One has got to love insurance companies. They are cheap, are likely to be winners when interest rates rise, and have great potential for capital appreciation. I know that this theme of 'capital growth' has been thrown around a lot in recent years, and many shareholders are disappointed about the rate of valuation growth that insurance companies afforded investors. Nonetheless, insurance businesses bring a lot of value to the table, and a low valuation is by far not the only reason to buy into them. One insurance company that stands out from the crowd is MetLife, Inc.(NYSE:MET). MetLife has been doing well operationally and shareholders that have seen a notable increase in operating earnings and operating returns on equity over the last five years. In fact, MetLife's operating return on equity, a key evaluation metric for insurance companies, has dramatically improved since the insurance sector was thrown into distress in 2008/9. Read more