The Hartford's Playbook for Life to Help College Hoops Coaches Develop Game Plan for Financial Future

Playbook for Life, the award-winning national education program developed by The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE: HIG), in collaboration with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA®), to help student-athletes and other young people get a jump start on their financial future, will bring its personal finance planning message to members of the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) and the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) at their annual conventions in Atlanta and Cleveland. The Playbook clinic for NABC coaches will take place Friday, March 30, at 9:30 a.m., at the Georgia World Congress Center, and the session for WBCA coaches is scheduled for Monday, April 2, at 10 a.m., at the Cleveland Convention Center. At each session, coaches will get a closer look at the Playbook program – which provides practical personal finance information to student-athletes and young adults – and receive coaching of their own on how to apply this information to reach their financial goals. "Many of our members have expressed interest in this type of information, not only for their student-athletes, but also for their own benefit,” said Rice University Head Coach Willis Wilson, vice president of the NABC. "We applaud The Hartford for creating a program with valuable tools and resources that are applicable for college students and adults, regardless of life stage, income and work experience.” Basketball Hall of Famer, former WNBA coach and current ESPN analyst Nancy Lieberman will join Bill Poutre, an adjunct professor of entrepreneurship and head coach of the University of Hartford’s men’s golf team, to present the Playbook program to coaches and share insights from their own coaching experiences. Both are members of "Team Hartford” – a select group of former student-athletes who have achieved success both in and out of sports and travel to college campuses to share their personal stories of financial mishaps and triumphs. "Regardless of where coaches fall on the pay scale or how many years experience they have courtside, the information presented in the Playbook about compounding interest, investment basics and credit scores can help them build a solid financial plan to meet their goals,” said Lieberman. "Less than one percent of student-athletes make it to the pros. With the Playbook program, we are able to enrich student-athletes’ lives by giving them lessons that will benefit them well beyond their college years, regardless of the career path they choose,” said NCAA President Myles Brand. "We are pleased to present this valuable program to coaches – many of whom are former student-athletes -- to help them successfully manage their own personal finances.” Since its inception in 2005, The Hartford’s Playbook for Life program has been widely praised by coaches, administrators, parents and students. The program has brought its financial planning message to more than a dozen college campuses to date and has reached thousands of students across the country with its free 33-page guidebook and Web site at www.playbook.thehartford.com. About the NCAA The NCAA is a membership-led nonprofit association of colleges and universities committed to supporting academic and athletic opportunities for more than 380,000 student-athletes at more than 1,000 member colleges and universities. Each year, more than 54,000 student-athletes compete in NCAA championships in Divisions I, II and III sports. Visit www.ncaa.org and www.ncaasports.com for more details about the Association, its goals and members and corporate partnerships that help support programs for student-athletes. About the NABC Located in Kansas City, MO, the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) was founded in 1927 by Phog Allen, the legendary basketball coach at the University of Kansas. Allen, a student of James Naismith, the inventor of basketball, organized coaches into this collective group to serve as Guardians of the Game. The NABC currently claims nearly 5,000 members consisting primarily of university and college men's basketball coaches. All members of the NABC are expected to uphold the core values of being a Guardian of the Game by bringing attention to the positive aspects of the sport of basketball and the role coaches play in the academic and athletic lives of today's student-athletes. The four core values of being a Guardian of the Game are advocacy, leadership, service and education. Additional information about the NABC, its programs and membership, can be found at www.nabc.com. About the WBCA Founded in 1981, the WBCA promotes women's basketball by unifying coaches at all levels to develop a reputable identity for the sport and to foster and promote the development of the game in all of its aspects as a sport for women and girls. For more information about the WBCA, please visit www.wbca.org. About The Hartford The Hartford, a Fortune 100 company, is one of the nation's largest financial services and insurance companies, with 2006 revenues of $26.5 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 www.thehartford.com. HIG-C 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 2006 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.