v3.26.1
Market Risk Benefits
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2026
Insurance [Abstract]  
Market Risk Benefits
4. Policyholder Account Balances
The Company establishes liabilities for policyholder account balances (“PABs”), which are generally equal to the account value, and which include accrued interest credited, but exclude the impact of any applicable charge that may be incurred upon surrender.
The Company’s PABs on the interim condensed consolidated balance sheets were as follows at:
March 31, 2026December 31, 2025
(In millions)
Life
$10,265 $10,197 
Capital markets investment products and stable value guaranteed interest contracts (“GICs”)60,117 59,278 
Annuities and risk solutions15,764 15,671 
Fixed and variable annuities5,607 5,788 
Other 12,958 13,157 
Total $104,711 $104,091 
Rollforwards
The following information about the direct and assumed liability for PABs includes year-to-date disaggregated rollforwards. The products grouped within these rollforwards were selected based upon common characteristics and valuations using similar inputs, judgments, assumptions and methodologies. Policy charges presented in each disaggregated rollforward reflect a premium and/or assessment based on the account balance.
Life
The life PABs predominantly consist of retained asset accounts, universal life products, and the fixed account portion of variable life insurance products. Information regarding this liability was as follows:
Three Months
Ended
March 31,
20262025
(Dollars in millions)
Balance, beginning of period$10,197 $7,469 
Transfer (1)
— 3,084 
Deposits
1,084 935 
Policy charges
(167)(167)
Surrenders and withdrawals(908)(892)
Benefit payments
(3)(4)
Net transfers from (to) separate accounts
(1)
Interest credited63 66 
Balance, end of period$10,265 $10,492 
Weighted-average annual crediting rate
2.5 %2.5 %
At period end:
Cash surrender value$10,195 $10,428 
Net amount at risk, excluding offsets from reinsurance:
In the event of death
$269,900 $266,816 
__________________
(1)Reported balances for the three months ended March 31, 2025 have been updated to include a product previously not included in the disaggregated rollforward. See Note 1.
The life product account values by range of guaranteed minimum crediting rates (“GMCR”) and the related range of differences between rates being credited to policyholders and the respective guaranteed minimums were as follows at:
Range of GMCRAt GMCRGreater than
 0% but less
 than 0.50% above GMCR
Equal to or greater than 0.50% but less than 1.50%
 above GMCR
Equal to or greater than 1.50% above GMCRTotal
Account
Value
(In millions)
March 31, 2026
Equal to or greater than 0% but less than 2%
$514 $— $647 $4,294 $5,455 
Equal to or greater than 2% but less than 4%
3,867 97 73 — 4,037 
Equal to or greater than 4%
661 24 — 56 741 
Products with either a fixed rate or no GMCR
N/AN/AN/AN/A32 
Total$5,042 $121 $720 $4,350 $10,265 
March 31, 2025
Equal to or greater than 0% but less than 2%
$468 $— $718 $4,153 $5,339 
Equal to or greater than 2% but less than 4%
4,183 102 62 — 4,347 
Equal to or greater than 4%
693 27 48 771 
Products with either a fixed rate or no GMCR
N/AN/AN/AN/A35 
Total$5,344 $129 $783 $4,201 $10,492 
Capital Markets Investment Products and Stable Value GICs
The capital markets investment products and stable value GICs in PABs are investment-type products, mainly funding agreements. Information regarding this liability was as follows:
Three Months
Ended
March 31,
20262025
(Dollars in millions)
Balance, beginning of period$59,278 $57,799 
Deposits
17,713 20,402 
Surrenders and withdrawals(17,037)(20,561)
Interest credited524 535 
Effect of foreign currency translation and other, net
(361)477 
Balance, end of period$60,117 $58,652 
Weighted-average annual crediting rate
3.6 %3.8 %
Cash surrender value at period end
$1,168 $1,054 
The capital markets investment products and stable value GICs account values by range of GMCR and the related range of differences between rates being credited to policyholders and the respective guaranteed minimums were as follows at:
Range of GMCRAt GMCRGreater than
