HIG · Read the filing

Item 1A. RISK FACTORS

In deciding whether to invest in The Hartford, you should carefully consider the following risks, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations or liquidity and could also impact the trading price of our securities. These risks are not exclusive, and additional risks to which we are subject include, but are not limited to, the factors mentioned under “Forward-Looking Statements” above and the risks of our businesses described elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

The following risk factors have been organized by category for ease of use, however many of the risks may have impacts in more than one category. The occurrence of certain of them may, in turn, cause the emergence or exacerbate the effect of others. Such a combination could materially increase the severity of the impact of these risks on our business, results of operations, financial condition or liquidity.

The pandemic caused by the spread of COVID-19 has disrupted our operations and may have a material adverse impact on our business results, financial condition, results of operations and/or liquidity.

The global spread of COVID-19 has created significant market volatility, uncertainty and economic disruption. The extent to which COVID-19 impacts our business, financial condition, results of operations and/or liquidity will depend on future developments which are highly uncertain and cannot be easily predicted including: the duration and scope of the pandemic; the effectiveness of vaccines; the length of time it takes to administer vaccines to the population; new variants of the Coronavirus which may impact the severity of the pandemic; and the actions taken to contain or treat its impact. Additional uncertainty exists regarding governmental, business and individual actions that have been and may continue to be taken in response to the pandemic; the impact of the pandemic on economic activity and actions taken in response; potential legislative, regulatory, and judicial responses to the pandemic pertaining specifically to insurance underwriting and claims; the effect on our customers and customers’ demand for our products; our ability to sell our products and our ability to use historical experience to assist our

decision making in areas including underwriting, pricing, capital management and investments.

Below are several key effects of COVID-19 on the Company’s business results, financial condition, results of operations and/or liquidity:

•Insurance and Product Related Risk - The Company may continue to incur increased loss costs under insurance policies that we have written including for workers’ compensation, group life insurance, short-term disability, general liability, surety, director and officer liability, and employment practices liability, as well as property business. We may continue to be required to pay workers’ compensation claims for lost wages and medical costs associated with COVID-19, if claims are determined to be occupationally related to the work of the insured’s employees.

In addition, the Company’s Group Benefits business has issued group life policies to employers and associations, which may continue to result in increased death claims due to COVID-19 mortality. We may also continue to experience higher short-term disability and paid family leave claims from employees and covered individuals who have been affected by COVID-19.

Under general liability or umbrella policies, we may have exposure to increased claims for indemnification from our insureds who may be found liable for negligently having exposed third parties to COVID-19 at a place of business, home or other premise. In our commercial surety lines, there is the potential for elevated frequency and severity due to an increase in the number of bankruptcies, especially in small businesses and impacted industries such as hospitality, entertainment and transportation. In construction surety, there is the potential for elevated losses if contractors experience project shutdowns or payment delays, which could negatively impact their cash flows, or result in disruptions in their supply chains, labor shortages or inflation in the cost of materials. We may also have increased allegations under director and officer and employment practices liability policies for inadequate disclosures,

Table of Contents

Part I - Item 1A. Risk Factors

mismanagement of resources, and hiring/lay off actions relating to COVID-19.

Further, some of the brokers and agents we do business with could have their operations affected by COVID-19 making it more difficult for us to conduct business.

•Regulatory/Legal Risk - We also cannot predict how legal and regulatory responses to concerns about COVID-19 and related public health issues will impact our business, including the possible extension of insurance coverage beyond our policy language, such as for business interruption, civil authority and other claims. Further, policyholders may elect to litigate coverage issues which would lead to increased costs to the Company. For additional information on legislative and regulatory risks, see Part I, Item 2, MD&A - Capital Resources and Liquidity, Contingencies, Legislative and Regulatory Developments.

•Recessionary and other Global Economic Risk - As a result of COVID-19 containment efforts, many business operations, including many of the Company’s insureds, have either been shut down or significantly curtailed for an uncertain period of time. Due to the economic downturn, we could continue to see increased policy lapses and non-renewals and reduced demand for new business. In addition, employers have reduced and may continue to reduce their work forces, resulting in lower premiums for the Company’s workers’ compensation and group benefit products. The COVID-19 pandemic and resulting economic stress may continue to contribute to lower earned premiums, and reduced net investment income due to lower reinvestment rates. In response to the economic downturn, central banks have reduced benchmark interest rates to near zero.

In addition, the Company could experience credit losses on various asset balances, including receivables and the principal amount of various invested assets, including fixed maturities and mortgage loans. In addition to credit losses on invested assets, The Company could experience declines in the value of available for sale debt securities if credit spreads were to widen significantly, which would reduce shareholders’ equity. The economic impacts of COVID-19 could also result in higher reinsurance costs and/or more limited availability of reinsurance coverage. Reinsurance treaties renewed by the Company subsequent to July 1,

2020 exclude coverage for losses arising from communicable diseases.

Also, market volatility may cause us to change our existing hedging strategies resulting in economic loss. As markets become less liquid and/or experience lower trading volumes, it may be more difficult to value certain investment securities that we hold. Additionally, the Company may determine that an impairment has occurred when assessing its goodwill and other intangible assets, which would result in reduced earnings in the period that the impairment is recorded.

•Capital and Liquidity Risk - We may also experience liquidity pressures including the need to provide additional capital to certain insurance subsidiaries, reductions in the amount of available dividend capacity from our subsidiaries and the need to post more collateral due to declining investment valuations or due to requirements under derivative agreements. Further, among other possible actions, we may choose not to repurchase shares and may decide to invest proceeds from maturing fixed maturities in short-term investments which earn lower returns.

•Operational Risk - The Company also faces operational risks as a result of COVID-19. The Company has limited the number of employees working in its offices, resulting in the vast majority of employees working from home. While the Company has the technology in place to enable this arrangement and to facilitate communication with insureds, intermediaries, claimants and other third parties, there is a risk that business operations will be disrupted due to, among other things, cybersecurity attacks or data security incidents, higher than anticipated web traffic and call volumes as well as lack of sufficient broadband internet connectivity for employees and third parties working from home. If those disruptions become significant, it could result in, among other impacts, delays in settling claims, processing new business, renewals, cancellations and endorsements for insureds, billing and collecting premiums, transacting with reinsurers, contracting with and paying vendors, and disruptions to investment operations.

We rely on vendors, including some located overseas, for a number of services including IT development, IT maintenance support and various business processes, including, among others, certain claims administration, policy administration, and other operational functions. As the COVID-19 virus has affected virtually all parts of the world, our vendors could also experience disruptions to their operations and while we have contingency plans for some level of disruption, there can be no assurance that issues vendors experience with their business processes would not have a material effect on our own operations.

For all of the reasons discussed above, the global public health and economic impacts caused by the COVID 19 pandemic could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations and liquidity.

Table of Contents

Part I - Item 1A. Risk Factors

Risks Relating to Economic, Political and Global Market Conditions

Unfavorable economic, political and global market conditions may adversely impact our business and results of operations.

The Company’s investment portfolio and insurance liabilities are sensitive to changes in economic, political and global capital market conditions, such as the effect of a weak economy and changes in credit spreads, equity prices, interest rates, inflation, foreign currency exchange rates, and shifts in demand and supply of U.S. dollars. Weak economic conditions, such as high unemployment, low labor force participation, lower family income, a weak real estate market, lower business investment and lower consumer spending may adversely affect the demand for insurance and financial products and lower the Company’s profitability in some cases. In addition, political instability, politically motivated violence or civil unrest, may increase the frequency and severity of insured losses. In addition, a deterioration in global economic conditions and/or geopolitical conditions, including due to military action, trade wars, tariffs or other actions with respect to international trade agreements or policies, has the potential to, among other things, reduce demand for our products, reduce exposures we insure, drive higher inflation that could increase the Company’s loss costs and result in increased incidence of claims, particularly for workers’ compensation and disability claims. The Company’s investment portfolio includes limited partnerships and other alternative investments and equity securities for which changes in value are reported in earnings. These investments may be adversely impacted by economic volatility, including real estate market deterioration, which could impact our net investment returns and result in an adverse impact on operating results.

Below are several key factors impacted by changes in economic, political, and global market conditions and their potential effect on the Company’s business and results of operations:

•Credit Spread Risk - Credit spread exposure is reflected in the market prices of fixed income instruments where lower rated securities generally trade at a higher credit spread. If issuer credit spreads increase or widen, the market value of our investment portfolio may decline. If the credit spread widening is significant and occurs over an extended period of time, the Company may recognize credit losses, resulting in decreased earnings. If credit spreads tighten significantly, the Company’s net investment income associated with new purchases of fixed maturities may be reduced. In addition, the value of credit derivatives under which the Company assumes exposure or purchases protection are impacted by changes in credit spreads, with losses occurring when credit spreads widen for assumed exposure or when credit spreads tighten if credit protection has been purchased.

