Item 1. Business

Commercial Lines written premium is generated by small commercial and middle market, which provide coverage options and customized pricing based on the policyholder’s individual risk characteristics. Within small commercial, both property and general liability coverages are offered under a single package policy, marketed under the Spectrum name. Specialty provides a variety of customized insurance products and services.

Small commercial provides coverages for small businesses, which the Company considers to be businesses with an annual payroll under $12, revenues under $25 and property values less than $20 per location. Through Maxum Specialty Insurance Group ("Maxum"), small commercial also provides excess and surplus lines coverage to small businesses including umbrella, general liability, property and other coverages. Middle market provides insurance coverages to medium-sized businesses, which are companies whose payroll, revenue and property values exceed the small business definition. The Company has a small amount of property and casualty business written internationally. For U.S. exporters and other U.S. companies with international exposures, the Company covers property, marine and liability risks outside the U.S. as the assuming reinsurer under reinsurance agreements with third parties.

In addition to offering standard commercial lines products, middle market includes program business which provides tailored programs, primarily to customers with common risk characteristics. Within specialty, a significant portion of the business is written through large deductible programs for national accounts. Other programs written within specialty are retrospectively-rated where the premiums are adjustable based on loss experience. Also within specialty, the Company writes captive programs business, which provides tailored programs to those seeking a loss sensitive solution where premiums are adjustable based on loss experience. On August 22, 2018, the Company entered into a definitive agreement to acquire The Navigators Group, Inc., a global specialty underwriter. This acquisition could change the way we go to market as a commercial lines carrier.

Marketing and Distribution

Commercial Lines provides insurance products and services through the Company’s regional offices, branches and sales and policyholder service centers throughout the United States. The products are marketed and distributed nationally using independent agents, brokers and wholesalers. The independent agent and broker distribution channel is consolidating and this trend is expected to continue. This will likely result in a larger proportion of written premium being concentrated among fewer agents and brokers. In addition, the Company offers insurance products to customers of payroll service providers through its relationships with major national payroll companies and to members of affinity organizations.

Competition

Small Commercial

In small commercial, The Hartford competes against large national carriers, regional carriers and direct writers. Competitors include stock companies, mutual companies and other underwriting organizations. The small commercial market remains highly competitive and fragmented as carriers seek to differentiate themselves through product expansion, price

reduction, enhanced service and leading technology. Larger carriers such as The Hartford continually advance their pricing sophistication and ease of doing business with agents and customers through the use of technology, analytics and other capabilities that improve the process of evaluating a risk, quoting new business and servicing customers. The Company also continuously enhances digital capabilities as customers and distributors demand more access and convenience, and expands product and underwriting capabilities to accommodate both larger accounts and a broader risk appetite. Existing competitors and new entrants, including start-up and non-traditional carriers, are actively looking to expand sales of business insurance products to small businesses through increasing their underwriting appetite, deepening their relationships with distribution partners, and through on-line and direct-to-consumer marketing.

Middle Market

Middle market business is considered “high touch” and involves individual underwriting and pricing decisions. The pricing of middle market accounts is prone to significant volatility over time due to changes in individual account characteristics and exposure, as well as legislative and macro-economic forces. National and regional carriers participate in the middle market insurance sector, resulting in a competitive environment where pricing and policy terms are critical to securing new business and retaining existing accounts. Within this competitive environment, The Hartford is working to deepen its product and underwriting capabilities, leverage its sales and underwriting talent and expand its use of data analytics to make risk selection and pricing decisions. In product development and related areas such as claims and risk engineering, the Company is extending its capabilities in industry verticals, such as energy, construction, automobile parts manufacturing, food processing and hospitality. Through a business partner, the Company offers business insurance coverages to exporters and other U.S. companies with a physical presence overseas. The Hartford’s middle market business will leverage the investments in product, underwriting, and technology to better match price to individual risk as the firm pursues responsible growth strategies to deliver target returns.

Specialty Commercial

Specialty commercial competes on an account-by-account basis due to the complex nature of each transaction. Competition in this market includes stock companies, mutual companies, alternative risk sharing groups and other underwriting organizations.

For specialty casualty businesses, pricing competition continues to be significant, particularly for the larger individual accounts. As a means to mitigate the cost of insurance on larger accounts, more insureds may opt for the loss-sensitive products offered in our national accounts segment, including retrospectively rated contracts, in lieu of guaranteed cost policies. Under a retrospectively-rated contract, the ultimate premium collected from the insured is adjusted based on how incurred losses for the policy year develop over time, subject to a minimum and maximum premium. Within national accounts, the Company implemented a new risk management platform, allowing customers better access to claims data and other information needed by corporate risk managers. This system allows the Company to work more closely with customers to improve long-term account performance.

Part I - Item 1. Business

In the bond business, favorable underwriting results in recent years has led to increased competition for market share.

In professional liability, large and medium-sized businesses are in differing competitive environments. Large public director &

officers coverage, specifically excess layers, is under significant competitive price pressure. The middle market private management liability segment is in a more stable competitive and pricing environment.

PERSONAL LINES

2018 Earned Premiums of $3,399 by Line of Business

2018 Earned Premiums of $3,399 by Product

Principal Products and Services

Automobile	Covers damage to an individual insured’s own vehicle due to collision or other perils and is referred to as automobile physical damage. In addition to first party automobile physical damage, automobile insurance covers liability for bodily injuries and property damage suffered by third parties and losses caused by uninsured or underinsured motorists. Also, under no-fault laws, policies written in some states provide first party personal injury protection. Some of the Company’s personal automobile insurance policies also offer personal umbrella liability coverage for an additional premium.
Homeowners	Insures against losses to residences and contents from fire, wind and other perils. Homeowners insurance includes owned dwellings, rental properties and coverage for tenants. The policies may provide other coverages, including loss related to recreation vehicles or watercraft, identity theft and personal items such as jewelry.

Personal Lines provides automobile, homeowners and personal umbrella coverages to individuals across the United States, including a program designed exclusively for members of AARP (“AARP Program”). The Hartford's automobile and homeowners products provide coverage options and pricing tailored to a customer's individual risk. The Hartford has individual customer relationships with AARP Program policyholders and, as a group, they represent a significant portion of the total Personal Lines' business. Business sold to AARP members, either direct or through independent agents, amounted to earned premiums of $3.0 billion, $3.2 billion and $3.3 billion in 2018, 2017 and 2016, respectively.

During 2018, Personal Lines continued to refine its automobile and home product offerings marketed under the Open Road Auto and Home Advantage names. Overall rate levels, price segmentation, rating factors

and underwriting procedures were examined and updated to reflect the company’s actual experience with these products. In addition, Personal Lines also continued working with carrier partners to provide risk protection options for AARP members with needs beyond the company’s current product offering.

Marketing and Distribution

Personal Lines reaches diverse customers through multiple distribution channels, including direct-to-consumer and independent agents. In direct-to-consumer, Personal Lines markets its products through a mix of media, including direct mail, digital marketing, television as well as digital and print advertising. Through the agency channel, Personal Lines provides products and services to customers through a network of independent agents in the standard personal lines market,

Part I - Item 1. Business

primarily serving mature, preferred consumers. These independent agents are not employees of the Company.

Personal Lines has made significant investments in offering direct and agency-based customers the opportunity to interact with the company online, including via mobile devices. In addition, its technology platform for telephone sales centers enables sales representatives to provide an enhanced experience for direct-to-consumer customers, positioning the Company to offer unique capabilities to AARP’s member base.

Most of Personal Lines' sales are associated with its exclusive licensing arrangement with AARP, with the current agreement in place through January 1, 2023, to market automobile, homeowners and personal umbrella coverages to AARP's approximately 37 million members, primarily direct but also through independent agents. This relationship with AARP, which has been in place since 1984, provides Personal Lines with an important competitive advantage given the increase in the population of those over age 50 and the strength of the AARP brand. In most states, auto and home policies issued to AARP members include a lifetime continuation agreement endorsement, providing that the policies will be renewed as long as certain terms are met, such as timely payment of premium and maintaining a driver’s license in good standing.

