U.S. insurer Brighthouse Financial exploring sale, source says

(Reuters) - Brighthouse Financial is exploring options including a potential sale of the U.S. life insurance and annuity provider, according to a source familiar with the matter on Tuesday.

Charlotte, North Carolina-based Brighthouse, which was spun off from MetLife in 2017, is working with investment bankers at Goldman Sachs and Wells Fargo on the plan, said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss confidential deliberations.

Shares of Brighthouse were up 15% in early afternoon trade, giving the company a market value of around $3.5 billion, after shares hit their highest level since February 2018 earlier in the day. The Financial Times first reported the news of a possible sale.

Brighthouse and Goldman Sachs declined comment. Wells Fargo did not immediately respond to a comment request.

U.S. life insurance and annuity providers in recent years have been attracting takeover interest from private equity firms and other asset managers, which can take the underlying assets and deploy them into their various strategies. As well as earning higher returns on the insurance assets, the method helps turbo-charge firms' other products.

In the last two years, National Western Life Group sold itself to Prosperity Life for $1.9 billion, while Brookfield Reinsurance bought annuities provider American Equity Life for $4.3 billion.

(Reporting by David French in New York; Editing by Leslie Adler)

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