•Equity Markets Risk - A decline in equity markets may result in unrealized capital losses on investments in equity securities recorded against net income and lower earnings

from Hartford Funds where fee income is earned based upon the fair value of the assets under management. Equity markets are unpredictable. In the past few years, equity markets have been volatile, which could be indicative of a greater risk of a decline. For additional information on equity market sensitivity, see Part II, Item 7, MD&A - Enterprise Risk Management, Financial Risk- Equity Risk.

•Interest Rate Risk -Global economic conditions may result in the persistence of a low interest rate environment which would continue to pressure our net investment income and could result in lower margins on certain products. For additional information on interest rate sensitivity, see Part II, Item 7, MD&A - Enterprise Risk Management, Financial Risk - Interest Rate Risk

New and renewal business for our property and casualty and group benefits products is priced considering prevailing interest rates. As interest rates decline, in order to achieve the same economic return, we would have to increase product prices to offset the lower anticipated investment income earned on invested premiums. Conversely, as interest rates rise, pricing targets will tend to decrease to reflect higher anticipated investment income. Our ability to effectively react to such changes in interest rates may affect our competitiveness in the marketplace, and in turn, could reduce written premium and earnings. For additional information on interest rate sensitivity, see Part II, Item 7, MD&A - Enterprise Risk Management, Financial Risk - Interest Rate Risk.

In addition, due to the long-term nature of the liabilities within our Group Benefits operations, particularly for long-term disability, declines in interest rates over an extended period of time would result in our having to reinvest at lower yields. On the other hand, a rise in interest rates, in the absence of other countervailing changes, would reduce the market value of our investment portfolio. A decline in market value of invested assets due to an increase in interest rates could also limit our ability to realize tax benefits from recognized capital losses.

•Inflation Risk - Inflation is a risk to our property and casualty business because, in many cases, claims are paid out many years after a policy is written and premium is collected for the risk. Accordingly, a greater than expected increase in inflation related to the cost of medical services and repairs over the claim settlement period can result in higher claim costs than what was estimated at the time the policy was written. Inflation can also affect consumer spending and business investment which can reduce the demand for our products and services.

•Foreign Currency Exchange Rate - Changes in foreign currency exchange rates may impact our non-U.S. dollar denominated investments and foreign subsidiaries. As the Company has expanded its international operations, exposure to exchange rate fluctuations has increased. We hold cash and fixed maturity securities denominated in foreign currencies, including British Pounds and Canadian dollars, among others, and also have other assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies such as premiums receivable and loss reserves. While the Company predominately uses asset-liability matching, including the use of derivatives, to hedge certain of these exposures to

Table of Contents

Part I - Item 1A. Risk Factors

fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates, these actions do not eliminate the risk that changes in the exchange rates of foreign currencies to the U.S. dollar could result in financial loss to the Company, including realized or unrealized capital losses resulting from currency revaluation and increases to regulatory capital requirements for foreign subsidiaries that have net assets that are not denominated in their local currency. For additional information on foreign exchange risk, see Part II, Item 7, MD&A - Enterprise Risk Management, Financial Risk.

Concentration of our investment portfolio increases the potential for significant losses.

The concentration of our investment portfolios in any particular industry, collateral type, group of related industries or geographic sector could have an adverse effect on our investment portfolios and consequently on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and liquidity. Events or developments that have a negative impact on any particular industry, collateral type, group of related industries or geographic region may have a greater adverse effect on our investment portfolio to the extent that the portfolio is concentrated rather than diversified.

Further, if issuers of securities or loans we hold are acquired, merge or otherwise consolidate with other issuers of securities or loans held by the Company, our investment portfolio’s credit concentration risk to issuers could increase for a period of time, until the Company is able to sell securities to get back in compliance with the established investment credit policies.

Changing climate and weather patterns may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operation.

Climate change presents risks to us as an insurer, investor and employer. Climate models indicate that rising temperatures will likely result in rising sea levels over the decades to come and may increase the frequency and intensity of natural catastrophes and severe weather events. Extreme weather events such as abnormally high temperatures may result in increased losses associated with our property, auto, workers’ compensation and group benefits businesses. Changing climate patterns may also increase the duration, frequency and intensity of heat/cold waves, which may result in increased claims for property damage, business interruption and losses under workers’ compensation, group disability and group life coverages. Precipitation patterns across the U.S. are projected to change, which if realized, may increase risks of flash floods and wildfires. Additionally, there may be an impact on the demand, price and availability of automobile and homeowners insurance, and there is a risk of higher reinsurance costs or more limited availability of reinsurance coverage. Changes in climate conditions may also cause our underlying modeling data to not adequately reflect frequency and severity, limiting our ability to effectively evaluate and manage risks of catastrophes and severe weather events. Among other impacts, this could result in not charging enough premiums or not obtaining timely state approvals for rate increases to cover the risks we insure. We may also experience significant interruptions to the Company’s systems and operations that hinder our ability to sell and service business, manage claims and operate our business.

In addition, climate change-related risks may adversely impact the value of the securities that we hold. The effects of climate

change could also lead to increased credit risk of other counterparties we transact business with, including reinsurers. Rising sea levels may lead to decreases in real estate values in coastal areas, reducing premium and demand for commercial property and homeowners insurance and adversely impacting the value of our real estate-related investments. Additionally, government policies or regulations to slow climate change, such as emission controls or technology mandates, may have an adverse impact on sectors such as utilities, transportation and manufacturing, affecting demand for our products and our investments in these sectors.

Changes in security asset prices may impact the value of our fixed income, real estate and commercial mortgage investments, resulting in realized or unrealized losses on our invested assets. Our decision to invest in certain securities and loans may also be impacted by changes in climate patterns due to:

•changes in supply/demand characteristics for fuel (e.g., coal, oil, natural gas)

•advances in low-carbon technology and renewable energy development and

•effects of extreme weather events on the physical and operational exposure of industries and issuers

Because there is significant variability associated with the impacts of climate change, we cannot predict how physical, legal, regulatory and social responses may impact our business.

The discontinuance of LIBOR may adversely affect the value of certain investments we hold and floating rate securities we have issued, and any other assets or liabilities whose value may be tied to LIBOR.

LIBOR is an indicative measure of the average interest rate at which major global banks could borrow from one another. LIBOR is used as a benchmark or reference rate in certain derivatives and floating rate fixed maturities that are part of our investment portfolio, as well as two classes of junior subordinated debentures that we have issued and are currently outstanding.

In July 2017, the U.K. Financial Conduct Authority ("FCA") announced that by the end of 2021 it intends to stop persuading or compelling banks to report information used to set LIBOR, which could result in LIBOR no longer being published after 2021 or a determination by regulators that LIBOR is no longer representative of its underlying market. Since 2017, actions by regulators have resulted in efforts to establish alternative reference rates to LIBOR in several major currencies. The Alternative Reference Rate Committee, a group of private-market participants convened by the Federal Reserve Board and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, has recommended the Secured Overnight Funding Rate (“SOFR”) as its preferred alternative rate for U.S. dollar LIBOR. SOFR is a measure of the cost of borrowing cash overnight, collateralized by U.S. Treasury securities, and is based on directly observable U.S. Treasury-backed repurchase transactions. The Federal Reserve Bank of New York began publishing daily SOFR in April 2018. Development and adoption of broadly accepted methodologies for transitioning from LIBOR, an unsecured forward-looking rate, to SOFR, a secured rate based on historical transactions, is ongoing.

Table of Contents

Part I - Item 1A. Risk Factors

In December 2020, based on feedback from the banks that report information used to set LIBOR and following discussions with the FCA, the administrator of LIBOR, ICE Benchmark Administration, released a consultation on the potential for it to continue publication of the most widely-used U.S. dollar LIBOR rates until the end of June 2023. Subject to the results of the consultation, then, it is possible that some U.S. dollar LIBOR rates will continue to be available for a limited period beyond the end of 2021.

The Company continues to monitor and assess the potential impacts of the discontinuation of LIBOR, which will vary depending on (1) existing contract language to determine a LIBOR replacement rate, referred to as “fallback provisions”, in individual contracts and (2) whether, how, and when industry participants develop and widely adopt new reference rates and fallback provisions for both existing and new products or instruments. At this time, it is not possible to predict how markets will respond to these new rates and the effect that the discontinuation of LIBOR might have on new or existing financial instruments. If LIBOR ceases to exist or is found by regulators to no longer be representative, outstanding contracts with interest rates tied to LIBOR may be adversely affected and impact our results of operations through a reduction in value of some of our LIBOR referenced floating rate investments, an increase in the interest we pay on our outstanding junior subordinated debentures, or an adverse impact to hedge effectiveness of derivatives or availability of hedge accounting. Additionally, any discontinuation of or transition from LIBOR may impact pricing, valuation and risk analytic processes and hedging strategies.

