The Hartford to Award Scholarships to U.S. Undergraduates Studying in Japan

SIMSBURY, Conn., June 27 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. , doing its part to help groom promising international business leaders of tomorrow, is donating $25,000 for college scholarships through the U.S.-Japan Bridging Foundation.

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A private, non-profit organization established by the Japan-United States Friendship Commission, the Bridging Foundation helps prepare young Americans to assume future global leadership roles through training and education. Five $5,000 scholarships will be awarded to U.S. undergraduate students attending colleges in New England who choose to study one or two semesters in Japan. Students are responsible for their tuition and fees and can use the scholarship money for transportation and living expenses during the 2006-2007 academic year.

Candidates for the scholarships are selected by the Bridging Foundation, which is committed to increasing the number of Americans studying in Japan by providing more than 100 scholarships for the 2006-2007 academic year. There are currently more than 40,000 Japanese students studying in the U.S. compared to approximately 3,600 U.S. students studying in Japan.

"The Hartford sees its support of the U.S.-Japan Bridging Foundation as an important contribution to the advancement of U.S.-Japan business relations and understanding," said Gregory Boyko, president and chief executive officer of Hartford Life Insurance K.K., The Hartford's subsidiary in Japan. Through Hartford Life Insurance K.K., The Hartford is one of the leading sellers of variable annuities in Japan.

"In helping to build The Hartford's business in Japan over the last several years, I've seen a real need to grow and develop business leaders who understand Japan's business environment, government and culture, and speak Japanese," said Boyko who is an honorary consul general for Japan. "The Hartford regularly encourages U.S. and Japanese executives and employees to accept new jobs in each other's country. Our scholarship contribution is one more way to facilitate greater overall understanding and fellowship."

"We appreciate The Hartford joining other multinational U.S. corporations in supporting the U.S.-Japan Bridging Foundation," said Eric Gangloff, executive director of the Foundation. "The scholarship money provided by the Foundation is often the difference between whether or not a student can afford to study in Japan. With continued support from the U.S. corporate community, we hope that studying in Japan will become an increasingly popular choice for students choosing to study abroad."

Since 1999, the Foundation has provided scholarships to more than 600 students. The Foundation's new five-year goal is to raise a total of $2.5 million to provide scholarships for 500 more students.

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/.

The Hartford is The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. and its subsidiaries, including the issuing companies of Hartford Life Insurance Company and Hartford Life and Annuity Insurance Company.

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 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): David Potter Bruce Ellsworth 860-843-8993 +011-81-3-5777-8083 david.potter@hartfordlife.com bruce.ellsworth@hartfordlife.com