SPRINGFIELD, Mass., April 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual) has been awarded an "Excellent" rating for its consumer Web site by DALBAR, Inc., a leading financial services market research and consulting firm.

MassMutual was one of an elite group of financial services companies whose Web site, http://www.massmutual.com/, was designated "Excellent" by DALBAR - its highest designation - in DALBAR's Life Insurance and Annuity WebMonitor Quarterly Trending and Rankings Report, issued in February 2007. The ranking reflects MassMutual's position as an industry leader in offering a valuable, user-friendly Web site for consumers, with easy access to product information, educational materials, customer service and experienced financial professionals.

"We are extremely pleased that our Web site has received the highest designation awarded by DALBAR," said Marie Politis, assistant vice president, e-Media, MassMutual. "We have taken significant steps in recent years to enhance the functionality and ease of navigation for our Web site. This designation indicates that these improvements are effectively improving the experience of our users. For many consumers, conducting financial research can be a daunting task, and we aim to ensure our Web site makes this undertaking as simple and straightforward as possible."

In addition to MassMutual's consumer Web site, the company's Web site for financial professionals, FieldNet, has received an "Excellent" designation by DALBAR for 11 straight quarters, and earned first place for eight of those quarters, making it the top site in the industry during that time period.

DALBAR established its WebMonitor program in 1999 to track Web site innovations across the financial services industry and identify the industry's best sites, along with the latest trends and innovations. Rankings are determined based on a point system which evaluates the functionality, usability, consistency, behavior-centric support and content of life insurance and annuity Web sites.

MassMutual Financial Group is the fleet name for Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual) and its affiliates, with more than $450 billion in assets under management at year-end 2006. Assets under management include assets and certain external investment funds managed by MassMutual's subsidiaries. Securities and investment advisory services offered through MML Investors Services, Inc., a broker-dealer and registered investment advisor.

Founded in 1851, MassMutual is a mutually owned financial protection, accumulation and income management company headquartered in Springfield, Mass. MassMutual's major affiliates include: OppenheimerFunds, Inc.; Babson Capital Management LLC; Baring Asset Management Limited; Cornerstone Real Estate Advisers LLC; MML Investors Services, Inc., member NASD and SiPC (http://www.nasd.org/ and http://www.sipc.org/); MassMutual International LLC and The MassMutual Trust Company, FSB. MassMutual is on the Internet at http://www.massmutual.com/.

CONTACT: Mark Cybulski of Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company,
+1-413-744-5427

Web site: http://www.massmutual.com/
http://www.nasd.org/
http://www.sipc.org/