For additional information on the Company’s financial instruments that are tied to LIBOR, see Part II, Item 7, Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operation, Enterprise Risk Management, Financial Risk.

The withdrawal of the U.K. from the E.U. may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operation.

In June 2016, the U.K voted in a national referendum to withdraw from the E.U. (“Brexit”) and formal negotiations on the separation process, including the final exit date, have been ongoing and extended various times. The U.K. officially departed from the E.U. on January 31, 2020. Following the end of the Brexit Transition Period on December 31, 2020, the Trade and Cooperation Agreement between the E.U. and the U.K. (the “TCA”) came into effect on a provisional basis. The end of the Brexit Transition Period has resulted in significant changes and continuing uncertainty to E.U.-U.K. trade in financial services given the TCA does not include any provisions that compensate for the loss of ‘passporting’ rights under the E.U. Single Market Directives. In particular, there is no mutual recognition of licensing regimes, the market access provisions do not preclude E.U. Member States from imposing authorization requirements on UK financial services businesses and there are no provisions in the TCA on equivalence or regulatory cooperation in the area of financial services. Finally, the E.U. has largely carved out financial services from the most-favored nation provisions for investment liberalization and cross-border trade in services, so in theory the E.U. is free to offer better terms on financial services to other jurisdictions in the future without offering the same to the U.K.

A separate, short Joint Declaration on Financial Services Regulatory Cooperation was published alongside the TCA which

is essentially an agreement to agree at a later stage some of the detail on financial services which is absent from the TCA. In this respect, the UK and the E.U. intend to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding by March 2021 but this will not have the same legal effect or status as an international treaty.

Prolonged uncertainty relating to the terms of the U.K.’s withdrawal, could, among other outcomes, cause significant volatility in global financial markets, currency exchange rate fluctuations and asset valuations, and disrupt the U.K. market and the E.U. markets by increasing restrictions on the trade and free movement of goods, services and people between the U.K. and the E.U. The withdrawal could also lead to legal uncertainty and potentially divergent national laws and regulations as the U.K. determines which E.U. laws to replace or replicate.

As a result of the acquisition of Navigators Group, we have international operations in the U.K. and E.U. While Navigators Group has implemented measures to sell business in the E.U. independently of its U.K. insurance companies by having its Lloyd's Syndicate write business through the Lloyd’s subsidiary in Belgium, the extent of the disruption due to Brexit throughout the U.K. and E.U. is uncertain. Should we seek to access the E.U. market through our U.K. insurance companies, that will depend on general trade and services agreements made by the U.K. with the E.U. or on specific arrangements made by our U.K. insurance companies to retain access to the E.U. market. In addition, the ability to access the E.U. market through our Lloyd's Syndicate depends on Lloyd's being able to comply with E.U. regulations through its Belgium subsidiary. The consequence of making such specific arrangements may increase our cost of doing business.

Specifically, Lloyd’s is still in discussion with the Belgium Financial Services Markets Authority ("FSMA") and the National Bank of Belgium ("NBB") regarding the Lloyd’s Europe operating model and the activities performed for it by managing agents (through the Outsourcing Agreement) and the question of whether it was possible that they could be construed as constituting insurance distribution under the Insurance Distribution Directive ("IDD"), which would therefore require them to be authorized within the European Economic Area ("EEA"). Lloyd’s are proposing to make changes to the operating model by the second half of 2021 with the engagement of the market.

The consequences of U.K.’s withdrawal from the E.U. in the long term are unknown and not quantifiable at this time. However, given the lack of comparable precedent, any effects of a withdrawal may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Insurance Industry and Product Related Risks

Unfavorable loss development may adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and liquidity.

We establish property and casualty loss reserves to cover our estimated liability for the payment of all unpaid losses and loss expenses incurred with respect to premiums earned on our policies. Loss reserves are estimates of what we expect the ultimate settlement and administration of claims will cost, less what has been paid to date. These estimates are based upon

Table of Contents

Part I - Item 1A. Risk Factors

actuarial projections and on our assessment of currently available data, as well as estimates of claims severity and frequency, legal theories of liability and other factors. For risks due to evolving changes in social, economic and environmental conditions, see the Risk Factor, “Unexpected and unintended claim and coverage issues under our insurance contracts may adversely impact our financial performance.”

Loss reserve estimates are refined periodically as experience develops and claims are reported and settled, potentially resulting in increases to our reserves. Increases in reserves would be recognized as an expense during the periods in which these determinations are made, thereby adversely affecting our results of operations for those periods. In addition, since reserve estimates of aggregate loss costs for prior years are used in pricing our insurance products, inaccurate reserves can lead to our products not being priced adequately to cover actual losses and related loss expenses in order to generate a profit.

We continue to receive A&E claims, the vast majority of which relate to policies written before 1986. Estimating the ultimate gross reserves needed for unpaid losses and related expenses for asbestos and environmental claims is particularly difficult for insurers and reinsurers. The actuarial tools and other techniques used to estimate the ultimate cost of more traditional insurance exposures tend to be less precise when used to estimate reserves for some A&E exposures.

Moreover, the assumptions used to estimate gross reserves for A&E claims, such as claim frequency over time, average severity, and how various policy provisions will be interpreted, are subject to significant uncertainty. It is also not possible to predict changes in the legal and legislative environment and their effect on the future development of A&E claims. These factors, among others, make the variability of gross reserves estimates for these longer-tailed exposures significantly greater than for other more traditional exposures.

Effective December 31, 2016, the Company entered into an agreement with National Indemnity Company (“NICO”), a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (“Berkshire”) whereby the Company is reinsured for subsequent adverse development on substantially all of its net A&E reserves up to an aggregate net limit of $1.5 billion. We remain directly liable to claimants and if the reinsurer does not fulfill its obligations under the agreement or if future adverse development exceeds the $1.5 billion aggregate limit, we may need to increase our recorded net reserves which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations and liquidity. For additional information related to risks associated with the adverse development cover, see Note 12 - Reserve for Unpaid Losses and Loss Adjustment Expenses of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.

We are vulnerable to losses from catastrophes, both natural and man-made.

Our insurance operations expose us to claims arising out of catastrophes. Catastrophes can be caused by various unpredictable natural events, including, among others, earthquakes, hurricanes, hailstorms, severe winter weather, wind storms, fires, tornadoes, and pandemics. Catastrophes can also be man-made, such as terrorist attacks, civil unrest, cyber-attacks, explosions or infrastructure failures.

The geographic distribution of our business subjects us to catastrophe exposure for events occurring in a number of areas, including, but not limited to: hurricanes in Florida, the Gulf Coast, the Northeast and the Atlantic coast regions of the United States; tornadoes and hail in the Midwest and Southeast; earthquakes in geographical regions exposed to seismic activity; wildfires in the West; and the spread of disease, which can occur throughout multiple geographic locations. We are also exposed to catastrophe losses in other parts of the world through our global specialty business. Any increases in the values and concentrations of insureds and property in these areas would increase the severity of catastrophic events in the future. In addition, changes in climate and/or weather patterns may increase the frequency and/or intensity of severe weather and natural catastrophe events potentially leading to increased insured losses. Potential examples include, but are not limited to:

•an increase in the frequency or intensity of wind and thunderstorm and tornado/hailstorm events due to increased convection in the atmosphere,

•more frequent and larger wildfires in certain geographies,

•higher incidence of deluge flooding, and

•the potential for an increase in frequency and severity of hurricane events.

For a further discussion of climate-related risks, see the above-referenced Risk Factor,“Changing climate and weather patternsmay adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operation.”

Our businesses also have exposure to global or nationally occurring pandemics caused by highly infectious and potentially fatal diseases spread through human, animal or plant populations.

In the event of one or more catastrophes, policyholders may be unable to meet their obligations to pay premiums on our insurance policies. Further, our liquidity could be constrained by a catastrophe, or multiple catastrophes. In addition, in part because accounting rules do not permit insurers to reserve for such catastrophic events until they occur, claims from catastrophic events could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations or liquidity. The amount we charge for catastrophe exposure may be inadequate if the frequency or severity of catastrophe losses changes over time or if the models we use to estimate the exposure prove inadequate. In addition, regulators or legislators could limit our ability to charge adequate pricing for catastrophe exposures or shift more responsibility for covering risk.

