The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc.
Property & Casualty Insurance / Specialty Insurance / Financial ServicesFounded 1810- Updated June 2026
Reviewed by Swet Parvadiya
Last reviewed: June 2026
CorpDigest
The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc.
Company History
Founded 1810 in Hartford, Connecticut
Last reviewed: 2026-06-10 · By Swet Parvadiya
Founded in 1810 as the Hartford Fire Insurance Company, the entity is one of the oldest insurance organizations in the United States, with a heritage that includes writing the first standard auto policy in 1913 and surviving the catastrophic 1906 San Francisco earthquake. The corporate lineage of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. is one of the most profound and enduring success stories in the history of American commerce, originating not in a Wall Street boardroom, but in the bustling, fire-prone river city of Hartford, Connecticut, in 1810. They named it the Hartford Fire Insurance Company, and from its inception, the company operated with a level of actuarial precision, financial discipline, and customer care that was rare in the early 19th century. In 1913, as the automobile began to replace the horse and carriage on American roads, The Hartford recognized the massive new liability risk posed by this unregulated, dangerous new technology, and became the first insurer to write a standard, comprehensive auto insurance policy, establishing the template for the personal auto market that exists to this day.
Eliphalet Terry served as the foundational leader of the Hartford Fire Insurance Company during its early years, personally overseeing the underwriting of the first property policies in the Hartford community and establishing the rigorous actuarial standards that allowed the company to survive the financial panics of the 1830s and 1850s. His relentless determination and commitment to financial discipline ensured that the company honored every single policy in full following the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, a decision that nearly bankrupted the company in the short term but cemented its reputation as the most reliable insurer in the nation. Terry's leadership established the company's core mission of providing absolute financial protection against catastrophic loss, a mission that remains central to The Hartford’s brand identity and product offerings today. His legacy is defined by his ability to transform a local mutual fire insurer into a national powerhouse, creating a multi-billion dollar industry that protects millions of American businesses and families every year.
Eliphalet Terry and a syndicate of Hartford civic leaders found the company in Connecticut, with the specific mission of offering property insurance to the local mercantile community with absolute financial discipline.
The Hartford Fire honors every single policy in full following the devastating Great Chicago Fire, a decision that nearly bankrupts the company but cements its national reputation as the most reliable insurer in the United States.
The Hartford becomes the first insurer to write a standard, comprehensive auto insurance policy, establishing the template for the personal auto market that exists to this day and positioning the company at the forefront of the automotive revolution.
The Hartford Fire merges with ITT Hartford, creating The Hartford Financial Services Group, a sprawling, multi-line conglomerate that offers everything from mutual funds to life insurance to commercial property coverage.
The 2008 global financial crisis exposes the vulnerabilities of the conglomerate model, catalyzing a decade-long strategic simplification as the company systematically runs off its life, annuity, and international blocks to focus on core P&C.
Christopher Swift becomes CEO, accelerating the strategic simplification, aggressively integrating AI and telematics into the underwriting model, and driving the consolidated combined ratio to 96.8%.
The Hartford sells its Group Benefits division to MassMutual for $1.5 billion, permanently excising its last major non-P&C operation and completing its transformation into a pure-play property and casualty powerhouse.
The Hartford acquired Navigators Group, a leading specialty underwriter of transportation, marine, and professional liability insurance, to expand its footprint in the highly profitable middle-market commercial segment and enhance its industry-specific underwriting expertise.
The Hartford acquired Simply Business, a leading UK-based digital insurance platform for small businesses, to accelerate its digital transformation and gain access to advanced, API-driven distribution capabilities in the small commercial segment.
When the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 destroyed more than 17,000 buildings, The Hartford Fire Insurance Company paid every policyholder claim in full even though the losses exceeded its capital reserves. That decision nearly bankrupted the firm in the short term but established a national reputation for reliability that helped it survive the financial panics of the 1830s and 1850s and grow for the next century and a half.
In 1913 The Hartford wrote one of the first standard, comprehensive automobile insurance policies in the United States, setting a template the personal auto market still follows today. The move positioned the 1810-founded fire insurer at the forefront of the automotive revolution and seeded the personal lines franchise that later grew to over $4.5 billion in annual premiums.
The 1994 combination created The Hartford Financial Services Group, transforming a focused property and casualty insurer into a sprawling, multi-line financial conglomerate spanning life insurance, annuities, and mutual funds. That diversified structure drove revenue higher but diluted strategic focus, setting up the decade-long simplification the company would later undertake after 2013.
During the 2008 crisis The Hartford's life and annuity block suffered severe losses tied to the collapse of mortgage-backed securities, and the strain was severe enough that in 2013 the company injected $1.5 billion of capital to preserve statutory solvency. The near-death experience triggered a ruthless runoff of life, annuity, and international operations and a permanent return to pure-play P&C underwriting.
The Hartford has used its iconic stag, or hart, emblem since 1861, making it one of the oldest continuously used corporate symbols in American business. The mark reinforced the brand built after events like the 1871 Chicago Fire and remains central to the identity of the company founded in 1810.