As hurricane season approaches, insurer announces creation of new claims office and reminds customers to safeguard their homes and property HARTFORD, Conn., May 18 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Premier customer service is one of the hallmarks of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE: HIG), one of the nation's oldest and most trusted names in property and casualty insurance. Continuing in that tradition, The Hartford announced that it has created a new office in the greater Chicago area dedicated solely to processing claims that arise out of catastrophic events. (Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20051208/HARTFORDLOGO ) This new catastrophe office will function as part of The Hartford's existing property claim operations in that city, and will focus on handling significant losses that arise from either man-made or natural disasters. Staffed by a team of 36 claims representatives, the new catastrophe office will enhance the company's ability to respond to the unique needs of customers following a catastrophic event, such as a devastating hurricane. "The company chose this area as the right place for a catastrophe office because of its strategic, central location in the country and safe distance from storm-prone coastal areas," explained Vicky Pace, assistant vice president of field claim operations at The Hartford. "At this site, the team can be fully staffed and ready to serve The Hartford's customers even when other areas of the country are experiencing the impact of a disaster." The Hartford created the catastrophe office as part of its analysis of trends from the past two hurricane seasons. The company anticipates that this new unit will help The Hartford in preparation for the 2006 storm season and beyond. "The last two storm seasons were two of the worst on record," said Bob Wilkey, assistant vice president of catastrophe management at The Hartford. "The Hartford will now be even better equipped for disasters that lie ahead. Our focus continues to be on delivering exceptional service to customers that experience the emotional trauma and property loss caused by a catastrophic event." In preparation for the upcoming hurricane season, which begins on June 1 -- now just two weeks away -- Wilkey and his team urge customers to take a few precautionary steps that can help safeguard their homes and personal property well before a storm strikes: * Use a video or still camera to create a visual record of your belongings that might be damaged or lost during a catastrophe. Update this visual record periodically, especially after making improvements to your home or business or after making a major purchase or receiving a gift of significant value. * Create a written list of your inventory to accompany your visual reference. Retain receipts for valuable items, if possible, and note makes, models, serial numbers, dates of purchase and other relevant information in your list. * Store visual and written records, or copies of them, away from your home or business in a secure location, such as a safe deposit box. * Most importantly -- review your homeowners insurance policy carefully to make sure you have the appropriate coverage for your house and personal property. Additional information is also available by clicking the Catastrophe Information Center link located on The Hartford's website at http://www.thehartford.com/catinfo. The web site also provides advice to prepare for and deal with the impact of a catastrophic event. The Hartford offers a wide range of insurance products that protect its customers' personal property and businesses. After a loss, the company works hard to help its customers put their lives and businesses back on track. For nearly 200 years, The Hartford has remained committed to its policyholders and helped them through some of this country's worst natural disasters, including the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, the San Francisco Earthquake of 1906 and the devastating Hurricane Seasons of 2004 and 2005. The Hartford, a Fortune 100 company, is one of the nation's largest financial services and insurance companies, with 2005 revenues of $27.1 billion. The Hartford is a leading provider of investment products, life insurance and group benefits; automobile and homeowners products; and business property and casualty insurance. International operations are located in Japan, Brazil and the United Kingdom. The Hartford's Internet address is http://www.thehartford.com/. Some of the statements in this release should be considered forward- looking statements as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These include statements about our future results of operations. We caution investors that these forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, and actual results may differ materially. Investors should consider the important risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ. These important risks and uncertainties include those discussed in our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, our 2005 Annual Report on Form 10-K and the other filings we make with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We assume no obligation to update this release, which speaks as of the date issued. Contact(s): Media Debora Raymond 860-547-9613 Joe Loparco 860-547-3397 http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20051208/HARTFORDLOGO http://photoarchive.ap.org/ DATASOURCE: The Hartford CONTACT: Debora Raymond, +1-860-547-9613, , or Joe Loparco, +1-860-547-3397, , both of The Hartford Web site: http://www.thehartford.com/

Copyright