Terrorism is an example of a significant man-made caused potential catastrophe. Private sector catastrophe reinsurance is limited and generally unavailable for terrorism losses caused by attacks with nuclear, biological, chemical or radiological weapons. In addition, workers' compensation policies generally do not have exclusions or limitations for terrorism losses. Reinsurance coverage from the federal government under the Terrorism Risk Insurance Program (the "Program") Reauthorization Act of 2019 (“TRIPRA 2019”) is also limited and only applies for certified acts of terrorism that exceed a certain threshold of industry losses. Accordingly, the effects of a terrorist attack in the geographic areas we serve may result in claims and related losses for which we do not have adequate reinsurance. TRIPRA 2019 also requires that the federal government create the following reports, which could lead to additional legislation or regulation: (1) Treasury

Table of Contents

Part I - Item 1A. Risk Factors

Department to include in its biennial report on the effectiveness of the Program an evaluation of the availability and affordability of terrorism risk insurance for places of worship; and (2) Government Accountability Office report to analyze and address the vulnerabilities and potential costs of cyber terrorism, to assess adequacy of coverage under the Program, and to make recommendations for future legislative changes to address evolving cyber terrorism risks. Further, the continued threat of terrorism and the occurrence of terrorist attacks, as well as heightened security measures and military action in response to these threats and attacks or other geopolitical or military crises, may cause significant volatility in global financial markets, disruptions to commerce and reduced economic activity. These consequences could have an adverse effect on the value of the assets in our investment portfolio. Terrorist attacks also could disrupt our operation centers. In addition, TRIPRA 2019 expires on December 31, 2027 and if the U.S. Congress does not reauthorize the program or significantly reduces the government’s share of covered terrorism losses, the Company’s exposure to terrorism losses could increase materially unless it can purchase alternative terrorism reinsurance protection in the private markets at affordable prices or takes actions to materially reduce its exposure in lines of business subject to terrorism risk. For a further discussion of TRIPRA, see Part II, Item 7, MD&A - Enterprise Risk Management - Insurance Risk Management, Reinsurance as a Risk Management Strategy.

As a result, it is possible that any, or a combination of all, of these factors related to a catastrophe, or multiple catastrophes, whether natural or man-made, can have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations or liquidity.

Pricing for our products is subject to our ability to adequately assess risks, estimate losses and comply with state and international insurance regulations.

We seek to price our property and casualty and group benefits insurance policies such that insurance premiums and future net investment income earned on premiums received will provide for an acceptable profit in excess of underwriting expenses and the cost of paying claims. Pricing adequacy depends on a number of factors, including proper evaluation of underwriting risks, the ability to project future claim costs, our expense levels, net investment income realized, our response to rate actions taken by competitors, legal and regulatory developments, including in international markets, and the ability to obtain regulatory approval for rate changes.

State insurance departments regulate many of the premium rates we charge and also propose rate changes for the benefit of the property and casualty consumer at the expense of the insurer, which may not allow us to reach targeted levels of profitability. In addition to regulating rates, certain states have enacted laws that require a property and casualty insurer to participate in assigned risk plans, reinsurance facilities, joint underwriting associations and other residual market plans. State regulators also require that an insurer offer property and casualty coverage to all consumers and often restrict an insurer's ability to charge the price it might otherwise charge or restrict an insurer's ability to offer or enforce specific policy deductibles. In these markets, we may be compelled to underwrite significant amounts of business at lower than desired rates or accept additional risk not

contemplated in our existing rates, participate in the operating losses of residual market plans or pay assessments to fund operating deficits of state-sponsored funds, possibly leading to lower returns on equity. The laws and regulations of many states also limit an insurer's ability to withdraw from one or more lines of insurance in the state, except pursuant to a plan that is approved by the state's insurance department. Additionally, certain states require insurers to participate in guaranty funds for impaired or insolvent insurance companies. These funds periodically assess losses against all insurance companies doing business in the state. Any of these factors could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations or liquidity. For more on international regulatory risks, see the Risk Factor, “Regulatory and legislative developments could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition, results of operations and liquidity.”

Additionally, the property and casualty and group benefits insurance markets have been historically cyclical, experiencing periods characterized by relatively high levels of price competition, less restrictive underwriting standards, more expansive coverage offerings, multi-year rate guarantees and declining premium rates, followed by periods of relatively low levels of competition, more selective underwriting standards, more coverage restrictions and increasing premium rates. In all of our property and casualty and group benefits insurance product lines, there is a risk that the premium we charge may ultimately prove to be inadequate as reported losses emerge. In addition, there is a risk that regulatory constraints, price competition or incorrect pricing assumptions could prevent us from achieving targeted returns. Inadequate pricing could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.

Competitive activity, use of predictive analytics, or technological changes may adversely affect our market share, demand for our products, or our financial results.

The industries in which we operate are highly competitive. Our principal competitors are other property and casualty insurers, group benefits providers and providers of mutual funds and exchange-traded products. Competitors may expand their risk appetites in products and services where The Hartford currently enjoys a competitive advantage. Larger competitors with more capital and new entrants to the market could result in increased pricing pressures on a number of our products and services and may harm our ability to maintain or increase our profitability. For example, larger competitors, including those formed through consolidation or who may acquire new entrants to the market, such as insurtech firms, may have lower operating costs and an ability to absorb greater risk while maintaining their financial strength ratings, thereby allowing them to price their products more competitively. In addition, a number of insurers are making use of predictive analytics to, among other things, improve pricing accuracy, be more targeted in marketing, strengthen customer relationships and provide more customized loss prevention services. If they are able to use predictive analytics and other data and/or adopt innovative new technologies more effectively than we are, it may give them a competitive advantage. Because of the highly competitive nature of the industries we compete in, there can be no assurance that we will continue to compete effectively with our industry rivals, or that competitive pressure will not

Table of Contents

Part I - Item 1A. Risk Factors

have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

Our business could also be affected by technological changes, including further advancements in automotive safety features, the development of autonomous or “self-driving” vehicles, and platforms that facilitate ride sharing. These technologies could impact the frequency or severity of losses, disrupt the demand for certain of our products, or reduce the size of the automobile insurance market as a whole. The risks we insure are also affected by the increased use of technology in homes and businesses, including technology used in heating, ventilation, air conditioning and security systems and the introduction of more automated loss control measures. In addition, our business may be disrupted due to failures of accelerated technological changes, including our automation of minimally complex tasks, which may adversely impact our business and results of operations. While there is substantial uncertainty about the timing, penetration and reliability of such technologies, and the legal frameworks that may apply, such as to autonomous vehicles, any such impacts could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

We may experience difficulty in marketing and providing insurance products and investment advisory services through distribution channels and advisory firms.

We distribute our insurance products, mutual funds and ETPs through a variety of distribution channels and financial intermediaries, including brokers, independent agents, wholesale agents, reinsurance brokers, broker-dealers, banks, registered investment advisors, affinity partners, our own internal sales force and other third-party organizations. In some areas of our business, we generate a significant portion of our business through third-party arrangements. For example, we market personal lines products in large part through an exclusive licensing arrangement with AARP that continues through December 31, 2032. Our ability to distribute products through the AARP program may be adversely impacted by membership levels and the pace of membership growth. In addition, the independent agent and broker distribution channel is consolidating which could result in a larger proportion of written premium being concentrated among fewer agents and brokers, potentially increasing our cost of acquiring new business. While we periodically seek to renew or extend third party arrangements, there can be no assurance that our relationship with these third parties will continue or that the economics of these relationships won't change to make them less financially attractive to the Company. An interruption in our relationship with certain of these third parties could materially affect our ability to market our products and could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and liquidity.

Unexpected and unintended claim and coverage issues under our insurance contracts may adversely impact our financial performance.

Changes in industry practices and in legal, judicial, social and other environmental conditions, technological advances or fraudulent activities, may require us to pay claims we did not

intend to cover when we wrote the policies. Social, economic, political and environmental issues, including rising income inequality, climate change, prescription drug use and addiction, exposures to new substances or those previously considered to be safe, along with the use of social media to proliferate messaging around such issues, has expanded the theories for reporting claims, which may increase our claims administration and/or litigation costs. State and local governments' increased efforts aimed to respond to the costs and concerns associated with these types of issues, may also lead to expansive, new theories for reporting claims or may lead to the passage of "reviver" statutes that extend the statute of limitations for the reporting of these claims, including statutes passed in certain states with respect to sexual molestation and sexual abuse claims. In addition, these and other social, economic, political and environmental issues may either extend coverage beyond our underwriting intent or increase the frequency or severity of claims. Some of these changes, advances or activities may not become apparent until some time after we have issued insurance contracts that are affected by the changes, advances or activities and/or we may be unable to compensate for such losses through future pricing and underwriting. As a result, the full extent of liability under our insurance contracts may not be known for many years after a contract is issued, and this liability may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and liquidity at the time it becomes known.

Financial Strength, Credit and Counterparty Risks

Downgrades in our financial strength or credit ratings may make our products less attractive, increase our cost of capital and inhibit our ability to refinance our debt.