 0% but less
 than 0.50% above GMCR
Equal to or greater than 0.50% but less than 1.50%
 above GMCR
Equal to or greater than 1.50% above GMCRTotal
Account
Value
(In millions)
March 31, 2026
Equal to or greater than 0% but less than 2%
$— $— $— $2,436 $2,436 
Products with either a fixed rate or no GMCR
N/AN/AN/AN/A57,681 
Total$— $— $— $2,436 $60,117 
March 31, 2025
Equal to or greater than 0% but less than 2%
$— $— $— $2,376 $2,376 
Products with either a fixed rate or no GMCR
N/AN/AN/AN/A56,276 
Total$— $— $— $2,376 $58,652 
Annuities and Risk Solutions
The annuity and risk solutions PABs include certain structured settlements and institutional income annuities, group fixed deferred annuities, the fixed account portion of group variable deferred annuities, registered index-linked annuities and benefit funding solutions that include postretirement benefits and company-, bank- or trust-owned life insurance used to finance nonqualified benefit programs for executives. Information regarding this liability was as follows:
Three Months
Ended
March 31,
20262025
(Dollars in millions)
Balance, beginning of period$15,671 $11,673 
Transfer (1)
— 3,109 
Deposits
532 264 
Policy charges
(45)(44)
Surrenders and withdrawals(455)(146)
Benefit payments
(168)(161)
Net transfers from (to) separate accounts
(6)15 
Interest credited161 150 
Other
74 16 
Balance, end of period$15,764 $14,876 
Weighted-average annual crediting rate
4.2 %4.1 %
At period end:
Cash surrender value$10,954 $10,443 
Net amount at risk, excluding offsets from reinsurance:
In the event of death
$34,555 $33,999 
At annuitization or exercise of other living benefits
$13 $15 
__________________
(1)A product previously reported within Fixed and Variable Annuities has been moved to Annuities and Risk Solutions. Accordingly, the reported balances for the three months ended March 31, 2025 have been updated to reflect this change. See Note 1.
The annuity and risk solutions account values by range of GMCR and the related range of differences between rates being credited to policyholders and the respective guaranteed minimums were as follows at:
Range of GMCRAt GMCRGreater than
 0% but less
 than 0.50% above GMCR
Equal to or greater than 0.50% but less than 1.50%
 above GMCR
Equal to or greater than 1.50% above GMCRTotal
Account
Value
(In millions)
March 31, 2026
Equal to or greater than 0% but less than 2%
$— $— $$2,641 $2,649 
Equal to or greater than 2% but less than 4%
426 2,202 453 51 3,132 
Equal to or greater than 4%
3,363 — 300 3,669 
Products with either a fixed rate or no GMCR
N/AN/AN/AN/A6,314 
Total$3,789 $2,202 $761 $2,698 $15,764 
March 31, 2025
Equal to or greater than 0% but less than 2%
$— $— $$2,148 $2,155 
Equal to or greater than 2% but less than 4%
350 2,507 522 48 3,427 
Equal to or greater than 4%
3,690 11 293 4,000 
Products with either a fixed rate or no GMCR
N/AN/AN/AN/A5,294 
Total$4,040 $2,518 $822 $2,202 $14,876 
Fixed and Variable Annuities
The fixed and variable annuity PABs primarily include fixed deferred annuities, the fixed account portion of variable annuities, certain income annuities, and embedded derivatives related to equity-indexed annuities. Information regarding this liability was as follows:
Three Months
Ended
March 31,
20262025
(Dollars in millions)
Balance, beginning of period$5,788 $9,513 
Transfer (1)
— (3,109)
Deposits22 25 
Policy charges
(2)(2)
Surrenders and withdrawals(180)(226)
Benefit payments(66)(83)
Net transfers from (to) separate accounts24 
Interest credited43 48 
Other
(2)(3)
Balance, end of period$5,607 $6,187 
Weighted-average annual crediting rate
3.1 %3.1 %
At period end:
Cash surrender value$5,091 $5,598 
Net amount at risk, excluding offsets from reinsurance (2):
In the event of death
$2,425 $2,577 
At annuitization or exercise of other living benefits
$814 $738 
__________________
(1)A product previously reported within Fixed and Variable Annuities has been moved to Annuities and Risk Solutions. Accordingly, the reported balances for the three months ended March 31, 2025 have been updated to reflect this change. See Note 1.