In addition to selling to AARP members, Personal Lines offers its automobile and homeowners products to non-AARP customers, primarily through the independent agent channel within select underwriting markets where we believe we have a competitive advantage. Personal Lines leverages its agency channel to target AARP members and other customer segments that value the advice of an independent agent and recognize the differentiated experience the Company provides. In particular, the Company has taken action to distinguish its brand and improve profitability in the independent agent channel with fewer and more highly partnered agents.

Competition

The personal lines automobile and homeowners insurance

markets are highly competitive. Personal lines insurance is written by insurance companies of varying sizes that compete principally on the basis of price, product, service, including claims handling, the insurer's ratings and brand recognition. Companies with strong ratings, recognized brands, direct sales capability and economies of scale will have a competitive advantage. In recent years, insurers have increased their advertising in the direct-to-consumer market, in an effort to gain new business and retain profitable business. The growth of direct-to-consumer sales continues to outpace sales in the agency distribution channel.

Insurers that distribute products principally through agency channels compete by offering commissions and additional incentives to attract new business. To distinguish themselves in the marketplace, top tier insurers are offering online and self service capabilities that make it easier for agents and consumers to do business with the insurer. A large majority of agents have been using “comparative rater” tools that allow the agent to compare premium quotes among several insurance companies. The use of comparative rater tools increases price competition. Insurers that are able to capitalize on their brand and reputation, differentiate their products and deliver strong customer service are more likely to be successful in this market.

The use of data mining and predictive modeling is used by more and more carriers to target the most profitable business, and carriers have further segmented their pricing plans to expand market share in what they believe to be the most profitable segments. The Company continues to invest in capabilities to better utilize data and analytics, and thereby, refine and manage underwriting and pricing.

Also, new automobile technology advancements, including lane departure warnings, backup cameras, automatic braking and active collision alerts, are being deployed rapidly and are expected to improve driver safety and reduce the likelihood of vehicle collisions. However, these features include expensive parts, potentially increasing average claim severity.

PROPERTY & CASUALTY OTHER OPERATIONS

Property & Casualty Other Operations includes certain property and casualty operations, managed by the Company, that have discontinued writing new business and includes substantially all of the Company's asbestos and environmental ("A&E") exposures.

For a discussion of coverages provided under policies written with exposure to A&E, assumed reinsurance and all other non-A&E, see Part II, Item 7, MD&A - Critical Accounting Estimates, Property & Casualty Insurance Product Reserves.

Part I - Item 1. Business

GROUP BENEFITS

2018 Premiums and Fee Income of $5,598

Principal Products and Services

Group Life	Typically is term life insurance provided in the form of yearly renewable term life insurance. Other life coverages in this category include accidental death and dismemberment and travel accident insurance.
Group Disability	Typically comprised of both short-term and long-term disability coverage that pays a percentage of an employee’s salary for a period of time if they are ill or injured and cannot perform the duties of their job. Short-term and long-term disability policies have elimination periods that must be satisfied prior to benefit payments. The Company also earns fee income from leave management services and the administration of underwriting, enrollment and claims processing for employer self-funded plans.
Other Products	Includes other group coverages such as retiree health insurance, critical illness, accident, hospital indemnity and participant accident coverages.

Group insurance typically covers an entire group of people under a single contract, most typically the employees of a single employer or members of an association.

Group Benefits provides group life, disability and other group coverages to members of employer groups, associations and affinity groups through direct insurance policies and provides reinsurance to other insurance companies. In addition to employer paid coverages, the segment offers voluntary product coverages which are offered through employee payroll deductions. Group Benefits also offers disability underwriting, administration, and claims processing to self-funded employer plans. In addition, the segment offers a single-company leave management solution, which integrates work absence data from the insurer’s short-term and long-term group disability and workers’ compensation insurance with its leave management administration services.

Group Benefits generally offers term insurance policies, allowing for the adjustment of rates or policy terms in order to minimize the adverse effect of market trends, loss costs, declining interest rates and other factors. Policies are typically sold with one, two or three-year rate guarantees depending upon the product and market segment.

On November 1, 2017, the Company's group benefits subsidiary, Hartford Life and Accident Insurance Company ("HLA") acquired Aetna's U.S. group life and disability business through a reinsurance transaction. Revenues and earnings of the Aetna U.S. group life and disability business are included in operating results of the Company's Group Benefits segment since the acquisition date. For discussion of this transaction, see Note 2- Business Acquisitions of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.

Marketing and Distribution

The Group Benefits distribution network is managed through a regional sales office system to distribute its group insurance products and services through a variety of distribution outlets including brokers, consultants, third-party administrators and trade associations. Additionally, the segment has relationships with several private exchanges which offer its products to employer groups.

The acquisition of Aetna's U.S. group life and disability business further enhanced Group Benefit's distribution footprint by increasing its sales force. The acquisition also provided Group Benefits an exclusive, multi year collaboration to sell it's group life and disability products through Aetna's medical sales team.

Part I - Item 1. Business

Competition

Group Benefits competes with numerous insurance companies and financial intermediaries marketing insurance products. In order to differentiate itself, Group Benefits uses its risk management expertise and economies of scale to derive a competitive advantage. Competitive factors include the extent of products offered, price, the quality of customer and claims handling services, and the Company's relationship with third-party distributors and private exchanges. Active price competition continues in the marketplace, resulting in multi-year rate guarantees being offered to customers. Top tier insurers in the marketplace also offer on-line and self service capabilities to third party distributors and consumers. The relatively large size and underwriting capacity of the Group Benefits business provides a competitive advantage over smaller competitors.

Group Benefits' acquisition of Aetna's U.S. group life and disability business further increased its market presence and

competitive capabilities through the addition of industry-leading digital technology and an integrated absence management and claims platform.

Additionally, as employers continue to focus on reducing the cost of employee benefits, we expect more companies to offer voluntary products paid for by employees. Competitive factors affecting the sale of voluntary products include the breadth of products, product education, enrollment capabilities and overall customer service.

The Company has expanded its employer group product offerings, including the voluntary product suite, including coverages for short term absences from work, critical illness and accident coverages. The Company's enhanced enrollment and marketing tools, such as My Tomorrow©, are providing additional opportunities to educate individual participants about supplementary benefits and deepen their knowledge about product selection.

HARTFORD FUNDS

**Hartford Funds Segment AUM of $**104,840 as of December 31, 2018

Mutual Fund AUM as of December 31, 2018

Principal Products and Services

Mutual Funds	Includes 70 actively managed open-ended mutual funds across a variety of asset classes including domestic and international equity, fixed income, and multi-strategy investments, principally subadvised by two unaffiliated institutional asset management firms that have comprehensive global investment capabilities.
ETP	Includes a suite of exchange-traded products (“ETP”) traded on the New York Stock Exchange that is comprised of strategic beta and actively managed fixed income exchange-traded funds ("ETF"). Strategic beta ETF’s are designed to track indices using both active and passive investment techniques that strive to improve performance relative to traditional capitalization weighted indices.
Talcott Resolution life and annuity separate accounts	Relates to assets of the life and annuity business sold in May 2018 that are still managed by the Company's Hartford Funds segment.

The Hartford Funds segment provides investment management, administration, product distribution and related services to investors through a diverse set of investment products in domestic and international markets. Hartford Funds'

comprehensive range of products and services assist clients in achieving their desired investment objectives. Assets under management are separated into three distinct categories referred to as mutual funds, ETP and Talcott Resolution life and annuity

Part I - Item 1. Business

separate accounts, which relate to the life and annuity business sold in May 2018. The Hartford Funds segment will continue to manage the mutual fund assets of Talcott Resolution, though these assets are expected to continue to decline over time.

Marketing and Distribution

Our funds and ETPs are sold through national and regional broker-dealer organizations, independent financial advisers, defined contribution plans, financial consultants, bank trust groups and registered investment advisers. Our distribution team is organized to sell primarily in the United States. The investment products for Talcott Resolution are not actively distributed.

