The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. is one of the largest insurance and investment companies based in the United States, with offices in the United States, Japan, the United Kingdom, Canada, Brazil and Ireland.
>>Get Your Free Annuity Quote from Hartford and Other Annuity Companies
The Hartford is a leading provider of life insurance, group and employee benefits, automobile and homeowners insurance and business insurance - as well as investment products, annuities, mutual funds, and college savings plans.
The Hartford serves millions of customers worldwide – including individuals, institutions, and businesses – through independent agents and brokers, financial institutions, and online.
History
The Hartford Fire Insurance Company was originally founded in 1810 in Harford, Connecticut, by a group of local merchants with initial capital of $15,000. Over the years, the company has expanded its business.
In 1913, the company formed The Hartford Accident and Indemnity Company to provide a wide variety of insurance coverage, including accident, automobile-liability, personal-damage, business-interruption and more. In 1959, the company expanded into the life-insurance business by acquiring The Columbian National Life Insurance Company in Boston, Massachusetts. In 1970, The Hartford was acquired by ITT Corporation for $1.4 billion, at the time the largest corporate takeover in American history. The combined company was renamed ITT-Hartford Group, Inc. In 1995, ITT decided to streamline its operations and release some of its subsidiaries, and The Hartford became an independent entity once again, trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “HIG.” Two years later, the company changed its name from ITT-Hartford Group, Inc. to The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc., and also issued an IPO for its Hartford Life business under the ticker symbol “HLI.” In 2000, The Hartford reacquired all the shares of Hartford Life, and HLI was delisted from the New York Stock Exchange in 2006.
Hartford Annuities
Among the numerous products sold by Hartford are a single-premium immediate annuity, variable annuities, and an extensive selection of fixed annuities with a wide variety of terms, conditions, riders and options.
Hartford Annuities Financial Ratings and Strength
Hartford annuities were assigned the following ratings by the four major rating agencies:
- A.M. Best: A (3rd-best out of 16 categories)
- Standard & Poor’s: A (6th-best out of 22 categories)
- Moody’s: A3 (7th-best out of 21 categories)
- Fitch: A- (7th-best out of 19 categories)
*Company ratings current as of October 1, 2010
