Who Owns MetLife Pet Insurance?
MetLife Pet Insurance is owned by MetLife, Inc. (NYSE: MET). Launched in 2020 after MetLife acquired PetFirst Healthcare in 2019, it offers customizable accident and illness coverage for dogs and cats with no breed or age exclusions, multiple-pet discounts, and fast claims, competing against Nationwide, Lemonade, Spot, and Fetch.
MetLife Pet Insurance Timeline
Who Owns MetLife Pet Insurance?
- Parent Company: MetLife, Inc.
- Ownership Type: Subsidiary
- Acquisition Year: 2019
- Company Type: Publicly Traded
- Stock Ticker: NYSE: MET
| Brand | Parent Company | Ownership Type |
|---|---|---|
| MetLife Pet Insurance | MetLife, Inc. | Subsidiary |
History of MetLife Pet Insurance
- Founded: 2020
- Founders: MetLife, Inc. (brand); PetFirst Healthcare (predecessor)
- Acquired by MetLife, Inc.: 2019
PetFirst Healthcare spent 15 years building a Midwest pet-insurance book before MetLife acquired it in late 2019, betting that pet coverage would become a mainstream employee benefit as U.S. pet ownership and veterinary costs surged.
MetLife relaunched the business as MetLife Pet Insurance in 2020, emphasizing features competitors lacked at the time: no upper-age enrollment caps, no breed exclusions, family plans covering multiple pets under one policy, and grief counseling services for pet loss. The brand leveraged MetLife's group benefits relationships to appear on thousands of employer benefits menus.
Through 2026 it has grown into a top-tier U.S. pet insurer, riding the pandemic-era pet adoption wave into a sustained category where roughly 6-7% of U.S. pets are insured, leaving a large runway. MetLife positions it as both a direct product and a differentiation play inside employer benefits packages.
About MetLife, Inc.
Is MetLife a subsidiary of a bigger company?
No. MetLife, Inc. is the publicly traded parent (NYSE: MET). Brighthouse Financial was spun off in 2017 and is separate.
Is MetLife publicly traded?
Yes, on the NYSE under MET, and it is an S&P 500 component.
When was MetLife founded?
In 1868 in New York as National Union Life and Limb Insurance Company, renamed Metropolitan Life shortly after.
Who owns MetLife in 2026?
Public shareholders, predominantly institutional investors. Michel Khalaf is Chairman, President, and CEO.
Does MetLife still sell individual life insurance?
Not in the U.S.: that business became Brighthouse Financial in 2017. MetLife's U.S. focus is employer group benefits, retirement/income solutions, and investment management; it sells individual products in Asia, Latin America, and EMEA.
Does MetLife sell pet insurance?
Yes, through MetLife Pet Insurance, built on the 2019 acquisition of PetFirst Healthcare.
- Founded: 1868
- Headquarters: New York, New York, USA
- Company Type: Publicly Traded
- Stock: NYSE: MET
- Revenue: Approximately $75 billion (FY2025)
- Employees: Approximately 45,000
Where Is MetLife Pet Insurance Made / Based?
- Headquarters: New York, New York, USA
MetLife Pet Insurance Categories & Tags
MetLife Pet Insurance Recalls & Controversies
Category-wide issues apply: premium escalation as pets age, reimbursement-versus-bill-pay models that leave owners fronting vet costs, pre-existing-condition exclusions, and claim-denial complaints that periodically surface in reviews and state filings.
MetLife Pet has also drawn scrutiny over claim-processing times during growth surges, and pet insurance generally faces emerging state regulatory attention on disclosure and rescission practices. No major brand-specific scandal is on record.
Brands Owned by MetLife, Inc.
Finance FintechMetLife Investment Management
Owned by MetLife, Inc.
MetLife Investment Management (MIM) is MetLife's institutional asset management brand, investing the insurer's general account and third-party institutional mandates across fixed income, real estate, and alternatives.
asset-managementinstitutionalfixed-income
InsuranceMetLife
Owned by MetLife, Inc.
