The Hartford to Build New Windsor Campus for Growing Financial Services Operations

HARTFORD, Conn.--The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. , one of the nation’s largest financial services and insurance companies, announced today that the company plans to build a 450,000-square-foot campus in Windsor, Conn., for its Hartford Life operations. The new facility will house approximately 2,000 Hartford Life employees.

“We are excited to find a place to grow in Connecticut for our expanding life operations,” said Ramani Ayer, chairman and chief executive officer of The Hartford. “Over the last 15 years, The Hartford’s Connecticut employee base has increased by more than 50 percent and we are proud of our commitment to this great state we have called home since 1810. We are equally pleased with the prospects of opening a new facility that embraces sustainable initiatives. By making thoughtful choices in our building designs, we can benefit our community today and help generations that follow.”

Hartford Life has grown significantly in the last 20 years. Today, Hartford Life is a leading provider of annuities, retirement plans, mutual funds, individual life insurance, and group life and disability insurance.

Hartford Life has called Simsbury home since 1986 and, as of April 2006, employed nearly 3,800 people in Connecticut alone, many of them at its 611,000-square-foot Simsbury facility. With the new campus, The Hartford will have four attractively located cornerstone operations in Connecticut – Hartford, Simsbury, Southington and Windsor. In addition, The Hartford will have the potential to expand its new Windsor complex to approximately 600,000 square feet.

“Hartford Life’s success has made it necessary to find new places to expand our operations and I’m excited to see us growing in Windsor, where many of our employees currently work,” said Tom Marra, president and chief operating officer of Hartford Life. “The insurance and financial services sector is essential to the health of Connecticut’s economy, employing more than 65,000 people in the state. We are pleased with the support we’ve received from the state and the Town of Windsor and look forward to working with the town as we begin our building plans.”

“Windsor is very excited with being selected as the location for Hartford Life's expansion,” said Windsor Mayor Donald Trinks. “This is another example of Windsor continuing its leadership role in supporting and growing the region's economy.”

Windsor represents a natural expansion opportunity for Hartford Life. Many of the company’s current employees already work in town, there is availability of land for construction and it is near the growing Bradley International Airport.

The company expects to break ground on the facility in spring 2007 and is targeting completion of Phase I of the project for mid-2008. Prior to finalizing its plans, The Hartford will work to secure requisite permits and incentives from both the Town of Windsor and the State of Connecticut. The design of the new facility will focus on “green” sustainable design strategies, such as sun control architectural elements, recycled construction materials and high efficiency heating and cooling systems to reduce building energy consumption.

The Hartford has a long history of supporting the environment and sustainable design strategies. The company operates one of 15 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ENERGY STAR® buildings in the state at its 100 Executive Boulevard, Southington, location, and has been an ENERGY STAR® partner for more than 10 years. In addition, the company is a partner in the EPA’s Climate Leaders program, pledging to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and also participates in ISO New England’s demand response program to help ensure the constant availability of electricity in the Northeast.

In total, The Hartford’s employee population in 2006 stands at over 30,000 people worldwide, with approximately 13,000 of those employees working in Connecticut, an increase of about 50 percent since 1990, when the company employed approximately 8,000 people here. In its most recent survey, the Hartford Business Journal ranked The Hartford as Connecticut’s third largest private employer.

The Hartford, a Fortune 100 company, is one of the nation's largest financial services and insurance companies, with 2005 revenues of $27.1 billion. The Hartford is a leading provider of investment products, life insurance and group benefits; automobile and homeowners products; and business property and casualty insurance. International operations are located in Japan, Brazil and the United Kingdom. The Hartford's Internet address is www.thehartford.com.

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Some of the statements in this release may be considered forward-looking statements as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. We caution investors that these forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, and actual results may differ materially. Investors should consider the important risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ. These important risks and uncertainties include those discussed in our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, our 2005 Annual Report on Form 10-K and the other filings we make with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We assume no obligation to update this release, which speaks as of the date issued.