Competition

The investment management industry is mature and highly competitive. Firms are differentiated by investment performance, range of products offered, brand recognition, financial strength, proprietary distribution channels, quality of service and level of fees charged relative to quality of investment products. The Hartford Funds segment competes with a large number of asset management firms and other financial institutions and differentiates itself through superior fund performance, product breadth, strong distribution and competitive fees. In recent years demand for lower cost passive investment strategies has outpaced demand for actively managed strategies and has taken market share from active managers.

CORPORATE

The Company includes in the Corporate category investment management fees and expenses related to managing third party business, including management of the invested assets of Talcott Resolution, reserves for run-off structured settlement and terminal funding agreement liabilities, capital raising activities (including debt financing and related interest expense), purchase accounting adjustments related to goodwill and other expenses not allocated to the reporting segments.

Additionally, included in the Corporate category are discontinued operations from the Company's life and annuity business sold in May 2018 and a 9.7% ownership interest in the legal entity that acquired this business. The assets and liabilities of this business had been accounted for as held for sale until closing and operating results of the life and annuity business are included in discontinued operations for all periods prior to the closing date.

RESERVES

Total Reserves as of December 31, 2018

[1]	Includes reserves for future policy benefits and other policyholder funds and benefits payable of $642 and $767*, respectively, of which* $427 and $455*, respectively, relate to the Group Benefits segment with the remainder related to run-off structured settlement and terminal funding agreements within Corporate.*

Total Property & Casualty Reserves as of December 31, 2018

The reserve for unpaid losses and loss adjustment expenses includes a liability for unpaid losses, including those that have been incurred but not yet reported, as well as estimates of all expenses associated with processing and settling these insurance claims, including reserves related to both Property & Casualty and Group Benefits.

Further discussion of The Hartford’s property and casualty insurance product reserves, including asbestos and environmental claims reserves within P&C Other Operations,

Part I - Item 1. Business

may be found in Part II, Item 7, MD&A — Critical Accounting Estimates — Property and Casualty Insurance Product Reserves. Additional discussion may be found in Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, including in the Company’s accounting policies for insurance product reserves within Note 1 - Basis of Presentation and Significant Accounting Policies and in Note 11 - Reserve for Unpaid Losses and Loss Adjustment Expenses of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.

Total Group Benefits Reserves as of December 31, 2018

[1]Includes $118 of short-term disability ("STD") reserves and $43 of supplemental health reserves.

[2]Includes $311 of paid up life reserves and policy reserves on life policies, $107 of reserves for conversions to individual life and $9 of other reserves.

Other policyholder funds and benefits payable represent deposits from policyholders where the company does not have insurance risk but is subject to investment risk. Reserves for future policy benefits represent life-contingent reserves for which the company is subject to insurance and investment risk.

Further discussion of The Hartford's Group Benefits long-term disability reserves may be found in Part II, Item 7, MD&A — Critical Accounting Estimates — Group Benefits Long-term Disability ("LTD") Reserves, Net of Reinsurance. Additional discussion may be found in Note 11 - Reserve for Unpaid Losses and Loss Adjustment Expenses of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.

UNDERWRITING FOR P&C AND GROUP BENEFITS

The Company underwrites the risks it insures in order to manage exposure to loss through favorable risk selection and diversification. Risk modeling is used to manage, within specified limits, the aggregate exposure taken in each line of business and across the Company. For property and casualty business, aggregate exposure limits are set by geographic zone and peril. Products are priced according to the risk characteristics of the insured’s exposures. Rates charged for Personal Lines products are filed with the states in which we write business. Rates for Commercial Lines products are also filed with the states but the premium charged may be modified based on the insured’s relative risk profile and workers’ compensation policies may be subject to modification based on prior loss experience. Pricing for Group Benefits products, including long-term disability and life insurance, is also based on an underwriting of the risks and a projection of estimated losses, including consideration of investment income.

Pricing adequacy depends on a number of factors, including the ability to obtain regulatory approval for rate changes, proper evaluation of underwriting risks, the ability to project future loss cost frequency and severity based on historical loss experience adjusted for known trends, the Company’s response to rate actions taken by competitors, its expense levels and expectations about regulatory and legal developments. The Company seeks to price its insurance policies such that insurance premiums and future net investment income earned on premiums received will cover underwriting expenses and the ultimate cost of paying claims reported on the policies and provide for a profit margin.

Geographic Distribution of Earned Premium (% of total)

Location	Commercial Lines		Personal Lines		Group Benefits		Total
California	8	%	2	%	3	%	13	%
New York	5	%	1	%	3	%	9	%
Texas	3	%	2	%	2	%	7	%
Florida	2	%	2	%	2	%	6	%
New Jersey	3	%	—	%	2	%	5	%
All other [1]	23	%	15	%	22	%	60	%
Total	44	%	22	%	34	%	100	%

[1]	No other single state or country accounted for 5% or more of the Company's consolidated earned premium written in 2018.

Part I - Item 1. Business

CLAIMS ADMINISTRATION FOR P&C AND GROUP BENEFITS

Claims administration includes the functions associated with the receipt of initial loss notices, claims adjudication and estimates, legal representation for insureds where appropriate, establishment of case reserves, payment of losses and notification to reinsurers. These activities are performed by approximately 6,720 claim professionals located in 49 states, organized to meet the specific claim service needs for our various product offerings. Our combined Workers’ Compensation and Group Benefits units enable us to leverage synergies for improved outcomes.

Claim payments for benefit, loss and loss adjustment expenses are the largest expenditure for the Company.

REINSURANCE

For discussion of reinsurance, see Part II, Item 7, MD&A — Enterprise Risk Management and Note 8 - Reinsurance of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.

INVESTMENT OPERATIONS

Hartford Investment Management Company (“HIMCO”) is an SEC registered investment advisor and manages the Company's investment operations. HIMCO provides customized investment strategies for The Hartford's investment portfolio, as well as for The Hartford's pension plan and institutional clients. In connection with the life and annuity business sold in May 2018, HIMCO entered into an agreement for an initial five year term to manage the invested assets of Talcott Resolution.

As of December 31, 2018 and 2017, the fair value of HIMCO’s total assets under management was approximately $89.6 billion and $98.6 billion, respectively, of which $40.2 billion and $2.1 billion, respectively, were held in HIMCO managed third party accounts.

Management of The Hartford's Investment Portfolio

HIMCO manages the Company's investment portfolios to maximize economic value and generate the returns necessary to support the Hartford’s various product obligations, within internally established objectives, guidelines and risk tolerances. The portfolio objectives and guidelines are developed based upon the asset/liability profile, including duration, convexity and other characteristics within specified risk tolerances. The risk tolerances considered include, but are not limited to, asset sector, credit issuer allocation limits, and maximum portfolio limits for below investment grade holdings. The Company attempts to minimize adverse impacts to the portfolio and the Company’s results of operations from changes in economic conditions

through asset diversification, asset allocation limits, asset/liability duration matching and the use of derivatives. For further discussion of HIMCO’s portfolio management approach, see Part II, Item 7, MD&A — Enterprise Risk Management.

The Hartford's Investment Portfolio of $46.8 billion as of December 31, 2018

ENTERPRISE RISK MANAGEMENT

The Company has insurance, operational and financial risks. For discussion on how The Hartford manages these risks, see Part II, Item 7, MD&A - Enterprise Risk Management.

REGULATION

State Insurance Laws

State insurance laws are intended to supervise and regulate insurers with the goal of protecting policyholders and ensuring the solvency of the insurers. As such, the insurance laws and regulations grant broad authority to state insurance departments (the “Departments”) to oversee and regulate the business of insurance. The Departments monitor the financial stability of an insurer by requiring insurers to maintain certain solvency standards and minimum capital and surplus requirements; invested asset requirements; state deposits of securities; guaranty fund premiums; restrictions on the size of risks which may be insured under a single policy; and adequate reserves and other necessary provisions for unearned premiums, unpaid losses and loss adjustment expenses and other liabilities, both reported and unreported. In addition, the Departments perform periodic market and financial examinations of insurers and require insurers to file annual and other reports on the financial condition of the companies. Policyholder protection is also regulated by the Departments through licensing of insurers, sales employees, agents and brokers and others; approval of premium rates and

Part I - Item 1. Business

policy forms; claims administration requirements; and maintenance of minimum rates for accumulation of surrender values.