Financial strength and credit ratings are important in establishing the competitive position of insurance companies. Rating agencies assign ratings based upon several factors. While most of the factors relate to the rated company, others relate to the views of the rating agency (including its assessment of the strategic importance of the rated company to the insurance group), general economic conditions, and circumstances outside the rated company's control. In addition, rating agencies may employ different models and formulas to assess the financial strength of a rated company, and from time to time rating agencies have altered these models. Changes to the models or factors used by the rating agencies to assign ratings could adversely impact a rating agency's judgment of its internal rating and the publicly issued rating it assigns us.

Our financial strength ratings, which are intended to measure our ability to meet policyholder obligations, are an important factor affecting public confidence in most of our products and, as a result, our competitiveness. A downgrade or a potential downgrade in the rating of our financial strength or of one of our principal insurance subsidiaries could affect our competitive position and reduce future sales of our products.

Our credit ratings also affect our cost of capital. A downgrade or a potential downgrade of our credit ratings could make it more

Table of Contents

Part I - Item 1A. Risk Factors

difficult or costly to refinance maturing debt obligations, to support business growth at our insurance subsidiaries and to maintain or improve the financial strength ratings of our principal insurance subsidiaries. These events could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and liquidity. For a further discussion of potential impacts of ratings downgrades on derivative instruments, including potential collateral calls, see Part II, Item 7, MD&A - Capital Resources and Liquidity - Derivative Commitments.

The amount of capital that we must hold to maintain our financial strength and credit ratings and meet other requirements can vary significantly from time to time and is sensitive to a number of factors outside of our control.

We conduct the vast majority of our business through licensed insurance company subsidiaries. In the United States, statutory accounting standards and statutory capital and reserve requirements for these entities are prescribed by the applicable insurance regulators and the NAIC. The minimum capital we must hold is based on risk-based capital (“RBC”) formulas for both life and property and casualty companies. The RBC formula for life companies is applicable to our group benefits business and establishes capital requirements relating to insurance, business, asset, credit, interest rate and off-balance sheet risks. The RBC formula for property and casualty companies sets required statutory surplus levels based on underwriting, asset and credit and off-balance sheet risks.

Countries in which our international insurance subsidiaries are incorporated or deemed commercially domiciled are subject to regulatory requirements as defined by the regulatory jurisdiction, including Solvency II. In addition, our Lloyd’s member company is required to maintain required Funds at Lloyd’s (“FAL”) to meet the capital requirements of its syndicate. The FAL is determined based on the syndicate’s Solvency Capital Requirement (“SCR”) under the Solvency II capital adequacy model plus an economic capital assessment determined by the Lloyd’s Franchise Board (which is responsible for the day-to-day management of the Lloyd's market).

In any particular year, statutory surplus amounts, RBC ratios, FAL and SCR may increase or decrease depending on a variety of factors, including (as applicable)

•the amount of statutory income or losses generated by our insurance subsidiaries,

•the amount of additional capital our insurance subsidiaries must hold to support business growth,

•the amount of dividends or distributions paid to the holding company,

•changes in equity market levels,

•the value of certain fixed-income and equity securities in our investment portfolio,

•the value of certain derivative instruments,

•changes in interest rates,

•admissibility of deferred tax assets, and

•changes to the regulatory capital formulas.

Most of these factors are outside of the Company's control. The regulatory capital formulas could also be negatively affected if the NAIC, state insurance regulators or other insurance regulators change the accounting guidance for determining capital adequacy. Among other factors, rating agencies consider the level of statutory capital and surplus of our U.S. insurance subsidiaries as well as the level of a measure of GAAP capital held by the Company in determining the Company's financial strength and credit ratings. Rating agencies may implement changes to their capital formulas that have the effect of increasing the amount of capital we must hold in order to maintain our current ratings. If our capital resources are insufficient to maintain a particular rating by one or more rating agencies, we may need to raise capital through public or private equity or debt financing. If we were not to raise additional capital, either at our discretion or because we were unable to do so, our financial strength and credit ratings might be downgraded by one or more rating agencies.

Losses due to nonperformance or defaults by counterparties can have a material adverse effect on the value of our investments, reduce our profitability or sources of liquidity.

We have credit risk with counterparties associated with investments, derivatives, premiums receivable, reinsurance recoverables and indemnifications provided by third parties in connection with previous dispositions. Among others, our counterparties include issuers of fixed maturity and equity securities we hold, borrowers of mortgage loans we hold, customers, trading counterparties, counterparties under swaps and other derivative contracts, reinsurers, clearing agents, exchanges, clearing houses and other financial intermediaries and guarantors. These counterparties may default on their obligations to us due to bankruptcy, insolvency, lack of liquidity, adverse economic conditions, operational failure, fraud, government intervention and other reasons. In addition, for exchange-traded derivatives, such as futures, options and "cleared" over-the-counter derivatives, the Company is generally exposed to the credit risk of the relevant central counterparty clearing house. Defaults by these counterparties on their obligations to us could have a material adverse effect on the value of our investments, financial condition, results of operations and liquidity. Additionally, if the underlying assets supporting the structured securities we invest in default on their payment obligations, our securities will incur losses.

The availability of reinsurance and our ability to recover under reinsurance contracts may not be sufficient to protect us against losses.

As an insurer, we frequently use reinsurance to reduce the effect of losses that may arise from, among other things, catastrophes and other risks that can cause unfavorable results of operations. In addition, our assumed reinsurance business purchases retrocessional coverage for a portion of the risks it assumes. Under these reinsurance arrangements, other insurers assume a portion of our losses and related expenses; however, we remain liable as the direct insurer on all risks reinsured. Consequently, ceded reinsurance arrangements do not eliminate our obligation to pay claims, and we are subject to our reinsurers' credit risk with respect to our ability to recover amounts due from them. The inability or unwillingness of any reinsurer or retrocessionaire

Table of Contents

Part I - Item 1A. Risk Factors

to meet its financial obligations to us, including the impact of any insolvency or rehabilitation proceedings involving a reinsurer or retrocessionaire that could affect the Company's access to collateral held in trust, could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations and liquidity.

In addition, should the availability and cost of reinsurance change materially, we may have to pay higher reinsurance costs, accept an increase in our net liability exposure, reduce the amount of business we write, or access to the extent possible other alternatives to reinsurance, such as use of the capital markets. Further, due to the inherent uncertainties as to collection and the length of time before reinsurance recoverables will be due, it is possible that future adjustments to the Company’s reinsurance recoverables, net of the allowance, could be required, which could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s consolidated results of operations or cash flows in a particular quarterly or annual period.

Our ability to declare and pay dividends is subject to limitations.

The payment of future dividends on our capital stock is subject to the discretion of our board of directors, which considers, among other factors, our operating results, overall financial condition, credit-risk considerations and capital requirements, as well as general business and market conditions. Our board of directors may only declare such dividends out of funds legally available for such payments. Moreover, our common stockholders are subject to the prior dividend rights of any holders of depositary shares representing preferred stock then outstanding. The terms of our outstanding junior subordinated debt securities prohibit us from declaring or paying any dividends or distributions on our capital stock or purchasing, acquiring, or making a liquidation payment on such stock, if we have given notice of our election to defer interest payments and the related deferral period has not yet commenced or a deferral period is continuing.

Moreover, as a holding company that is separate and distinct from our insurance subsidiaries, we have no significant business operations of our own. Therefore, we rely on dividends from our insurance company subsidiaries and other subsidiaries as the principal source of cash flow to meet our obligations. Subsidiary dividends fund payments on our debt securities and the payment of dividends to stockholders on our capital stock. Connecticut state laws and certain other U.S. jurisdictions in which we operate limit the payment of dividends and require notice to and approval by the state insurance commissioner for the declaration or payment of dividends above certain levels. The laws and regulations of the countries in which our international insurance subsidiaries are incorporated or deemed commercially domiciled, as well as requirements of the Council of Lloyd’s, also impose limitations on the payment of dividends which, in some instances, are more restrictive. Dividends paid from our insurance subsidiaries are further dependent on their cash requirements. In addition, in the event of liquidation or reorganization of a subsidiary, prior claims of a subsidiary’s creditors may take precedence over the holding company’s right to a dividend or distribution from the subsidiary except to the extent that the holding company may be a creditor of that subsidiary. For further discussion on dividends from insurance subsidiaries, see Part II, Item 7, MD&A - Capital Resources & Liquidity.

Risks Relating to Estimates, Assumptions and Valuations

Actual results could materially differ from the analytical models we use to assist our decision making in key areas such as underwriting, pricing, capital management, reserving, investments, reinsurance and catastrophe risks.

