The New York Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) was aware that MetLife had failed to pay the pensions before the insurer publicly disclosed the matter on Friday and will work to remediate the issue, NYDFS Superintendent Maria Vullo said in a statement.

A MetLife spokesman said, "We are committed to making this right for our customers. We found the issue, we self-reported it, and we are committed to doing better."

(Reporting by Suzanne Barlyn; Editing by Nick Zieminski)