Many states also have laws regulating insurance holding company systems. These laws require insurance companies, which are formed and chartered in the state (referred to as “domestic insurers”), to register with the state department of insurance (referred to as their “domestic state or regulator”) and file information concerning the operations of companies within the holding company system that may materially affect the operations, management or financial condition of the insurers within the system. Insurance holding company regulations principally relate to (i) state insurance approval of the acquisition of domestic insurers, (ii) prior review or approval of certain transactions between the domestic insurer and its affiliates, and (iii) regulation of dividends made by the domestic insurer. All transactions within a holding company system affecting domestic insurers must be determined to be fair and equitable.

The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (“NAIC”), the organization that works to promote standardization of best practices and assists state insurance regulatory authorities and insurers, conducted the “Solvency Modernization Initiative” (the “Solvency Initiative”). The effort focused on reviewing the U.S. financial regulatory system and financial regulation affecting insurance companies including: (1) capital requirements; (2) corporate governance and risk management; (3) group supervision; (4) statutory accounting and financial reporting; and (5) reinsurance. As a result of the Solvency Initiative, among other items, the NAIC adopted the Corporate Governance Annual Disclosure Model Act, which was enacted by the Company’s lead domestic state of Connecticut. The model law requires insurers to make an annual confidential filing regarding their corporate governance policies commencing in 2016. In addition, the NAIC adopted the Risk Management and Own Risk and Solvency Assessment Model Act (“ORSA”), which also has been adopted by Connecticut. ORSA requires insurers to maintain a risk management framework and conduct an internal risk and solvency assessment of the insurer’s material risks in normal and stressed environments. Many state insurance holding company laws, including those of Connecticut, have also been amended to require insurers to file an annual confidential enterprise risk report with their lead domestic regulator, disclosing material risks within the entire holding company system that could pose an enterprise risk to the insurer.

Federal and State Securities and Financial Regulation Laws

The Company sells and distributes its mutual funds through a broker dealer subsidiary, and is subject to regulation promulgated and enforced by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”), the SEC and/or, in some instances, state securities administrators. Other subsidiaries operate as investment advisers registered with the SEC under the Investment Advisers’ Act of 1940, as amended, and are registered as investment advisers under certain state laws, as applicable. Because federal and state laws and regulations are primarily intended to protect investors in securities markets, they generally grant regulators broad rulemaking and enforcement authority. Some of these regulations include, among other things, regulations impacting sales methods, trading practices, suitability of investments, use

and safekeeping of customers’ funds, corporate governance, capital, recordkeeping, and reporting requirements.

The Hartford operates in limited foreign jurisdictions. The extent of financial services regulation on business outside the United States varies significantly among the countries in which The Hartford operates. Some countries have minimal regulatory requirements, while others regulate financial services providers extensively. Foreign financial services providers in certain countries are faced with greater restrictions than domestic competitors domiciled in that particular jurisdiction.

Failure to comply with federal and state laws and regulations may result in fines, the issuance of cease-and-desist orders or suspension, termination or limitation of the activities of our operations and/or our employees.

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

We rely on a combination of contractual rights and copyright, trademark, patent and trade secret laws to establish and protect our intellectual property.

We have a trademark portfolio that we consider important in the marketing of our products and services, including, among others, the trademarks of The Hartford name, the Stag Logo and the combination of these two trademarks. The duration of trademark registrations may be renewed indefinitely subject to country-specific use and registration requirements. We regard our trademarks as highly valuable assets in marketing our products and services and vigorously seek to protect them against infringement. In addition, we own a number of patents and patent applications relating to on-line quoting, insurance related processing, insurance telematics, proprietary interface platforms, and other matters, some of which may be important to our business operations. Patents are of varying duration depending on filing date, and will typically expire at the end of their natural term.

EMPLOYEES

The Hartford has approximately 18,500 employees as of December 31, 2018.

AVAILABLE INFORMATION

The Company’s Internet address is www.thehartford.com. Our annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to those reports are available, without charge, on the investor relations section of our website, https://ir.thehartford.com, as soon as reasonably practicable after they are filed electronically with the SEC. Reports filed with the SEC may be viewed at www.sec.gov. References in this report to our website address are provided only as a convenience and do not constitute, and should not be viewed as, an incorporation by reference of the information contained on, or available through, the website. Therefore, such information should not be considered part of this report.

Part I - Item 1A. Risk Factors

Item 1A. RISK FACTORS

In deciding whether to invest in The Hartford, you should carefully consider the following risks, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operation or liquidity and could also impact the trading price of our securities. These risks are not exclusive, and additional risks to which we are subject include, but are not limited to, the factors mentioned under “Forward-Looking Statements” above and the risks of our businesses described elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

The following risk factors have been organized by category for ease of use, however many of the risks may have impacts in more than one category. The occurrence of certain of them may, in turn, cause the emergence or exacerbate the effect of others. Such a combination could materially increase the severity of the impact of these risks on our business, results of operations, financial condition or liquidity.

Risks Relating to Economic, Political and Global Market Conditions

Unfavorable economic, political and global market conditions may adversely impact our business and results of operations.

The Company’s investment portfolio and insurance liabilities are sensitive to changes in economic, political and global capital market conditions, such as the effect of a weak economy and changes in credit spreads, equity prices, interest rates and inflation. Weak economic conditions, such as high unemployment, low labor force participation, lower family income, a weak real estate market, lower business investment and lower consumer spending may adversely affect the demand for insurance and financial products and lower the Company’s profitability in some cases. In addition, a deterioration in global economic conditions, including due to a trade war, tariffs or other actions with respect to international trade agreements or policies, has the potential to, among other things, reduce demand for our products, reduce exposures we insure, drive higher inflation that could increase the Company’s loss costs and result in increased incidence of claims, particularly for workers’ compensation and disability claims. The Company’s investment portfolio includes limited partnerships and other alternative investments and equity securities for which changes in value are reported in earnings. These investments may be adversely impacted by economic volatility, including real estate market deterioration, which could impact our net investment returns and result in an adverse impact on operating results.

Below are several key factors impacted by changes in economic, political, and global market conditions and their potential effect on the Company’s business and results of operation:

•	Credit Spread Risk - Credit spread exposure is reflected in the market prices of fixed income instruments where lower

rated securities generally trade at a higher credit spread. If issuer credit spreads increase or widen, the market value of our investment portfolio may decline. If the credit spread widening is significant and occurs over an extended period of time, the Company may recognize other-than-temporary impairments, resulting in decreased earnings. If credit spreads tighten, significantly, the Company’s net investment income associated with new purchases of fixed maturities may be reduced. In addition, the value of credit derivatives under which the Company assumes exposure or purchases protection are impacted by changes in credit spreads, with losses occurring when credit spreads widen for assumed exposure or when credit spreads tighten if credit protection has been purchased.

•

Equity Markets Risk - A decline in equity markets may result in unrealized capital losses on investments in equity securities recorded against net income and lower earnings from Hartford Funds where fee income is earned based upon the fair value of the assets under management. Equity markets are unpredictable. During 2018, the equity markets were more volatile than in prior periods, which could be indicative of a greater risk of a decline. For additional information on equity market sensitivity, see Part II, Item 7 Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operation (MD&A), Enterprise Risk Management, Financial Risk- Equity Risk.

•	Interest Rate Risk - Global economic conditions may result in the persistence of a low interest rate environment which would continue to pressure our net investment income and could result in lower margins on certain products. For additional information on interest rate sensitivity, see Part II, Item 7, MD&A, Enterprise Risk Management, Financial Risk - Interest Rate Risk

New and renewal business for our property and casualty and group benefits products is priced considering prevailing interest rates. As interest rates decline, in order to achieve the same economic return, we would have to increase product prices to offset the lower anticipated investment income earned on invested premiums. Conversely, as interest rates rise, pricing targets will tend to decrease to reflect higher anticipated investment income. Our ability to effectively react to such changes in interest rates may affect our competitiveness in the marketplace, and in turn, could reduce written premium and earnings. For additional information on interest rate sensitivity, see Part II, Item 7 Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operation (MD&A), Enterprise Risk Management, Financial Risk - Interest Rate Risk.