We use models to help make decisions related to, among other things, underwriting, pricing, capital allocation, reserving, investments, reinsurance, and catastrophe risk. Both proprietary and third party models we use incorporate numerous assumptions and forecasts about the future level and variability of interest rates, capital requirements, loss frequency and severity, currency exchange rates, policyholder behavior, equity markets and inflation, among others. The models are subject to the inherent limitations of any statistical analysis as the historical internal and industry data and assumptions used in the models may not be indicative of what will happen in the future. Consequently, actual results may differ materially from our modeled results. The profitability and financial condition of the Company substantially depends on the extent to which our actual experience is consistent with assumptions we use in our models and ultimate model outputs. If, based upon these models or other factors, we misprice our products or our estimates of the risks we are exposed to prove to be materially inaccurate, our business, financial condition, results of operations or liquidity may be adversely affected.

The valuation of our securities and investments and the determination of allowances and credit losses are highly subjective and based on methodologies, estimations and assumptions that are subject to differing interpretations and market conditions.

Estimated fair values of the Company’s investments are based on available market information and judgments about financial instruments, including estimates of the timing and amounts of expected future cash flows and the credit standing of the issuer or counterparty. During periods of market disruption, it may be difficult to value certain of our securities if trading becomes less frequent and/or market data becomes less observable. There may be certain asset classes that were in active markets with significant observable data that become illiquid due to the financial environment. In addition, there may be certain securities whose fair value is based on one or more unobservable inputs, even during normal market conditions. As a result, the determination of the fair values of these securities may include inputs and assumptions that require more estimation and management judgment and the use of complex valuation methodologies. These fair values may differ materially from the value at which the investments may be ultimately sold. Further, rapidly changing or unprecedented credit and equity market

Table of Contents

Part I - Item 1A. Risk Factors

conditions could materially impact the valuation of securities and the period-to-period changes in value could vary significantly. Decreases in value could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and liquidity.

Similarly, management’s decision on whether to record an allowance for credit loss is subject to significant judgments and assumptions regarding changes in general economic conditions, the issuer's financial condition or future recovery prospects, estimated future cash flows, the effects of changes in interest rates or credit spreads, the expected recovery period and the accuracy of third party information used in internal assessments. As a result, management’s evaluations and assessments are highly judgmental and its projections of future cash flows over the life of certain securities may ultimately prove incorrect as facts and circumstances change.

If our businesses do not perform well, we may be required to recognize an impairment of our goodwill.

Goodwill represents the excess of the amounts we paid to acquire subsidiaries and other businesses over the fair value of their net assets at the date of acquisition. We test goodwill at least annually for impairment. Impairment testing is performed based upon estimates of the fair value of the “reporting unit” to which the goodwill relates. The reporting unit is the operating segment or a business one level below an operating segment if discrete financial information is prepared and regularly reviewed by management at that level. The fair value of the reporting unit could decrease if new business, customer retention, profitability or other drivers of performance differ from expectations. If it is determined that the goodwill has been impaired, the Company must write down the goodwill by the amount of the impairment, with a corresponding charge to net income (loss). These write downs could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations or financial condition.

Strategic and Operational Risks

Our businesses may suffer and we may incur substantial costs if we are unable to access our systems and safeguard the security of our data in the event of a disaster, cyber breach or other information security incident.

We use technology to process, store, retrieve, evaluate and utilize customer and company data and information. Our information technology and telecommunications systems, in turn, interface with and rely upon third-party systems. We and our third party vendors must be able to access our systems to provide insurance quotes, process premium payments, make changes to existing policies, file and pay claims, administer mutual funds, provide customer support, manage our investment portfolios, report on financial results and perform other necessary business functions.

Systems failures or outages could compromise our ability to perform these business functions in a timely manner, which could harm our ability to conduct business and hurt our relationships with our business partners and customers. In the event of a disaster such as a natural catastrophe, a pandemic, civil unrest, an

industrial accident, a cyber-attack, a blackout, a terrorist attack (including conventional, nuclear, biological, chemical or radiological) or war, systems upon which we rely may be inaccessible to our employees, customers or business partners for an extended period of time. Even if our employees and business partners are able to report to work, they may be unable to perform their duties for an extended period of time if our data or systems used to conduct our business are disabled or destroyed.

Our systems have been, and will likely continue to be, subject to viruses or other malicious codes, unauthorized access, cyber-attacks, cyber frauds or other computer related penetrations. The frequency and sophistication of such threats continue to increase as well. While, to date, The Hartford is not aware of having experienced a material breach of our cyber security systems, administrative, internal accounting and technical controls as well as other preventive actions may be insufficient to prevent physical and electronic break-ins, denial of service, cyber-attacks, business email compromises, ransomware or other security breaches to our systems or those of third parties with whom we do business. Such an event could compromise our confidential information as well as that of our clients and third parties, impede or interrupt our business operations and result in other negative consequences, including remediation costs, loss of revenue, additional regulatory scrutiny and litigation and reputational damage. In addition, we routinely transmit to third parties personal, confidential and proprietary information, which may be related to employees and customers, by email and other electronic means, along with receiving and storing such information on our systems. Although we attempt to protect privileged and confidential information, we may be unable to secure the information in all events, especially with clients, vendors, service providers, counterparties and other third parties who may not have appropriate controls to protect confidential information.

Our businesses must comply with regulations to control the privacy of customer, employee and third party data, and state, federal and international regulations regarding data privacy, including the European Union General Data Protection Regulation and California Consumer Privacy Act, are becoming increasingly more onerous. A misuse or mishandling of confidential or proprietary information could result in legal liability, regulatory action and reputational harm.

Third parties, including third party administrators and cloud-based systems, are also subject to cyber-breaches of confidential information, along with the other risks outlined above, any one of which may result in our incurring substantial costs and other negative consequences, including a material adverse effect on our business, reputation, financial condition, results of operations and liquidity. While we maintain cyber liability insurance that provides both third party liability and first party insurance coverages, our insurance may not be sufficient to protect against all loss.

Performance problems due to outsourcing and other third-party relationships may compromise our ability to conduct business.

We outsource certain business and administrative functions and rely on third-party vendors to perform certain functions or provide certain services on our behalf and have a significant number of information technology and business processes outsourced with a single vendor. If we are unable to reach

Table of Contents

Part I - Item 1A. Risk Factors

agreement in the negotiation of contracts or renewals with certain third-party providers, or if such third-party providers experience disruptions or do not perform as anticipated, we may be unable to meet our obligations to customers and claimants, incur higher costs and lose business which may have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations. For other risks associated with our outsourcing of certain functions, see the Risk Factor, “Our businesses may suffer and we may incur substantial costs if we are unable to access our systems and safeguard the security of our data in the event of a disaster, cyber breach or other information security incident.”

Our ability to execute on capital management plans, expense reduction initiatives and other actions is subject to material challenges, uncertainties and risks.

The ability to execute on capital management plans is subject to material challenges, uncertainties and risks. From time to time, our capital management plans may include the repurchase of common stock, the paydown of outstanding debt or both. We may not achieve all of the benefits we expect to derive from these plans. For an equity repurchase plan approved by the Board, such capital management plan would be subject to execution risks, including, among others, risks related to market fluctuations, investor interest and potential legal constraints that could delay execution at an otherwise optimal time. There can be no assurance that we will fully execute any such plan. In addition, we may not be successful in keeping our businesses cost efficient. The Company may not be able to achieve all the revenue increases, expense reductions and other synergies that it expects to realize as a result of acquisitions, divestitures or restructurings. We may take future actions, including acquisitions, divestitures or restructurings that may involve additional uncertainties and risks that negatively impact our business, financial condition, results of operations and liquidity.

Acquisitions and divestitures may not produce the anticipated benefits and may result in unintended consequences, which could have a material adverse impact on our financial condition and results of operations.

We may not be able to successfully integrate acquired businesses or achieve the expected synergies as a result of such acquisitions or divestitures. The process of integrating an acquired company or business can be complex and costly and may create unforeseen operating difficulties including ineffective integration of underwriting, risk management, claims handling, finance, information technology and actuarial practices. Difficulties integrating an acquired business may also result in the acquired business performing differently than we expected including through the loss of customers or in our failure to realize anticipated increased premium growth or expense-related efficiencies. We could be adversely affected by the acquisition due to unanticipated performance issues and additional expense, unforeseen liabilities, transaction-related charges, downgrades of third-party rating agencies, diversion of management time and resources to integration challenges, loss of key employees, regulatory requirements, exposure to tax liabilities, amortization of expenses related to intangibles and charges for impairment of long-term assets or goodwill. In addition, we may be adversely impacted by uncertainties related to reserve estimates of the

acquired company and its design and operation of internal controls over financial reporting. We may be unable to distribute as much capital to the holding company as planned due to regulatory restrictions or other reasons that may adversely affect our liquidity.