(2)Includes amounts for certain variable annuities recorded as PABs with the related guarantees recorded as Market Risk Benefits (“MRBs”), which are disclosed in “Annuities” in Note 5.
The fixed and variable annuity account values by range of GMCR and the related range of differences between rates being credited to policyholders and the respective guaranteed minimums were as follows at:
Range of GMCRAt GMCRGreater than
 0% but less
 than 0.50% above GMCR
Equal to or greater than 0.50% but less than 1.50%
 above GMCR
Equal to or greater than 1.50% above GMCRTotal
Account
Value
(In millions)
March 31, 2026
Equal to or greater than 0% but less than 2%
$40 $$362 $273 $684 
Equal to or greater than 2% but less than 4%
2,452 1,533 287 56 4,328 
Equal to or greater than 4%
112 172 — — 284 
Products with either a fixed rate or no GMCR
N/AN/AN/AN/A311 
Total$2,604 $1,714 $649 $329 $5,607 
March 31, 2025
Equal to or greater than 0% but less than 2%
$15 $126 $409 $78 $628 
Equal to or greater than 2% but less than 4%
2,067 2,404 347 83 4,901 
Equal to or greater than 4%
160 148 — 310 
Products with either a fixed rate or no GMCR
N/AN/AN/AN/A348 
Total$2,242 $2,678 $758 $161 $6,187 
5. Market Risk Benefits
The Company establishes assets and liabilities for variable annuity contract features which include a minimum benefit guarantee that provides to the contractholder a minimum return based on their initial deposit, less withdrawals. In some cases, the benefit base may be increased by additional deposits, bonus amounts, accruals or optional market value resets.
The Company’s MRB assets and MRB liabilities on the interim condensed consolidated balance sheets were as follows at:
March 31, 2026December 31, 2025
AssetLiability
Net Liability (Asset)
AssetLiability
Net Liability (Asset)
(In millions)
Annuities
$171 $2,152 $1,981 $216 $2,043 $1,827 
Other
36 169 133 41 158 117 
Total
$207 $2,321 $2,114 $257 $2,201 $1,944 
Rollforwards
The following information about the direct and assumed liabilities (assets) for MRBs includes a disaggregated rollforward. The products grouped within this rollforward were selected based upon common characteristics and valuations using similar inputs, judgments, assumptions and methodologies.
The Company’s variable annuity products offer contract features whereby the Company guarantees to the contractholder a minimum benefit, which includes guaranteed minimum death benefits (“GMDBs”) and living benefit guarantees. The GMDB contract features include return of premium, which provides a return of the purchase payment upon death, annual step-up and roll-up and step-up combinations. The living benefit guarantee contract features primarily include guaranteed minimum income benefits (“GMIBs”), which provide a minimum accumulation of purchase payments that can be annuitized to receive a monthly income stream, and guaranteed minimum withdrawal benefits (“GMWBs”), which provide a series of withdrawals, provided that withdrawals in a contract year do not exceed a contractual limit. Information regarding the Company’s variable annuity products was as follows:
Three Months
Ended
March 31,
20262025
(In millions)
Balance, beginning of period (1)
$1,827 $2,069 
Balance, beginning of period, before effect of cumulative changes in the instrument-specific credit risk$1,742 $2,026 
Transfer, beginning of period, before effect of cumulative changes in the instrument-specific credit risk (1)— (191)
Attributed fees collected61 66 
Benefit payments(24)(23)
Effect of changes in interest rates(5)122 
Effect of changes in capital markets63 60 
Effect of changes in equity index volatility59 11 
Actual policyholder behavior different from expected behavior57 57 
Effect of foreign currency translation and other, net
(17)
Effect of changes in risk margin13 
Balance, end of period, before the cumulative effect of changes in the instrument-specific credit risk1,938 2,144 
Cumulative effect of changes in the instrument-specific credit risk43 41 
Balance, end of period1,981 2,185 
Less: Reinsurance recoverable373 — 
Balance, end of period, net of reinsurance$1,608 $2,185 
At period end:
Net amount at risk, excluding offsets from hedging and reinsurance (2):
In the event of death$2,425 $2,577 
At annuitization or exercise of other living benefits$814 $738 
Weighted-average attained age of contractholders:
In the event of death73 years72 years
At annuitization or exercise of other living benefits72 years71 years
__________________
(1)    A product previously reported within Annuities has been moved to Other. Accordingly, the reported balances for the three months ended March 31, 2025 have been updated to reflect this change. The transfer amount related to the balance at January 1, 2025 was ($165) million. See Note 1.