In addition, due to the long-term nature of the liabilities within our Group Benefits operations, particularly for long-term disability, declines in interest rates over an extended period of time would result in our having to reinvest at lower yields. On the other hand, a rise in interest rates, in the absence of other countervailing changes, would reduce the market value of our investment portfolio. A decline in market value of invested assets due to an increase in interest rates could also limit our ability to realize tax benefits from previously recognized capital losses.

Part I - Item 1A. Risk Factors

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Inflation Risk - Inflation is a risk to our property and casualty business because, in many cases, claims are paid out many years after a policy is written and premium is collected for the risk. Accordingly, a greater than expected increase in inflation related to the cost of medical services and repairs over the claim settlement period can result in higher claim costs than what was estimated at the time the policy was written. Inflation can also affect consumer spending and business investment which can reduce the demand for our products and services.

Concentration of our investment portfolio increases the potential for significant losses.

The concentration of our investment portfolios in any particular industry, collateral type, group of related industries or geographic sector could have an adverse effect on our investment portfolios and consequently on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and liquidity. Events or developments that have a negative impact on any particular industry, collateral type, group of related industries or geographic region may have a greater adverse effect on our investment portfolio to the extent that the portfolio is concentrated rather than diversified.

Further, if issuers of securities or loans we hold are acquired, merge or otherwise consolidate with other issuers of securities or loans held by the Company, our investment portfolio’s credit concentration risk to issuers could increase for a period of time, until the Company is able to sell securities to get back in compliance with the established investment credit policies.

Changing climate and weather patterns may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operation.

Climate change presents risks to us as an insurer, investor and employer. Climate models indicate that rising temperatures will likely result in rising sea levels over the decades to come and may increase the frequency and intensity of natural catastrophes and severe weather events. Extreme weather events such as abnormally high temperatures may result in increased losses associated with our property, auto, workers’ compensation and group benefits businesses. Changing climate patterns may also increase the duration, frequency and intensity of heat/cold waves, which may result in increased claims for property damage, business interruption and losses under workers’ compensation, group disability and group life coverages. Precipitation patterns across the U.S. are projected to change, which if realized, may increase risks of flash floods and wildfires. Additionally, there may be an impact on the demand, price and availability of automobile and homeowners insurance, and there is a risk of higher reinsurance costs or more limited availability of reinsurance coverage. Changes in climate conditions may also cause our underlying modeling data to not adequately reflect frequency and severity, limiting our ability to effectively evaluate and manage risks of catastrophes and severe weather events. Among other impacts, this could result in not charging enough premiums or not obtaining timely state approvals for rate increases to cover the risks we insure. We may also experience significant interruptions to the Company’s systems and operations that hinder our ability to sell and service business, manage claims and operate our business.

In addition, climate change-related risks may adversely impact the value of the securities that we hold. The effects of climate

change could also lead to increased credit risk of other counterparties we transact business with, including reinsurers. Rising sea levels may lead to decreases in real estate values in coastal areas, reducing premium and demand for commercial property and homeowners insurance and adversely impacting the value of our real estate-related investments. Additionally, government policies or regulations to slow climate change, such as emission controls or technology mandates, may have an adverse impact on sectors such as utilities, transportation and manufacturing, affecting demand for our products and our investments in these sectors.

Changes in security asset prices may impact the value of our fixed income, real estate and commercial mortgage investments, resulting in realized or unrealized losses on our invested assets. Our decision to invest in certain securities and loans may also be impacted by changes in climate patterns due to:

•	changes in supply/demand characteristics for fuel (e.g., coal, oil, natural gas)

•	advances in low-carbon technology and renewable energy development and

•	effects of extreme weather events on the physical and operational exposure of industries and issuers

Because there is significant variability associated with the impacts of climate change, we cannot predict how physical, legal, regulatory and social responses may impact our business.

A change in or replacement of the London Inter-Bank Offered Rate ("LIBOR") may adversely affect the value of certain derivatives and floating rate securities we hold and floating rate securities we have issued, and any other assets or liabilities whose value may be tied to LIBOR.

Should financial institutions stop reporting the benchmark interest rate known as LIBOR or change how the rate is calculated, the Company could suffer economic loss to the extent it has fixed maturity investments or other financial instruments that do not provide for a replacement reference rate and which mature after the date LIBOR is changed or is no longer published. LIBOR is the interest rate at which banks have historically offered to lend funds to one another for short-term loans. Actions by regulators or law enforcement agencies, as well as the Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) Benchmark Administration (the current administrator of LIBOR) may result in changes to the way LIBOR is determined or the establishment of alternative reference rates. For example, on July 27, 2017, the U.K. Financial Conduct Authority announced that it intends to stop persuading or compelling banks to submit LIBOR rates after 2021. The U.S. Federal Reserve, based on the recommendations of the New York Federal Reserve’s Alternative Reference Rate Committee (constituted of major derivative market participants and their regulators), has begun publishing a Secured Overnight Funding Rate (“SOFR”) which is intended to replace U.S. dollar LIBOR. Plans for alternative reference rates for other currencies have also been announced. At this time, it is not possible to predict how markets will respond to these new rates, and the effect that any changes in LIBOR or discontinuation of LIBOR might have on new or existing financial instruments. If LIBOR ceases to exist or if the

Part I - Item 1A. Risk Factors

methods of calculating LIBOR change from current methods for any reason, outstanding contracts with interest rates tied to LIBOR may be adversely affected if those contracts either do not automatically provide for a replacement rate such as SOFR or convert to another reference rate that could be less favorable to the Company. Outstanding contracts that could be affected include interest rates on certain derivatives and floating rate securities we hold, securities we have issued, and any other assets or liabilities whose value is tied to LIBOR. Further, any uncertainty regarding the continued use and reliability of LIBOR as a benchmark interest rate could adversely affect the value of such instruments.

Insurance Industry and Product Related Risks

Unfavorable loss development may adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and liquidity.

We establish property and casualty loss reserves to cover our estimated liability for the payment of all unpaid losses and loss expenses incurred with respect to premiums earned on our policies. Loss reserves are estimates of what we expect the ultimate settlement and administration of claims will cost, less what has been paid to date. These estimates are based upon actuarial projections and on our assessment of currently available data, as well as estimates of claims severity and frequency, legal theories of liability and other factors.

Loss reserve estimates are refined periodically as experience develops and claims are reported and settled, potentially resulting in increases to our reserves. Increases in reserves would be recognized as an expense during the periods in which these determinations are made, thereby adversely affecting our results of operations for those periods. In addition, since reserve estimates of aggregate loss costs for prior years are used in pricing our insurance products, inaccurate reserves can lead to our products not being priced adequately to cover actual losses and related loss expenses in order to generate a profit.

We continue to receive asbestos and environmental ("A&E") claims, the vast majority of which relate to policies written before 1986. Estimating the ultimate gross reserves needed for unpaid losses and related expenses for asbestos and environmental claims is particularly difficult for insurers and reinsurers. The actuarial tools and other techniques used to estimate the ultimate cost of more traditional insurance exposures tend to be less precise when used to estimate reserves for some A&E exposures.

Moreover, the assumptions used to estimate gross reserves for A&E claims, such as claim frequency over time, average severity, and how various policy provisions will be interpreted, are subject to significant uncertainty. It is also not possible to predict changes in the legal and legislative environment and their effect on the future development of A&E claims. These factors, among others, make the variability of gross reserves estimates for these longer-tailed exposures significantly greater than for other more traditional exposures.