In addition, in the case of business or asset dispositions, we may have continued financial exposure to the divested businesses through reinsurance, indemnification or other financial arrangements following the transaction. We may also retain a position in securities of the acquirer that purchased the divested business, which subjects us to risks related to the price of the equity securities and our ability to monetize such securities. The expected benefits of acquired or divested businesses may not be realized and involve additional uncertainties and risks that may negatively impact our business, financial condition, results of operations and liquidity.

Difficulty in attracting and retaining talented and qualified personnel may adversely affect the execution of our business strategies.

Our ability to attract, develop and retain talented employees, managers and executives is critical to our success. There is significant competition within and outside the insurance and financial services industry for qualified employees, particularly for individuals with highly specialized knowledge in areas such as underwriting, actuarial, data and analytics, technology and digital commerce and investment management. Our continued ability to compete effectively in our businesses and to expand into new business areas depends on our ability to attract new employees and to retain and motivate our existing employees. The loss of any one or more key employees, including executives, managers and employees with strong technological, analytical and other specialized skills, may adversely impact the execution of our business objectives or result in loss of important institutional knowledge. Our inability to attract and retain key personnel could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

We may not be able to protect our intellectual property and may be subject to infringement claims.

We rely on a combination of contractual rights and copyright, trademark, patent and trade secret laws to establish and protect our intellectual property. Although we use a broad range of measures to protect our intellectual property rights, third parties may infringe or misappropriate our intellectual property. We may have to litigate to enforce and protect our intellectual property and to determine its scope, validity or enforceability, which could divert significant resources and may not prove successful. Litigation to enforce our intellectual property rights may not be successful and cost a significant amount of money. The inability to secure or enforce the protection of our intellectual property assets could harm our reputation and have a material adverse effect on our business and our ability to compete. We also may be subject to costly litigation in the event that another party alleges our operations or activities infringe upon their intellectual property rights, including patent rights, or violate license usage rights. Any such intellectual property claims and any resulting litigation could result in significant expense and liability for damages, and in some circumstances we could be enjoined from providing certain products or services to our customers, or

Table of Contents

Part I - Item 1A. Risk Factors

utilizing and benefiting from certain patent, copyrights, trademarks, trade secrets or licenses, or alternatively could be required to enter into costly licensing arrangements with third parties, all of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Regulatory and Legal Risks

Regulatory and legislative developments could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition, results of operations and liquidity.

We are subject to extensive laws and regulations that are complex, subject to change and often conflict in their approach or intended outcomes. Compliance with these laws and regulations can increase cost, affect our strategy, and constrain our ability to adequately price our products.

In the U.S., regulatory initiatives and legislative developments may significantly affect our operations and prospects in ways that we cannot predict. For example, further reforms to the Affordable Care Act, and potential modifications of the Dodd-Frank Act could have unanticipated consequences for the Company and its businesses. It is unclear whether and to what extent Congress will continue to make changes to the Dodd-Frank Act, and how those changes might impact the Company, its business, financial conditions, results of operations and liquidity.

Our U.S. insurance subsidiaries are regulated by the insurance departments of the states in which they are domiciled, licensed or authorized to conduct business. State regulations generally seek to protect the interests of policyholders rather than an insurer or the insurer’s stockholders and other investors. U.S. state laws grant insurance regulatory authorities broad administrative powers with respect to, among other things, licensing and authorizing lines of business, approving policy forms and premium rates, setting statutory capital and reserve requirements, limiting the types and amounts of certain investments and restricting underwriting practices. State insurance departments also set constraints on domestic insurer transactions with affiliates and dividends and, in many cases, must approve affiliate transactions and extraordinary dividends as well as strategic transactions such as acquisitions and divestitures.

Our international insurance subsidiaries are subject to the laws and regulations of the relevant jurisdictions in which they operate, including the requirements of the Prudential Regulation Authority and the Financial Conduct Authority in the U.K; the National Bank of Belgium and the Financial Services and Markets Authority in Belgium; and the Commissariat Aux Assurances in Luxembourg. Our Lloyd’s Syndicate is also subject to management and supervision by the Council of Lloyd’s, which has wide discretionary powers to regulate members’ underwriting at Lloyd’s, as well as regulations imposed by overseas regulators where the Lloyd’s Syndicate conducts business.

In addition, future regulatory initiatives could be adopted at the federal, state and international level that could impact the profitability of our businesses. For example, the NAIC and state insurance regulators are continually reexamining existing laws and regulations, specifically focusing on modifications to U.S.

statutory accounting principles, interpretations of existing laws and the development of new laws and regulations. The NAIC continues to enhance the U.S. system of insurance solvency regulation, with a particular focus on group supervision, risk-based capital, accounting and financial reporting, enterprise risk management and reinsurance which could, among other things, affect statutory measures of capital sufficiency, including risk-based capital ratios.

In addition, changes in laws or regulations, particularly relating to privacy and data security and potential limitations on predictive models, such as use of certain underwriting rating variables, may materially impede our ability to execute on business strategies and/or our ability to be competitive. Any proposed or future legislation or NAIC initiatives, if adopted, may be more restrictive on our ability to conduct business than current regulatory requirements or may result in higher costs or increased statutory capital and reserve requirements. In addition, the Federal Reserve Board and the International Association of Insurance Supervisors ("IAIS") continue to advance the development of insurance group capital standards. As of January 1, 2020, the IAIS Insurance Capital Standard entered a five-year monitoring period at the end of which insurance firms are required to be in compliance with such standards. While the Company would not currently be subject to either of these capital standard regimes, it is possible that, in the future, standards similar to what is being contemplated by the Federal Reserve Board or the IAIS could apply to the Company. Working through the NAIC, U.S. state insurance regulators have developed a group capital calculation for use in solvency-monitoring activities. The calculation is intended to provide additional analytical information to the lead state for use in assessing group risks and capital adequacy to complement the current holding company analysis in the U.S. The next step is for the revised NAIC Model Act and Regulation to go to the states for adoption. The Covered Agreement between the U.S. and European Union, as well as the Covered Agreement between the U.S. and the U.K., provide a 60-month period (expiring September 22, 2022) for the U.S. to implement a "worldwide group capital calculation" for U.S. groups. If this deadline is not met, European Union member states and the U.K. each could potentially subject U.S. groups doing business in the EU and the U.K. to their own group supervision requirements, possibly including imposition of Solvency II's group capital standard.

Further, a particular regulator or enforcement authority may interpret a legal, accounting, or reserving issue differently than we have, exposing us to different or additional regulatory risks. The application of these regulations and guidelines by insurers involves interpretations and judgments that may be challenged by state insurance departments and other regulators. The result of those potential challenges could require us to increase levels of regulatory capital and reserves or incur higher operating and/or tax costs.

In addition, our asset management businesses are also subject to extensive regulation in the various jurisdictions where they operate. These laws and regulations are primarily intended to protect investors in the securities markets or investment advisory clients and generally grant supervisory authorities broad administrative powers. Compliance with these laws and regulations is costly, time consuming and personnel intensive, and may have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and liquidity.

Table of Contents

Part I - Item 1A. Risk Factors

Our insurance business is sensitive to significant changes in the legal environment that could adversely affect The Hartford’s results of operations or financial condition or harm its businesses.

Like any major P&C insurance company, litigation is a routine part of The Hartford’s business - both in defending and indemnifying our insureds and in litigating insurance coverage disputes. The Hartford accounts for such activity by establishing unpaid loss and loss adjustment expense reserves. Significant changes in the legal environment could cause our ultimate liabilities to change from our current expectations. Such changes could be judicial in nature, like trends in the size of jury awards, developments in the law relating to tort liability or the liability of insurers, and rulings concerning the scope of insurance coverage or the amount or types of damages covered by insurance. In addition, changes in federal or state laws and regulations relating to the liability of insurers or policyholders, including state laws expanding “bad faith” liability and state “reviver” statutes, extending statutes of limitations for certain sexual molestation and sexual abuse claims, could result in changes in business practices, additional litigation, or could result in unexpected losses, including increased frequency and severity of claims. It is impossible to forecast such changes reliably, much less to predict how they might affect our loss reserves or how those changes might adversely affect our ability to price our insurance products appropriately. Thus, significant judicial or legislative developments could adversely affect The Hartford’s business, financial condition, results of operations and liquidity.

Changes in federal, state or foreign tax laws could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and liquidity.

Changes in federal, state or foreign tax laws and tax rates or regulations could have a material adverse effect on our profitability and financial condition. The Company’s federal and state tax returns reflect certain items such as tax-exempt bond interest, tax credits, and insurance reserve deductions. There is an increasing risk that, in the context of deficit reduction or overall tax reform in the U.S., federal and/or state tax legislation could modify or eliminate these items, impacting the Company, its investments, investment strategies, and/or its policyholders. In addition, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development’s efforts around Global Pillars I and II dealing with possible new digital taxes and global minimum taxes, if enacted, could increase the Company’s overall tax burden, adversely affecting the Company’s business, financial condition and results of operation.

