MetLife Auto & Home Offers Claim Assistance for Recent Storm Damage in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas

    WARWICK, R.I., Feb. 23 Personal lines customers of MetLife
Auto & Home, the Economy Companies, USF&G, and The St. Paul Companies who have
sustained damage from the recent storms over much of Alabama, Arkansas,
Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas can receive immediate assistance by
calling a 24-hour claims hotline.  Former St. Paul customers (including
Economy and USF&G customers) should call 1-800-859-1963, while MetLife Auto &
Home customers should call 1-800-854-6011.  In either case, all customers can
also call their local agents for assistance.
    (Photo:  http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20001012/METLOGO )
    "MetLife Auto & Home's specially trained staff is working around the clock
to help get our customers' autos and homes repaired," said Chris Cawley,
MetLife Auto & Home's chief claim officer and senior vice-president of
customer service.  "Our caring associates will help secure shelter if
necessary, guide customers through temporary repairs, issue checks for
immediate expenses and promptly compensate customers for covered damage to
property."
    Several storms have pummeled parts of the country with strong wind, heavy
rains and hail.  MetLife Auto & Home advises customers to heed the storm
warnings and take precautions to protect themselves and their property.  Those
impacted by storms should be cautious of hazards like downed power lines,
broken glass, and other items that have been knocked down that may make it
unsafe for entry into the home.  If unable to enter, customers should seek
shelter elsewhere and re-enter the home to protect their property from further
damage only when it is safe to do so.  For example, covering exposed portions
of property with heavy-duty tarps and boarding-up any broken windows will help
protect the premises from additional exposure to the elements, resulting in
additional property damage.
    Customers should also save receipts for temporary repairs, begin to make
inventory lists of damaged property, and jot down any issues or concerns they
have so that the adjusters can get their claims processed as soon as possible.
    MetLife Auto & Home offers a free brochure for those who may be living in
a tornado prone area called "Preparing for Tornadoes."  The brochure, part of
MetLife's Life Advice program, is designed to help people develop disaster
plans (call 1-800-MET-LIFE, 638-5433)

    Note to editors: An affiliate of MetLife, Inc. , MetLife Auto &
Home is one of the nation's leading personal lines property and casualty
companies with over 2.5 million policies in force.  To secure more information
about these programs, or about the wide variety of insurance products MetLife
Auto & Home provides, contact your local MetLife Auto & Home provider or
authorized Independent Agent; visit MetLife's Web site at
http://www.metlife.com; or call 1-800-422-4272.
    MetLife Auto & Home is a brand of Metropolitan Property and Casualty
Insurance Company and its affiliates, Warwick, RI.

    Contact:
     Ted Mitchell (401) 827-3236        Anne Lipsitz (401) 827-2021
     tjmitchell@metlife.com             alipsitz@metlife.com