(2)    Includes amounts for certain variable annuity guarantees recorded as MRBs on contracts also recorded as PABs, which are disclosed in “Fixed and Variable Annuities” in Note 4.
Significant Methodologies and Assumptions
The Company issues GMDBs, GMWBs, guaranteed minimum accumulation benefits (“GMABs”) and GMIBs that typically meet the definition of MRBs, which are measured in aggregate, as one compound MRB, at estimated fair value separately from the variable annuity contract, with changes in estimated fair value reported in net income, except for changes in nonperformance risk of the Company which are recorded in other comprehensive income (loss) (“OCI”).
The Company calculates the fair value of these MRBs, which is estimated as the present value of projected future benefits minus the present value of projected attributed fees, using actuarial and capital market assumptions including expectations concerning policyholder behavior. The calculation is based on in-force business, projecting future cash flows from the MRB over multiple risk neutral stochastic scenarios using observable risk-free rates.
Capital market assumptions, such as risk-free rates and implied volatilities, are based on market prices for publicly traded instruments to the extent that prices for such instruments are observable. Implied volatilities beyond the observable period are extrapolated based on observable implied volatilities and historical volatilities. Actuarial assumptions, including mortality, lapse, withdrawal and utilization, are unobservable and are reviewed at least annually based on actuarial studies of historical experience. See Note 10 for additional information on significant unobservable inputs.
The valuation of these MRBs includes a nonperformance risk adjustment and adjustments for a risk margin related to non-capital market inputs. The nonperformance adjustment is determined by taking into consideration publicly available information relating to spreads in the secondary market for MetLife, Inc.’s debt, including related credit default swaps. These observable spreads are then adjusted, as necessary, to reflect the priority of these liabilities and the claims paying ability of the issuing insurance subsidiaries as compared to MetLife, Inc.
Risk margins are established to capture the non-capital market risks of the instrument which represent the additional compensation a market participant would require to assume the risks related to the uncertainties of such actuarial assumptions at annuitization, premium persistency, partial withdrawal and surrenders. The establishment of risk margins requires the use of significant management judgment, including assumptions of the amount and cost of capital needed to cover the guarantees.
These guarantees may be more costly than expected in volatile or declining equity markets. Market conditions, including changes in interest rates, equity indices, market volatility and foreign currency exchange rates; and variations in actuarial assumptions regarding policyholder behavior, mortality and risk margins related to non-capital market inputs, impact the estimated fair value of the guarantees and affect net income, and changes in nonperformance risk of the Company affect OCI.
Other
In addition to the disaggregated MRB product rollforward above, the Company offers other products with guaranteed minimum benefit features. These MRBs are measured at estimated fair value, with changes in estimated fair value reported in net income, except for changes in nonperformance risk of the Company which are recorded in OCI. See Note 10 for additional information on significant unobservable inputs used in the fair value measurement of MRBs. Information regarding these product liabilities (assets) was as follows:
Three Months
Ended
March 31,
20262025
(In millions)
Balance, beginning of period (1)
$117 $24 
Balance, beginning of period, before effect of cumulative changes in the instrument-specific credit risk$138 $29 
Transfer, beginning of period, before effect of cumulative changes in the instrument-specific credit risk (1)— 191 
Attributed fees collected
Effect of changes in interest rates12 
Effect of changes in capital markets
Effect of changes in equity index volatility14 
Actual policyholder behavior different from expected behavior(2)
Effect of foreign currency translation and other, net (11)
Effect of changes in risk margin
Balance, end of period, before the cumulative effect of changes in the instrument-specific credit risk159 245 
Cumulative effect of changes in the instrument-specific credit risk(26)(36)
Balance, end of period$133 $209 
__________________
(1)A product previously reported within Annuities has been moved to Other. Accordingly, the reported balances for the three months ended March 31, 2025 have been updated to reflect this change. The transfer amount related to the balance at January 1, 2025 was $165 million. See Note 1.