Skip to content

Chesnara Buys MetLife’s UK Closed Book

Chesnara has agreed to buy MetLife's closed UK life insurer, a £1.7bn book of around 18,000 policies. The group expects the deal to leave its Solvency II ratio broadly unchanged, and completion is expected in the first half of 2027.

Chesnara (CSN.L), the FTSE 250 life insurer, has agreed to buy MetLife UK Limited from MetLife, Inc. It is the company’s fourth announced transaction in the last two years.

CSN.LSE

The purchase covers MetLife UK Limited’s closed book only. The business stopped taking new customers in 2017 and held about 18,000 policies and £1.7bn of assets under administration at the 31st of December 2025.

The book is made up of unit-linked investment policies with optional guarantees, plus variable annuities. MetLife’s ongoing UK protection business is not part of the sale, and MetLife will keep servicing those customers.

Chesnara expects the portfolio to produce about £90m of lifetime cashflows, with roughly half arriving in the first five years after completion. It also anticipates that completion will lift both Own Funds and Contractual Service Margin by about £45m each.

Consideration is subject to customary adjustments at completion, which Chesnara does not expect to be material. It estimates the impact on its group Solvency II ratio as broadly neutral, which points to little change in capital strength.

Guarantee risk on the in-force variable annuity portfolio is already covered by reinsurance. An existing arrangement with a European reinsurer rated AA by S&P and Fitch stays in place after completion. Administration is already outsourced to SS&C Technologies, Chesnara’s UK outsourcing partner.

The transaction is a further demonstration that Chesnara is a consolidation partner of choice for blue-chip counterparties.

Steve Murray, Group Chief Executive of Chesnara

Murray called the portfolio “an excellent fit” with existing UK operations and said Chesnara continues to see a healthy pipeline of M&A opportunities.

Chesnara expects completion in the first half of 2027, subject to UK regulatory approval, which is the next thing to watch. Management hosts an analyst and investor call today at 8:30am GMT. The proposed Scottish Widows Europe acquisition in Luxembourg is also still awaiting regulatory approval.

Asktraders News Team
Asktraders News Team
Team Member

The AskTraders Analyst Team features experts in technical and fundamental analysis, as well as traders specializing in stocks, forex, and cryptocurrency.

Stay ahead of the markets

Sign up to our free Morning Markets email, every weekday before the open.