A.M. Best Co. Presents E-Fusion Award for Customer Service and Benefits Management to MetLife.

OLDWICK, N.J. -- The A.M. Best Co. presented MetLife with the E-Fusion award in the Customer Service and Benefits Management category at the 2004 A.M. Best Co. Insurance and Technology Conference in Baltimore Oct. 19. The award recognizes innovation in insurance technology.

MetLink gives the insurer's group customers real-time access to benefit plan information and serves as a central reporting location for all plan data from remote or satellite offices. It consolidates and tracks billing and payment information. MetLink also handles claims status inquiries and electronic bill payment. Among the lines of business housed on the MetLink platform are disability, long-term care and life products.

MetLink has been adopted by more than 17,500 corporate customers, who have conducted more than 6 million transactions so far this year, in keeping with MetLife's strategy to make the Internet the preferred customer channel for its institutional products line.

The finalists and the purpose of their project were as follows:

--Aon's Affinity Insurance Services--Online distribution of professional liability insurance coverage for nurses. Business activity at the site accounted for about 28% of new business for the program last year.

--GE Insurance Solutions--A system that has measurably improved customer relationship management, answering the questions of 70% of callers on their initial call.

--Online Benefits Inc.--A broker's tool used to build customized client portals for their customers and a secure environment for sharing sensitive information.

--Carroll Enterprises Small Business Service Bureau--An online vehicle where the employees of small businesses in Massachusetts can select the affordable healthcare plan of their choice, apply and enroll.

--Zurich Small Business--A virtual risk engineering tool that helps corporate clients see, by location, what their top 10 exposures are, learn what can be done to address those issues and receive help from such tools as sample policies and procedures.

The awards were judged by Michael Edwards, chief information officer, American Skyline Insurance Co.; William Jenkins, CPCU and insurance technology consultant; Matthew Josefowicz, manager, Insurance Group, Celent Communications; Robert Litt, partner, KPMG LLP Information Risk Management; Chuck Johnston, director, industry marketing, Callidus Software; Thomas A. Meyers, senior vice president and chief financial officer, New Jersey Manufacturers Insurance Co.; and Philip Roeper, chief information officer and senior vice president, American Re-Insurance Co. In addition, the A.M. Best Co. executives who participated in the judging were Paul C. Tinnirello, executive vice president and E-Fusion conference chairman; Lee McDonald, vice president and E-Fusion program chairman; Group Vice President Rita Tedesco and Vice President James Snee.

A.M. Best Co., established in 1899, is the world's oldest and most authoritative insurance rating and information source. For more information, visit A.M. Best's Web site at http://www.ambest.com.