MetLife is the flagship insurance and employee benefits brand of MetLife, Inc., the largest U.S. life insurer, serving roughly 100 million customers in more than 40 markets.
life-insuranceemployee-benefitsdental
MetLife Pet Insurance Ownership: Pros & Cons
Advantages
- +Backed by the largest U.S. life insurer's balance sheet
- +Employer-benefits distribution competitors cannot match
- +Inclusive underwriting: no breed or upper-age exclusions
- +Growing category with low penetration
- +Multi-pet family plans differentiate
Considerations
- -Small inside MetLife; strategic attention competes with core benefits
- -Rising vet-cost inflation pressures loss ratios
- -Crowded market with aggressive InsurTech pricing
- -Claims experience reviews are mixed during peak periods
- -Category regulatory scrutiny is increasing
Frequently Asked Questions About MetLife Pet Insurance
Sources & Further Reading
Competitors to MetLife Pet Insurance
These competing brands operate in the same categories and provide similar products or services. Compare key attributes to understand market positioning and competitive landscape.
| Brand | Parent Company | Country | Founded | Market Position | Primary Market | Gender Target |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nationwide | USA | 1982 | Mass market | United states | All Genders |
Learn More About Competitors
Competitive Analysis
Market Positioning: MetLife Pet Insurance competes with 1 brands in the same categories, ranging from mass market to luxury positioning.
Geographic Distribution: Competitors are headquartered across multiple regions, indicating global competition in this market segment.
Brand Heritage: Competitor brands range from established heritage brands to newer market entrants, with founding years spanning several decades.
Independent Alternatives to MetLife Pet Insurance
Looking for brands with different ownership structures? These similar brands are not owned by MetLife, Inc., giving you alternative choices that support different corporate structures.
InsuranceNationwide Pet Insurance
Owned by Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company
America's first and largest pet insurance brand, founded as Veterinary Pet Insurance in 1982 and owned by Nationwide Mutual since 2009.
pet-insuranceinsurancepets
Privately Owned
Nationwide Pet Insurance is privately owned, unlike MetLife Pet Insurance which is under a publicly traded parent company.
InsuranceAllied Insurance
Owned by Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company
Des Moines-founded insurance brand of Nationwide Mutual, serving independent agents and brokers for personal and small commercial lines since 1929.
insuranceindependent-agentsproperty-casualty
Privately Owned
Allied Insurance is privately owned, unlike MetLife Pet Insurance which is under a publicly traded parent company.
InsuranceNationwide
Owned by Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company
Consumer-facing insurance and financial services brand of Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company, the Columbus, Ohio mutual founded in 1926.
insurancemutual-insuranceauto-insurance
Privately Owned
Nationwide is privately owned, unlike MetLife Pet Insurance which is under a publicly traded parent company.
InsuranceMassMutual
Owned by Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual)
Life insurance, annuity, and wealth management brand of Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company, a mutual insurer founded in 1851 and headquartered in Springfield, Massachusetts.
life-insuranceannuitieswealth-management
Privately Owned
MassMutual is privately owned, unlike MetLife Pet Insurance which is under a publicly traded parent company.
InsuranceState Farm Auto Insurance
Owned by State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company
State Farm's flagship auto insurance product line, the largest auto insurer in the United States, which returned a $4.6 billion underwriting profit in 2025 and announced a record $5 billion customer dividend.
auto-insurancecar-insuranceproperty-casualty
Privately Owned
State Farm Auto Insurance is privately owned, unlike MetLife Pet Insurance which is under a publicly traded parent company.
InsuranceState Farm Health Insurance
Owned by State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company
State Farm's health insurance product line, covering Medicare Supplement and supplemental health products, which posted a $189 million underwriting loss on $756 million in premiums in 2025.
health-insurancemedicare-supplementsupplemental-insurance
Privately Owned
State Farm Health Insurance is privately owned, unlike MetLife Pet Insurance which is under a publicly traded parent company.
MetLife, Inc. Stock Information
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