The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc., usually known as The Hartford, is a United States-based investment and insurance company. The Hartford is a

Fortune 500 The ''Fortune'' 500 is an annual list compiled and published by ''Fortune'' magazine that ranks 500 of the largest United States corporations by total revenue for their respective fiscal years. The list includes publicly held companies, along ...

company headquartered in its namesake city of Hartford,

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

. It was ranked 160th in

in the year of 2020. The company's earnings are divided between property-and- casualty operations, group benefits and mutual funds. The Hartford is the 13th-largest property and casualty insurance company in the United States. It sells products primarily through a network of agents and brokers, and has also been the auto and home insurance writer for

AARP AARP (formerly called the American Association of Retired Persons) is an interest group in the United States focusing on issues affecting those over the age of fifty. The organization said it had more than 38 million members in 2018. The magazin ...

members for more than 25 years.

History

The Hartford (May, 1875 calendar postcard) (14222377016)

The Hartford was founded in 1810 in Hartford,

. A group of local merchants gathered in a Hartford inn and, with working capital of $15,000, founded the Hartford Fire Insurance Company. The company survived some of the greatest peacetime tragedies in American history. After a huge fire destroyed New York's financial district in 1835, The Hartford's president, Eliphalet Terry, used his personal wealth to cover all the company's damage claims. Other catastrophic events included the Chicago fire of 1871 and the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire. The company logo shows a male elk (bull), which in full maturity was referred to by the medieval hunting term '' hart''. The etymology of 'Hartford' is the ford where harts cross (deer crossing). The Seal of the City of Hartford likewise features a mature male deer (buck).

Acquisitions, divestitures and related changes

* 2021: Chubb makes three takeover offers for The Hartford, but negotiations fell through on 28 April. *2020: Castel Underwriting Europe B.V. has decided to acquire from The Hartford the renewal rights for a Navigators Europe book consisting mostly of Dutch naval freight, inland hull, land-based equipment and liability company. * 2019: Acquired Navigators, adding specialty products across 22 vertical markets, and offices in the United Kingdom,

Continental Europe Continental Europe or mainland Europe is the contiguous continent of Europe, excluding its surrounding islands. It can also be referred to ambiguously as the European continent, – which can conversely mean the whole of Europe – and, by ...

, and

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an ...

. * 2018, Acquired Y-Risk, a managing general underwriter specializing in economy risks, with managing general agencies across the U.S. * 2014: Sold its Japan annuities business to Orix Life Insurance Corp. * 2013: Sold its life insurance business to Prudential, retirement plans to MassMutual, and a broker-dealer to AIG. * 2012: Announced it would focus on property and casualty insurance, group benefits and mutual funds, and would sell its wealth management businesses. * 2009: the company announced that it was withdrawing its business activities from Europe. * 2004: Purchased the Group Benefits Division of CNA Financial. The division was based in Chicago, Illinois. * 2000: Reacquired all the shares of Hartford Life (HLI was delisted from the New York Stock Exchange in 2006). * 1997: Changed 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.” * 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". * 1970: The Hartford was acquired by

ITT Corporation ITT Inc., formerly ITT Corporation, is an American worldwide manufacturing company based in Stamford, Connecticut. The company produces specialty components for the aerospace, transportation, energy and industrial markets. ITT's three businesses ...

for $1.4 billion, at the time the largest corporate takeover in American history. The combined company was renamed ITT-Hartford Group, Inc. * 1959: Expanded into the life-insurance business by acquiring The Columbian National Life Insurance Company in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the capital city, state capital and List of municipalities in Massachusetts, most populous city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financ ...

, Massachusetts. * 1913: 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.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hartford Companies based in Hartford, Connecticut Financial services companies established in 1810 American companies established in 1810 1810 establishments in Connecticut Companies listed on the New York Stock Exchange Investment management companies of the United States Life insurance companies of the United States ITT Inc.

History

Acquisitions, divestitures and related changes

See also

References

External links