Effective December 31, 2016, the Company entered into an agreement with National Indemnity Company (“NICO”), a

subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (“Berkshire”) whereby the Company is reinsured for subsequent adverse development on substantially all of its net A&E reserves up to an aggregate net limit of $1.5 billion. The adverse development cover excludes risk of adverse development on net A&E reserves held by the Company's U.K. Property and Casualty run-off subsidiaries which have been accounted for as liabilities held for sale in the consolidated balance sheets as of December 31, 2016. We remain directly liable to claimants and if the reinsurer does not fulfill its obligations under the agreement or if future adverse development exceeds the $1.5 billion aggregate limit, we may need to increase our recorded net reserves which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations and liquidity. As of December 31, 2018, $977 of aggregated limit remained available under the adverse development cover. Furthermore, if cumulative A&E losses ceded to NICO were to exceed the $650 of ceded premium paid to NICO, the Company would defer recognition of the reinsurance benefit related to incurred losses above $650, resulting in a charge to earnings until such periods as reinsurance recoveries begin to be collected. As of December 31, 2018, the Company had ceded cumulative losses of $523 to NICO. For additional information related to risks associated with the adverse development cover, see Note 8 - Reinsurance and Note 14 - Commitments and Contingencies of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.

We are vulnerable to losses from catastrophes, both natural and man-made.

Our insurance operations expose us to claims arising out of catastrophes. Catastrophes can be caused by various unpredictable natural events, including, among others, earthquakes, hurricanes, hailstorms, severe winter weather, wind storms, fires, tornadoes, and pandemics. Catastrophes can also be man-made, such as terrorist attacks, cyber-attacks, explosions or infrastructure failures.

The geographic distribution of our business subjects us to catastrophe exposure for events occurring in a number of areas, including, but not limited to: hurricanes in Florida, the Gulf Coast, the Northeast and the Atlantic coast regions of the United States; tornadoes and hail in the Midwest and Southeast; earthquakes in geographical regions exposed to seismic activity; wildfires in the West and the spread of disease. Any increases in the values and concentrations of insureds and property in these areas would increase the severity of catastrophic events in the future. In addition, changes in climate and/or weather patterns may increase the frequency and/or intensity of severe weather and natural catastrophe events potentially leading to increased insured losses. Potential examples include, but are not limited to:

•	an increase in the frequency or intensity of wind and thunderstorm and tornado/hailstorm events due to increased convection in the atmosphere,

•	more frequent and larger wildfires in certain geographies,

•	higher incidence of deluge flooding, and

•	the potential for an increase in frequency and severity of hurricane events.

For a further discussion of climate-related risks, see the above-referenced Risk Factor, “Changing climate and weather patterns

Part I - Item 1A. Risk Factors

may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operation.”

Our businesses also have exposure to global or nationally occurring pandemics caused by highly infectious and potentially fatal diseases spread through human, animal or plant populations.

In the event of one or more catastrophes, policyholders may be unable to meet their obligations to pay premiums on our insurance policies. Further, our liquidity could be constrained by a catastrophe, or multiple catastrophes, which could result in extraordinary losses. In addition, in part because accounting rules do not permit insurers to reserve for such catastrophic events until they occur, claims from catastrophic events could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations or liquidity. The amount we charge for catastrophe exposure may be inadequate if the frequency or severity of catastrophe losses changes over time or if the models we use to estimate the exposure prove inadequate. In addition, regulators or legislators could limit our ability to charge adequate pricing for catastrophe exposures or shift more responsibility for covering risk.

Terrorism is an example of a significant man-made caused potential catastrophe. Private sector catastrophe reinsurance is limited and generally unavailable for terrorism losses caused by attacks with nuclear, biological, chemical or radiological weapons. In addition, workers' compensation policies generally do not have exclusions or limitations for terrorism losses. Reinsurance coverage from the federal government under the Terrorism Risk Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2015 (“TRIPRA”) is also limited and only applies for certified acts of terrorism that exceed a certain threshold of industry losses. Accordingly, the effects of a terrorist attack in the geographic areas we serve may result in claims and related losses for which we do not have adequate reinsurance. Further, the continued threat of terrorism and the occurrence of terrorist attacks, as well as heightened security measures and military action in response to these threats and attacks or other geopolitical or military crises, may cause significant volatility in global financial markets, disruptions to commerce and reduced economic activity. These consequences could have an adverse effect on the value of the assets in our investment portfolio. Terrorist attacks also could disrupt our operation centers. In addition, TRIPRA expires on December 31, 2020 and if the U.S. Congress does not reauthorize the program or significantly reduces the government’s share of covered terrorism losses, the Company’s exposure to terrorism losses could increase materially unless it can purchase alternative terrorism reinsurance protection in the private markets at affordable prices or takes actions to materially reduce its exposure in lines of business subject to terrorism risk. For a further discussion of TRIPRA, see Part II, Item 7, MD&A - Enterprise Risk Management - Insurance Risk Management, Reinsurance as a Risk Management Strategy.

As a result, it is possible that any, or a combination of all, of these factors related to a catastrophe, or multiple catastrophes, whether natural or man-made, can have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations or liquidity.

Pricing for our products is subject to our ability to adequately assess risks, estimate losses and comply with state insurance regulations.

We seek to price our property and casualty and group benefits insurance policies such that insurance premiums and future net investment income earned on premiums received will provide for an acceptable profit in excess of underwriting expenses and the cost of paying claims. Pricing adequacy depends on a number of factors, including proper evaluation of underwriting risks, the ability to project future claim costs, our expense levels, net investment income realized, our response to rate actions taken by competitors, legal and regulatory developments, and the ability to obtain regulatory approval for rate changes.

State insurance departments regulate many of the premium rates we charge and also propose rate changes for the benefit of the property and casualty consumer at the expense of the insurer, which may not allow us to reach targeted levels of profitability. In addition to regulating rates, certain states have enacted laws that require a property and casualty insurer to participate in assigned risk plans, reinsurance facilities, joint underwriting associations and other residual market plans. State regulators also require that an insurer offer property and casualty coverage to all consumers and often restrict an insurer's ability to charge the price it might otherwise charge or restrict an insurer's ability to offer or enforce specific policy deductibles. In these markets, we may be compelled to underwrite significant amounts of business at lower than desired rates or accept additional risk not contemplated in our existing rates, participate in the operating losses of residual market plans or pay assessments to fund operating deficits of state-sponsored funds, possibly leading to lower returns on equity. The laws and regulations of many states also limit an insurer's ability to withdraw from one or more lines of insurance in the state, except pursuant to a plan that is approved by the state's insurance department. Additionally, certain states require insurers to participate in guaranty funds for impaired or insolvent insurance companies. These funds periodically assess losses against all insurance companies doing business in the state. Any of these factors could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations or liquidity.

Additionally, the property and casualty and group benefits insurance markets have been historically cyclical, experiencing periods characterized by relatively high levels of price competition, less restrictive underwriting standards, more expansive coverage offerings, multi-year rate guarantees and declining premium rates, followed by periods of relatively low levels of competition, more selective underwriting standards, more coverage restrictions and increasing premium rates. In all of our property and casualty and group benefits insurance product lines and states, there is a risk that the premium we charge may ultimately prove to be inadequate as reported losses emerge. In addition, there is a risk that regulatory constraints, price competition or incorrect pricing assumptions could prevent us from achieving targeted returns. Inadequate pricing could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.

Part I - Item 1A. Risk Factors

Competitive activity, use of data analytics, or technological changes may adversely affect our market share, demand for our products, or our financial results.

The industries in which we operate are highly competitive. Our principal competitors are other property and casualty insurers, group benefits providers and providers of mutual funds and exchange-traded products. Competitors may expand their risk appetites in products and services where The Hartford currently enjoys a competitive advantage. Larger competitors with more capital and new entrants to the market could result in increased pricing pressures on a number of our products and services and may harm our ability to maintain or increase our profitability. For example, larger competitors, including those formed through consolidation or who may acquire new entrants to the market, such as insurtech firms, may have lower operating costs and an ability to absorb greater risk while maintaining their financial strength ratings, thereby allowing them to price their products more competitively. In addition, a number of insurers are making use of "big data" analytics to, among other things, improve pricing accuracy, be more targeted in marketing, strengthen customer relationships and provide more customized loss prevention services. If they are able to use big data more effectively than we are, it may give them a competitive advantage. Because of the highly competitive nature of the industries we compete in, there can be no assurance that we will continue to compete effectively with our industry rivals, or that competitive pressure will not have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

Our business could also be affected by technological changes, including further advancements in automotive safety features, the development of autonomous or “self-driving” vehicles, and platforms that facilitate ride sharing. These technologies could impact the frequency or severity of losses, disrupt the demand for certain of our products, or reduce the size of the automobile insurance market as a whole. In addition, the risks we insure are affected by the increased use of technology in homes and businesses, including technology used in heating, ventilation, air conditioning and security systems and the introduction of more automated loss control measures. While there is substantial uncertainty about the timing, penetration and reliability of such technologies, and the legal frameworks that may apply, such as for example to autonomous vehicles, any such impacts could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

We may experience difficulty in marketing and providing insurance products and investment advisory services through distribution channels and advisory firms.

