MetLife Inc.'s bondholders agreed to forfeit their right to prevent the insurer from paying a stock dividend or repurchasing shares, even if the company's losses swell.
The insurer will pay $26 million to debtholders, the New York-based company said Monday in a statement. MetLife offered $10 for every $1,000 in principal to win their support. That's up from the initial proposal of $2.50, which was opposed by top investors. The deal covers about $3.2 billion in securities.
Chief Executive Officer Steve Kandarian sought approval from the investors after spinning off a U.S. retail unit that had about $220 billion in assets. Recent losses, and the decline in stockholders' equity tied to the transaction, could have given bondholders more power over capital allocation.
One of the triggers was the company being unprofitable in a 12-month period, under generally accepted accounting principles. MetLife reported a net loss in the fourth quarter of 2016 that was wider than the profit in the first six months of this year.
