The Hartford Named As One Of The "World’s Most Ethical Companies” Again In 2010

The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc., (NYSE: HIG), today announced that it has been recognized by the Ethisphere Institute as one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies for 2010. Out of a record number of nominations for the award, The Hartford secured a hard-earned spot on the list by going the extra mile, implementing upright business practices and initiatives that are instrumental to the company’s success, benefit the community, and raise the bar for ethical standards within the industry.

"The Hartford is pleased to be named one of the "World’s Most Ethical Companies” for the third consecutive year,” said Alan Kreczko, executive vice president and general counsel of The Hartford. "As The Hartford enters its third century, we remain deeply committed to ethical leadership. This commitment is sustained by employees at every level who continue to "do the right thing" in all situations. We work hard to achieve the highest standards of ethical business conduct and to preserve the trust we have earned with our customers, investors, business partners and government officials."

Through in-depth research and a multi-step analysis, Ethisphere reviewed thousands of nominations from companies in over 100 countries and 36 industries in order to determine the winners.

"The Hartford’s promotion of a sound ethical environment shines within its industry and shows a clear understanding that operating under the highest standards for business behavior goes beyond goodwill and "lip-service” and is intimately linked to performance and profitability,” said Alex Brigham, Executive Director of the Ethisphere Institute. "This year’s World’s Most Ethical Companies award was more competitive than ever, because companies realize that making ethics a priority is critical amidst a tough economic environment.”

Brigham added, "Compliance or ethics failures add up to more than fees, fines and penalties. The leadership distraction and turnover, forced alteration of a working profit model and heightened scrutiny that result show: good ethics means better business.”

Over the last few years, The Hartford has engaged in a companywide, systematic effort to build an even stronger, more cohesive ethics and compliance program for its 28,000-employee organization. The expanded program addresses the evolving ethics and compliance standards in the highly regulated financial services industry and focuses on policies and practices to detect and prevent ethics and compliance-related issues. The comprehensive, risk-based program enhances the company’s ability to understand, assess and address the legal and regulatory risks facing each business area and the enterprise as a whole.

This is the fourth year Ethisphere, a think-tank dedicated to the creation, advancement and sharing of best practices in business ethics, corporate social responsibility, anti-corruption and sustainability, has published the WME rankings, which appear in Ethisphere Magazine’s Q1 issue.

A sampling of other winners include Aflac, American Express, Campbell Soup, the Ford Motor Company, General Electric, Google, L'Oréal, Nike, PepsiCo, Starbucks, T-Mobile USA, UPS, Whole Foods Market and Xerox.

The methodology for the WME ranking includes reviewing codes of ethics, litigation and regulatory infraction histories; evaluating the investment in innovation and sustainable business practices; looking at activities designed to improve corporate citizenship; and studying nominations from senior executives, industry peers, suppliers and customers.

Read about the methodology and view the complete list of the 2010 World’s Most Ethical Companies at http://ethisphere.com/wme-2010.

About Ethisphere Institute

The research-based Ethisphere Institute is a leading international think tank dedicated to the creation, advancement and sharing of best practices in business ethics, corporate social responsibility, anti corruption and sustainability. The Institute’s associated membership group, the Ethisphere Council, is a forum for business ethics that includes over 200 leading corporations, universities and institutions. The Ethisphere Council is dedicated to the development and advancement of individuals on its membership council through increased efficiency, innovation, tools, mentoring, advice, and unique career opportunities. Ethisphere magazine, which publishes the globally recognized World’s Most Ethical Companies Ranking™, is the quarterly publication of the Institute. More information on the Ethisphere Institute, including ranking projects and membership, can be found at www.ethisphere.com.

About The Hartford

Celebrating nearly 200 years, The Hartford (NYSE: HIG) is an insurance-based financial services company that serves households, businesses and employees by helping to protect their assets and income from risks, and by managing wealth and retirement needs. A Fortune 500 company, The Hartford is recognized widely for its service expertise and as one of the world’s most ethical companies. More information on the company and its financial performance is available at 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 2009 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.

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