We distribute our insurance products, mutual funds and ETPs through a variety of distribution channels and financial intermediaries, including brokers, independent agents, broker-dealers, banks, registered investment advisors, affinity partners, our own internal sales force and other third-party organizations. In some areas of our business, we generate a significant portion of our business through third-party arrangements. For example, we market personal lines products in large part through an exclusive licensing arrangement with AARP that continues through January 1, 2023. Our ability to distribute products through the AARP

program may be adversely impacted by membership levels and the pace of membership growth. In addition, the independent agent and broker distribution channel is consolidating which could result in a larger proportion of written premium being concentrated among fewer agents and brokers, potentially increasing our cost of acquiring new business. While we periodically seek to renew or extend third party arrangements, there can be no assurance that our relationship with these third parties will continue or that the economics of these relationships won't change to make them less financially attractive to the Company. An interruption in our relationship with certain of these third parties could materially affect our ability to market our products and could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and liquidity.

Unexpected and unintended claim and coverage issues under our insurance contracts may adversely impact our financial performance.

Changes in industry practices and in legal, judicial, social and other environmental conditions, technological advances or fraudulent activities, may require us to pay claims we did not intend to cover when we wrote the policies. These issues may either extend coverage beyond our underwriting intent or increase the frequency or severity of claims. In some instances, these changes, advances or activities may not become apparent until some time after we have issued insurance contracts that are affected by the changes, advances or activities. As a result, the full extent of liability under our insurance contracts may not be known for many years after a contract is issued, and this liability may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and liquidity at the time it becomes known.

Financial Strength, Credit and Counterparty Risks

Downgrades in our financial strength or credit ratings may make our products less attractive, increase our cost of capital and inhibit our ability to refinance our debt.

Financial strength and credit ratings are important in establishing the competitive position of insurance companies. Rating agencies assign ratings based upon several factors. While most of the factors relate to the rated company, others relate to the views of the rating agency (including its assessment of the strategic importance of the rated company to the insurance group), general economic conditions, and circumstances outside the rated company's control. In addition, rating agencies may employ different models and formulas to assess the financial strength of a rated company, and from time to time rating agencies have altered these models. Changes to the models or factors used by the rating agencies to assign ratings could adversely impact a rating agency's judgment of its internal rating and the publicly issued rating it assigns us.

Part I - Item 1A. Risk Factors

Our financial strength ratings, which are intended to measure our ability to meet policyholder obligations, are an important factor affecting public confidence in most of our products and, as a result, our competitiveness. A downgrade or a potential downgrade in the rating of our financial strength or of one of our principal insurance subsidiaries could affect our competitive position and reduce future sales of our products.

Our credit ratings also affect our cost of capital. A downgrade or a potential downgrade of our credit ratings could make it more difficult or costly to refinance maturing debt obligations, to support business growth at our insurance subsidiaries and to maintain or improve the financial strength ratings of our principal insurance subsidiaries. These events could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and liquidity. For a further discussion of potential impacts of ratings downgrades on derivative instruments, including potential collateral calls, see Part II, Item 7, MD&A - Capital Resources and Liquidity - Derivative Commitments.

The amount of statutory capital that we must hold to maintain our financial strength and credit ratings and meet other requirements can vary significantly from time to time and is sensitive to a number of factors outside of our control.

We conduct the vast majority of our business through licensed insurance company subsidiaries. Statutory accounting standards and statutory capital and reserve requirements for these entities are prescribed by the applicable insurance regulators and the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (“NAIC”). The minimum capital we must hold is based on risk-based capital (“RBC”) formulas for both life and property and casualty companies. The RBC formula for life companies is applicable to our group benefits business and establishes capital requirements relating to insurance, business, asset, credit, interest rate and off-balance sheet risks. The RBC formula for property and casualty companies sets required statutory surplus levels based on underwriting, asset, credit and off-balance sheet risks.

In any particular year, statutory surplus amounts and RBC ratios may increase or decrease depending on a variety of factors, including

•	the amount of statutory income or losses generated by our insurance subsidiaries,

•	the amount of additional capital our insurance subsidiaries must hold to support business growth,

•	the amount of dividends or distributions taken out of our insurance subsidiaries,

•	changes in equity market levels,

•	the value of certain fixed-income and equity securities in our investment portfolio,

•	the value of certain derivative instruments,

•	changes in interest rates,

•	admissibility of deferred tax assets, and

•	changes to the NAIC RBC formulas.

Most of these factors are outside of the Company's control. The Company's financial strength and credit ratings are significantly influenced by the statutory surplus amounts and RBC ratios of our insurance company subsidiaries. In addition, rating agencies may implement changes to their internal models that have the effect of increasing the amount of statutory capital we must hold in order to maintain our current ratings. The RBC ratio could also be negatively affected if the NAIC or state insurance regulators change the statutory accounting guidance for determining statutory capital. If our statutory capital resources are insufficient to maintain a particular rating by one or more rating agencies, we may need to use holding company resources or seek to raise capital through public or private equity or debt financing. If we were not to raise additional capital, either at our discretion or because we were unable to do so, our financial strength and credit ratings might be downgraded by one or more rating agencies.

Losses due to nonperformance or defaults by counterparties can have a material adverse effect on the value of our investments, reduce our profitability or sources of liquidity.

We have credit risk with counterparties associated with investments, derivatives, premiums receivable, reinsurance recoverables and indemnifications provided by third parties in connection with previous dispositions. Among others, our counterparties include issuers of fixed maturity and equity securities we hold, borrowers of mortgage loans we hold, customers, trading counterparties, counterparties under swaps and other derivative contracts, reinsurers, clearing agents, exchanges, clearing houses and other financial intermediaries and guarantors. These counterparties may default on their obligations to us due to bankruptcy, insolvency, lack of liquidity, adverse economic conditions, operational failure, fraud, government intervention and other reasons. In addition, for exchange-traded derivatives, such as futures, options and "cleared" over-the-counter derivatives, the Company is generally exposed to the credit risk of the relevant central counterparty clearing house. Defaults by these counterparties on their obligations to us could have a material adverse effect on the value of our investments, business, financial condition, results of operations and liquidity. Additionally, if the underlying assets supporting the structured securities we invest in default on their payment obligations, our securities will incur losses.

The availability of reinsurance and our ability to recover under reinsurance contracts may not be sufficient to protect us against losses.

As an insurer, we frequently use reinsurance to reduce the effect of losses that may arise from, among other things, catastrophes and other risks that can cause unfavorable results of operations. Under these reinsurance arrangements, other insurers assume a portion of our losses and related expenses; however, we remain liable as the direct insurer on all risks reinsured. Consequently, ceded reinsurance arrangements do not eliminate our obligation to pay claims, and we are subject to our reinsurers' credit risk with respect to our ability to recover amounts due from them. The inability or unwillingness of any reinsurer to meet its financial obligations to us, including the impact of any insolvency or rehabilitation proceedings involving a reinsurer that could affect the Company's access to collateral held in trust, could have a

Part I - Item 1A. Risk Factors

material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations and liquidity.

In addition, should the availability and cost of reinsurance change materially, we may have to pay higher reinsurance costs, accept an increase in our net liability exposure, reduce the amount of business we write, or access to the extent possible other alternatives to reinsurance, such as use of the capital markets. Further, due to the inherent uncertainties as to collection and the length of time before reinsurance recoverables will be due, it is possible that future adjustments to the Company’s reinsurance recoverables, net of the allowance, could be required, which could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s consolidated results of operations or cash flows in a particular quarterly or annual period.

