improved market access, a level competitive playing field, ease of cross-border data flows, and regulatory transparency. The TPP makes meaningful progress on all of them.”

“We are confident that ratification of the TPP will lead to faster economic growth, greater choice and lower costs for consumers in the markets where we do business, and more high-paying jobs in the U.S.”

“The agreement is not perfect – no trade deal is – but on balance the TPP represents a significant step in the right direction and deserves to be ratified.”