The Hartford Announces Small Commercial Leadership Appointments

• Stephanie Bush joins as senior vice president of Small Commercial product and underwriting
• Rick Newell named head of Small Commercial sales

HARTFORD, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Insurance industry veterans Stephanie Bush and Rick Newell have been named to senior leadership positions in The Hartford’s Small Commercial segment, the company announced today.

“The experience that Stephanie and Rick bring to their new roles will be invaluable as we seek to provide the best choice and value for small business owners and the agents and brokers who work with them.”

Bush assumes the role of senior vice president, chief product and underwriting officer for Small Commercial, while Newell has been named vice president and head of Small Commercial sales. Both report to Ray Sprague, senior vice president of Small Commercial insurance.

“We have stood behind small business owners and protected their businesses since we established the first dedicated small business unit more than three decades ago,” said Sprague. “The experience that Stephanie and Rick bring to their new roles will be invaluable as we seek to provide the best choice and value for small business owners and the agents and brokers who work with them.”

Bush returns to The Hartford, where she excelled during a 20-year career in positions of increasing responsibility in The Hartford’s commercial insurance and field operations prior to leaving the company in 2008. Most recently, Bush was with Travelers Insurance, where she served as senior vice president of product management for personal insurance.

A 29-year insurance industry veteran, Newell has held leadership roles in product and sales in The Hartford’s Small Commercial and Consumer Markets businesses during his 13-year tenure with The Hartford. Prior to joining The Hartford, Newell held positions with Allianz/Fireman's Fund and Aetna. In his new role, he will be responsible for Small Commercial distribution strategy, field sales and agency management.

The Hartford’s Small Commercial segment, which offers the Spectrum ® Business Owner’s Policy, Workers’ Compensation and Commercial Auto, has more than one million policies in force. Small Commercial policies are distributed through independent agents and brokers, and specialized sales teams.

About The Hartford

With more than 200 years of expertise, The Hartford (NYSE: HIG) is a leader in property and casualty insurance, group benefits and mutual funds. The company is widely recognized for its service excellence, sustainability practices, trust and integrity. More information on the company and its financial performance is available at www.thehartford.com. Join us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TheHartford. Follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/TheHartford.

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Some of the statements in this release may be considered forward-looking statements as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. We caution investors that these forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, and actual results may differ materially. Investors should consider the important risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ. These important risks and uncertainties include those discussed in our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, our 2011 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.