Our ability to declare and pay dividends is subject to limitations.

The payment of future dividends on our capital stock is subject to the discretion of our board of directors, which considers, among other factors, our operating results, overall financial condition, credit-risk considerations and capital requirements, as well as general business and market conditions. Our board of directors may only declare such dividends out of funds legally available for such payments. Moreover, our common stockholders are subject to the prior dividend rights of any holders of depositary shares representing such preferred stock then outstanding. The terms of our outstanding junior subordinated debt securities prohibit us from declaring or paying any dividends or distributions on our capital stock or purchasing, acquiring, or making a liquidation payment on such stock, if we have given notice of our election to defer interest payments and the related deferral period has not yet commenced or a deferral period is continuing.

Moreover, as a holding company that is separate and distinct from our insurance subsidiaries, we have no significant business operations of our own. Therefore, we rely on dividends from our insurance company subsidiaries and other subsidiaries as the principal source of cash flow to meet our obligations. Subsidiary dividends fund payments on our debt securities and the payment of dividends to stockholders on our capital stock. Connecticut state laws and certain other jurisdictions in which we operate limit the payment of dividends and require notice to and approval by the state insurance commissioner for the declaration or payment of dividends above certain levels. Dividends paid from our insurance subsidiaries are further dependent on their cash requirements. In addition, in the event of liquidation or reorganization of a subsidiary, prior claims of a subsidiary’s creditors may take precedence over the holding company’s right to a dividend or distribution from the subsidiary except to the extent that the holding company may be a creditor of that subsidiary. For further discussion on dividends from insurance subsidiaries, see Part II, Item 7, MD&A - Capital Resources & Liquidity.

Risks Relating to Estimates, Assumptions and Valuations

Actual results could materially differ from the analytical models we use to assist our decision making in key areas such as underwriting, pricing, capital management, reserving, investments, reinsurance and catastrophe risks.

We use models to help make decisions related to, among other things, underwriting, pricing, capital allocation, reserving, investments, reinsurance, and catastrophe risk. Both proprietary and third party models we use incorporate numerous assumptions and forecasts about the future level and variability of interest rates, capital requirements, loss frequency and severity, currency exchange rates, policyholder behavior, equity markets and inflation, among others. The models are subject to the inherent limitations of any statistical analysis as the historical internal and industry data and assumptions used in the models may not be indicative of what will happen in the future. Consequently, actual results may differ materially from our modeled results. The profitability and financial condition of the Company substantially depends on the extent to which our actual experience is consistent with assumptions we use in our models and ultimate model outputs. If, based upon these models or other factors, we misprice our products or our estimates of the risks we are exposed to prove to be materially inaccurate, our business, financial condition, results of operations or liquidity may be adversely affected.

The valuation of our securities and investments and the determination of allowances and impairments are highly subjective and based on methodologies, estimations and assumptions that are subject to differing interpretations and market conditions.

Estimated fair values of the Company’s investments are based on available market information and judgments about financial instruments, including estimates of the timing and amounts of expected future cash flows and the credit standing of the issuer or counterparty. During periods of market disruption, it may be difficult to value certain of our securities if trading becomes less frequent and/or market data becomes less observable. There may be certain asset classes that were in active markets with significant observable data that become illiquid due to the financial environment. In addition, there may be certain securities whose fair value is based on one or more unobservable inputs, even during normal market conditions. As a result, the determination of the fair values of these securities may include inputs and assumptions that require more estimation and management judgment and the use of complex valuation methodologies. These fair values may differ materially from the value at which the investments may be ultimately sold. Further, rapidly changing or unprecedented credit and equity market conditions could materially impact the valuation of securities and

Part I - Item 1A. Risk Factors

the period-to-period changes in value could vary significantly. Decreases in value could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and liquidity.

Similarly, management’s decision on whether to record an other-than-temporary impairment or write down is subject to significant judgments and assumptions regarding changes in general economic conditions, the issuer's financial condition or future recovery prospects, estimated future cash flows, the effects of changes in interest rates or credit spreads, the expected recovery period and the accuracy of third party information used in internal assessments. As a result, management’s evaluations and assessments are highly judgmental and its projections of future cash flows over the life of certain securities may ultimately prove incorrect as facts and circumstances change.

If our businesses do not perform well, we may be required to establish a valuation allowance against the deferred income tax asset or to recognize an impairment of our goodwill.

Our income tax expense includes deferred income taxes arising from temporary differences between the financial reporting and tax bases of assets and liabilities and carry-forwards for possible foreign tax credits, capital losses and net operating losses. Deferred tax assets are assessed periodically by management to determine if it is more likely than not that the deferred income tax assets will be realized. Factors in management's determination include the performance of the business, including the ability to generate, from a variety of sources and tax planning strategies, sufficient future taxable income and capital gains before net operating loss and capital loss carry-forwards expire. As interest rates rise, it may be difficult to generate realized capital gains from the sale of fixed maturity securities to use capital loss carryforwards. If based on available information, it is more likely than not that we are unable to recognize a full tax benefit on deferred tax assets, then a valuation allowance will be established with a corresponding charge to net income (loss). Charges to increase our valuation allowance could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.

Goodwill represents the excess of the amounts we paid to acquire subsidiaries and other businesses over the fair value of their net assets at the date of acquisition. We test goodwill at least annually for impairment. Impairment testing is performed based upon estimates of the fair value of the “reporting unit” to which the goodwill relates. The reporting unit is the operating segment or a business one level below an operating segment if discrete financial information is prepared and regularly reviewed by management at that level. The fair value of the reporting unit could decrease if new business, customer retention, profitability or other drivers of performance differ from expectations. If it is determined that the goodwill has been impaired, the Company must write down the goodwill by the amount of the impairment, with a corresponding charge to net income (loss). These write downs could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations or financial condition.

Strategic and Operational Risks

Our businesses may suffer and we may incur substantial costs if we are unable to access our systems and safeguard the security of our data in the event of a disaster, cyber breach or other information security incident.

We use technology to process, store, retrieve, evaluate and utilize customer and company data and information. Our information technology and telecommunications systems, in turn, interface with and rely upon third-party systems. We and our third party vendors must be able to access our systems to provide insurance quotes, process premium payments, make changes to existing policies, file and pay claims, administer mutual funds, provide customer support, manage our investment portfolios, report on financial results and perform other necessary business functions.

Systems failures or outages could compromise our ability to perform these business functions in a timely manner, which could harm our ability to conduct business and hurt our relationships with our business partners and customers. In the event of a disaster such as a natural catastrophe, a pandemic, an industrial accident, a cyber-attack, a blackout, a terrorist attack (including conventional, nuclear, biological, chemical or radiological) or war, systems upon which we rely may be inaccessible to our employees, customers or business partners for an extended period of time. Even if our employees and business partners are able to report to work, they may be unable to perform their duties for an extended period of time if our data or systems used to conduct our business are disabled or destroyed.

Our systems have been, and will likely continue to be, subject to viruses or other malicious codes, unauthorized access, cyber-attacks or other computer related penetrations. The frequency and sophistication of such threats continue to increase as well. While, to date, The Hartford is not aware of having experienced a material breach of our cyber security systems, administrative and technical controls as well as other preventive actions may be insufficient to prevent physical and electronic break-ins, denial of service, cyber-attacks or other security breaches to our systems or those of third parties with whom we do business. Such an event could compromise our confidential information as well as that of our clients and third parties, impede or interrupt our business operations and result in other negative consequences, including remediation costs, loss of revenue, additional regulatory scrutiny and litigation and reputational damage. In addition, we routinely transmit to third parties personal, confidential and proprietary information, which may be related to employees and customers, by email and other electronic means, along with receiving and storing such information on our systems. Although we attempt to protect privileged and confidential information, we may be unable to secure the information in all events, especially with clients, vendors, service providers, counterparties and other third parties who may not have appropriate controls to protect confidential information.

Our businesses must comply with regulations to control the privacy of customer, employee and third party data, and state and federal regulations regarding data privacy are becoming increasingly more onerous. A misuse or mishandling of