MassMutual Appoints Shelby Hollister Chief Life Underwriter

SPRINGFIELD, Mass., July 30 /PRNewswire/ -- Massachusetts Mutual LifeInsurance Company (MassMutual) announced today that it has appointed ShelbyHollister vice president and chief life underwriter for the company's U.S.Insurance Group. Ms. Hollister will be responsible for all of MassMutual's lifeinsurance underwriting operations, including life underwriting policies andprocedures and individual risk assessment and selection. In addition, shewill be accountable for the company's broader mortality strategy. She willreport to Karen Phelan, vice president in the U.S. Insurance Group'sproduct management area. "Life insurance underwriting is a key component of MassMutual'sinsurance operations and core to our future success, and we are pleased tohave someone of Shelby's caliber on board," Ms. Phelan said. "Her strongtechnical background, proven leadership skills and more than 20 yearsexperience in underwriting, operations and management make her anoutstanding addition to our team. Shelby is highly regarded and respectedin the life underwriting field and we look forward to her contributions toour organization." Prior to joining MassMutual, Ms. Hollister served as underwritingdirector at Hartford Life, where she was also a senior member of the lifeunderwriting leadership team. She has also held a broad range ofunderwriting positions at Paul Revere Insurance Group, General Re, andFirst Colony Life. Ms. Hollister has earned Fellow designations at TheAcademy of Life Underwriting and Life Management Institute. She is agraduate of The University of Mary Washington with a B.A. in Economics. MassMutual Financial Group is the fleet name for Massachusetts MutualLife Insurance Company (MassMutual) and its affiliates, with more than $450billion in assets under management at year-end 2006. Assets undermanagement include assets and certain external investment funds managed byMassMutual's subsidiaries. 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.; BabsonCapital Management LLC; Baring Asset Management Limited; Cornerstone RealEstate Advisers LLC; MML Investors Services, Inc., member NASD and SiPC(http://www.nasd.org and http://www.sipc.org); MassMutual International LLCand The MassMutual Trust Company, FSB. MassMutual is on the Internet athttp://www.massmutual.com . Contact: Mark Cybulski 413-744-5427