Located at 22 Corporate Plaza, the two-story building overlooking Newport Harbor will house the Group's national headquarters. MetLife is the latest of a number of financial institutions to lease space in the Newport Center area. Other financial firms located there include: Paine Webber, Bank of America, Pacific Life, Salomon Smith Barney, Roth Capital Partners and PIMCO. The new tenant plans to move into the facility in May.

"Newport Center provides us with the quality and convenience that we need to accurately portray our company's first-class, sophisticated image to our customers, the country's top tier financial firms," says Greg Brakovich, co-CEO of MetLife Investors Group. "In addition, Newport Center's location and appeal will enable us to recruit the highest quality employees, especially in today's tight labor market in the financial services sector."

Paul Meyer of Travers Realty Group in Irvine represented MetLife Investors Group in the transaction. The Irvine Company represented itself.