GenAmerica Financial Creates ''Hall of Fame'' to Honor Outstanding Agents; Ten Agents Inducted for Extraordinary Careers and Contributions.

Business Editors

ST. LOUIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 24, 2003

GenAmerica Financial, one of the nation's leading distributors of insurance and financial services through independent advisors, brokers and financial marketing organizations, has created The GenAmerica Financial Hall of Fame.

Ten general agents and agents were inducted as the inaugural members of the new GenAmerica Financial Hall of Fame at the GenAmerica Financial Business Symposium held recently in St. Louis. Mr. Dick Evans, senior vice president of GenAmerica Financial, said, "The GenAmerica Financial Hall of Fame is the highest honor we can bestow on our general agents and agents for consistent success and contributions to our industry."

The general agents and agents selected as inaugural members of The GenAmerica Financial Hall of Fame are:

-- Mr. Mark M. Byron, CLU, ChFC, of New Jersey Life & Casualty

Associates, Inc., in Livingston, New Jersey. Mr. Byron is a

life and qualifying member of the Million Dollar Round Table

(MDRT), a former board member of the Association for Advanced

Life Underwriting (AALU), and a former chairman of the

company's General Agents Advisory Council (GAAC). Mr. Byron,

along with his partners at New Jersey Life & Casualty

Associates, joined the company in 1962.

-- Mr. William D. Graham, CLU, of William D. Graham & Associates,

Inc., in St. Louis, Missouri. Mr. Graham is a life and

qualifying member of the MDRT for more than 44 years and a

member of the Court of the Table for seven years. He became

affiliated with the company in 1957, and served on the GAAC.

-- Mr. Victor A. Juengel, Jr., of Juengel & Associates, Inc., in

Helena, Arkansas. Mr. Juengel is a life and qualifying member

of the MDRT for 31 consecutive years, and achieved both Court

of the Table and Top of the Table designations. He became

affiliated with GenAmerica Financial in 1971 and is a former

chairman of the GAAC.

-- Mr. I. Lionel Kelley, of The Kelley Insurance Agency in Fort

Worth, Texas. Mr. Kelly served as president of the Forth Worth

Life Underwriters and the local chapter of GAMA International,

where he received the 2001 Career Service Award. He is a life

and qualifying member of the MDRT for more than 32 years. He

became affiliated with GenAmerica in 1962.

-- Mr. Leroy "Lee" E. Lohman, CLU, ChFC, of The Lohman Companies,

with offices in Moline and Geneseo, Illinois. Mr. Lohman has

been a life and qualifying member of the MDRT for more than 33

years and a life member of the Top of the Table. He has also

been a life member and past board member of the 25 Million

Dollar International Forum, and past president of his local

Estate Planning Council and CLU Society.

-- Mr. John S. McSwaney, CLU, ChFC, AEP, of John S. McSwaney &

Associates in Bismarck, North Dakota. Mr. McSwaney is a past

president of AALU and the International Forum. He became a

contracted general agent with the company in 1978. Mr.

McSwaney and his wife, Christine, led the company in

production from 1990 to 2001 with more than $3 billion of life

insurance inforce.

-- Mr. Stan Mintz, CLU, of Stan Mintz & Associates in Madison,

Wisconsin. Mr. Mintz is a life member of the MDRT, a founding

member and chairman of the company's Computer Club, and a

former chairman of the company's GAAC. He became a contracted

general agent in 1970.

-- Mr. Richard S. Rosenthal, JD, CLU, ChFC, of INS Corporation in

St. Louis, Missouri. Mr. Rosenthal has been a life and

qualifying member of the MDRT since 1964, and a charter member

of The Top of the Table. He is a past president of the St.

Louis Chapter of the CLU Society and the St. Louis Life

Underwriters Association. In 1996, he received the St. Louis

Underwriter of the Year Award.

-- Mr. Leo R. Schuster, Jr., of EDA/Lifetime Solutions in El

Paso, Texas. Mr. Schuster's father, Leo Sr., founded the

agency with Missouri State Life in 1914, the predecessor to

General American. Mr. Schuster joined the agency in 1950,

which he sold in 2000. He qualified 45 consecutive years for

the MDRT, and was a member of The Top of the Table and the Ten

Million Dollar Forum. He was a founding member of GenAmerica

Financial's Computer Club.

-- Mr. Jack B. Turner, CLU, ChFC, of Jack B. Turner & Associates,

of Clarksville, Tennessee. Mr. Turner became a contracted

general agent with the company in 1977. He is a past president

of the MDRT, the MDRT Foundation, AALU, and the Tennessee

Association of Life Underwriters (TALU). Mr. Turner is also

the winner of the prestigious John Newton Russell Award in

2000.

"The GenAmerica Financial Hall of Fame honors remarkable professionals. It is not for a single achievement, not for a season of glory, but for their accomplishments that span a lifetime and which should not be forgotten," Mr. Evans said.

"To help preserve this enduring honor and tradition, the first floor auditorium at GenAmerica Financial's National Headquarters Building in St. Louis will be named 'The Hall of Fame Auditorium.' We are developing a special display area and plaques for each Hall of Fame member to showcase and remember their accomplishments," Mr. Evans added.

GenAmerica Financial Hall of Fame members will be nominated every September for induction the following year. Active, retired and posthumous general agents and agents are eligible for membership. Field members and home office associates may propose a candidate to the Nominating Committee, which is comprised of two senior sales vice presidents, the presiding chairman of the GenAmerica Advisory Council (GAAC), and three Hall of Fame members are invited to serve on the committee.

To be considered for nomination to the GenAmerica Financial Hall of Fame, an agent or general agent must have:

-- Led an outstanding agency or was a leading producer for the

company.

-- Worked as an industry leader to promote the life insurance

industry.

-- Represented GenAmerica Financial and his or her firm with

distinction in volunteer community service.

-- Provided outstanding loyalty and leadership to General

American and GenAmerica Financial by rendering guidance to the

company, recruiting assistance or serving on home office

committees.

-- Qualified for 15 or more GenAmerica Financial Conference of

Champions events during his or her career.

GenAmerica Financial is one of the nation's leading distributors of insurance and financial services through independent advisors, brokers and financial marketing organizations. GenAmerica Financial, based in St. Louis for almost 70 years, is an affiliate of MetLife, Inc. For more information about GenAmerica Financial, please visit www.genamerica.com.

MetLife, a subsidiary of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE: MET), is a leading provider of insurance and other financial services to individual and institutional customers. The MetLife companies serve approximately 12 million individuals in the U.S. and companies and institutions with 33 million employees and members. MetLife also has international insurance operations in 12 countries. For more information about MetLife, please visit the company's Web site at www.metlife.com.