Waterland to Buy MetLife Taiwan for $112.5 Million BusinessWeek
(Adds comment from executive in second paragraph.)
By Janet Ong and Weiyi Lim
April 19 (Bloomberg) -- Waterland Financial Holdings Co.’s board has approved plans to pay $112.5 million cash for the Taiwan business of MetLife Inc., the biggest U.S. life insurer, as part of its expansion.
Waterland will submit the deal to the financial regulator for approval. Both companies will hold a press conference at 3:30 p.m. in Taipei. Taipei-based Waterland is a financial holding company and acts as a broker of short-term bills and underwrites and guarantees commercial paper and also owns a securities firm.
The sale marks the latest overseas company exiting Taiwan, where insurers are burdened by guaranteed-return policies sold in the 1990s when interest rates were higher. Rival insurers including American International Group Inc., Prudential Plc, ING Groep NV and Aegon NV have also sold their Taiwan businesses.