On December 22, 2017, the U.S. government enacted comprehensive tax legislation commonly referred to as the "Tax Cuts and Jobs Act" ("TCJA"). There is a risk that Congress could enact future legislation that may change or eliminate the provisions of TCJA or affect how the provisions apply to the Company including a corporate tax rate increase or other changes that may affect the manner in which insurance companies are taxed. Moreover we could continue to see states enact changes to their tax laws including the state impacts of TCJA, such as limitations on interest deductions and income earned by foreign affiliates, which, in turn, could adversely affect the Company's business and financial results. Among other risks, there is risk that

these additional clarifications could increase taxes on the Company, further increase administrative costs, make the sale of our products more costly and/or make our products less competitive.

Regulatory requirements could delay, deter or prevent a takeover attempt that stockholders might consider in their best interests.

Before a person can acquire control of a U.S. insurance company, prior written approval must be obtained from the insurance commissioner of the state where the domestic insurer is domiciled. Prior to granting approval of an application to acquire control of a domestic insurer, the state insurance commissioner will consider such factors as the financial strength of the applicant, the acquirer's plans for the future operations of the domestic insurer, and any such additional information as the insurance commissioner may deem necessary or appropriate for the protection of policyholders or in the public interest. Generally, state statutes provide that control over a domestic insurer is presumed to exist if any person, directly or indirectly, owns, controls, holds with the power to vote, or holds proxies representing 10 percent or more of the voting securities of the domestic insurer or its parent company. Because a person acquiring 10 percent or more of our common stock would indirectly control the same percentage of the stock of our U.S. insurance subsidiaries, the insurance change of control laws of various U.S. jurisdictions would likely apply to such a transaction. Other laws or required approvals pertaining to one or more of our existing subsidiaries, or a future subsidiary, may contain similar or additional restrictions on the acquisition of control of the Company. These laws and similar rules applying to subsidiaries domiciled outside of the United States may discourage potential acquisition proposals and may delay, deter, or prevent a change of control, including transactions that our Board of Directors and some or all of our stockholders might consider to be desirable.

Changes in accounting principles and financial reporting requirements could adversely affect our results of operations or financial condition.

As an SEC registrant, we are currently required to prepare our financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP, as promulgated by the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB"). Accordingly, we are required to adopt new guidance or interpretations which may have a material effect on our results of operations and financial condition that is either unexpected or has a greater impact than expected. For a description of changes in accounting standards that are currently pending and, if known, our estimates of their expected impact, see Note 1 - Basis of Presentation and Significant Accounting Policies of Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

Table of Contents

Part II - Item 2. Properties

Item 2. PROPERTIES

As of December 31, 2020, The Hartford owned building space totaling approximately 1.8 million square feet consisting principally of 1.77 million square feet for its home office complex in Hartford, Connecticut and other properties within the greater Hartford, Connecticut area, and approximately 22 thousand square feet in Belgium. In addition, we lease offices throughout North America, Europe and other overseas locations to house administrative, claims handling, sales and other business operations. As of December 31, 2020, The Hartford leased

approximately 1.5 million square feet throughout North America, 22 thousand square feet in London and 11 thousand square feet in other overseas and European branches. All of the properties owned or leased are used by one or more of all five reporting segments, depending on the location. For more information on reporting segments, see Part I, Item 1, Business Reporting Segments. The Company believes its properties and facilities are suitable and adequate for current operations.

Item 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

For a discussion regarding The Hartford’s legal proceedings, see the information contained under “Litigation,” including “COVID-19 Pandemic Business Income Insurance Coverage Litigation” and “Asbestos and Environmental Claims,” in Note 15 - Commitments and Contingencies of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.

Table of Contents

Part II - Item 5. Market for the Hartford's Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

Item 5. MARKET FOR THE HARTFORD’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES

The Hartford’s common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) under the trading symbol “HIG”. As of February 18, 2021, the Company had approximately 10,150 registered holders of record of the Company's common stock. A substantially greater number of holders of our common stock are “street name” holders or beneficial holders, whose shares are held of record by banks, brokers and other financial institutions.

The Hartford's cash dividends paid on common stock and expected payment of future cash dividends are discussed in the Summary of Capital Resources and Liquidity and Liquidity Requirements and Sources of Capital - Dividends sections of Part II, Item 7, MD&A — Capital Resources and Liquidity.

For information related to securities authorized for issuance under equity compensation plans, see Part III, Item 12, Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters.

The Company did not repurchase any shares during the three months ended December 31, 2020.

In December 2020, the Company announced a $1.5 billion share repurchase authorization by the Board of Directors which is effective from January 1, 2021 through December 31, 2022. During the period from January 1, 2021 through February 18, 2021, the Company repurchased 1.1 million shares for $56. The Company's prior share repurchase program, which was authorized by the Board of Directors in February 2019, expired on December 31, 2020. The timing of any future repurchases will be dependent upon several factors, including the market price of the Company's securities, the Company's capital position, consideration of the effect of any repurchases on the Company's financial strength or credit ratings, and other considerations.

Total Return to Stockholders

The following tables present The Hartford’s annual return percentage and five-year total return on its common stock including reinvestment of dividends in comparison to the S&P 500 and the S&P Insurance Composite Index.

Annual Return Percentage

For the years ended

Table of Contents

Part II - Item 5. Market for the Hartford's Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

Cumulative Five-Year Total Return

Base

Period For the years ended

Table of Contents

Part II - Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

Item 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

(Dollar amounts in millions, except for per share data, unless otherwise stated)

The Hartford provides projections and other forward-looking information in the following discussions, which contain many forward-looking statements, particularly relating to the Company’s future financial performance. These forward-looking statements are estimates based on information currently available to the Company, are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and are subject to the cautionary statements set forth on pages 4 and 5 of this Form 10-K. Actual results are likely to differ, and in the past have differed, materially from those forecast by the Company, depending on the outcome of various factors, including, but not limited to, those set forth in the following discussion and in Part I, Item 1A, Risk Factors, and those identified from time to time in our other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Hartford undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise.

On September 30, 2020, the Company entered into a definitive agreement to sell all of the issued and outstanding equity of Navigators Holdings (Europe) N.V., a Belgium holding company, and its subsidiaries, Bracht, Deckers & Mackelbert N.V. (“BDM”) and Assurances Contintales Contintale Verzekeringen N.V. (“ASCO”), (collectively referred to as "Continental Europe Operations").

On May 23, 2019, the Company completed the acquisition of Navigators Group, a specialty underwriter.

For discussion of acquisitions, dispositions and reclassifications, see Note 1 - Basis of Presentation and Significant Accounting Policies of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.

The Hartford defines increases or decreases greater than or equal to 200% as “NM” or not meaningful.

For discussion of the earliest of the three years included in the financial statements of the current filing, refer to Part 2, Item 7, Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations in The Hartford’s 2019 Form 10-K Annual Report.

Index

Description Page

Key Performance Measures and Ratios 38

The Hartford's Operations 43

Consolidated Results of Operations 49

Investment Results 52

Critical Accounting Estimates 54

Commercial Lines 75

Personal Lines 80

Property & Casualty Other Operations 84

Group Benefits 85

Hartford Funds 88

Corporate 90

Enterprise Risk Management 91

Capital Resources and Liquidity 110

Impact of New Accounting Standards 119

Throughout the MD&A, we use certain terms and abbreviations, the more commonly used are summarized in the Acronyms section.

KEY PERFORMANCE MEASURES AND RATIOS

The Company considers the measures and ratios in the following discussion to be key performance indicators for its businesses. Management believes that these ratios and measures are useful in understanding the underlying trends in The Hartford’s businesses. However, these key performance indicators should only be used in conjunction with, and not in lieu of, the results presented in the segment discussions that follow in this MD&A. These ratios and measures may not be comparable to other performance measures used by the Company’s competitors.

Definitions of Non-GAAP and Other Measures and Ratios

Assets Under Management (“AUM”)- Include mutual fund and ETP assets. AUM is a measure used by the Company's Hartford Funds segment because a significant portion of the Company’s mutual fund and ETP revenues are based upon asset values. These revenues increase or decrease with a rise or fall in AUM whether caused by changes in the market or through net flows.

Book Value per Diluted Share (excluding AOCI)- This is a non-GAAP per share measure that is

Table of Contents Index to MD&A

Part II - Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

calculated by dividing (a) common stockholders' equity, excluding AOCI, after tax, by (b) common shares outstanding and dilutive potential common shares. The Company provides this measure to enable investors to analyze the amount of the Company's net worth that is primarily attributable to the Company's business operations. The Company believes that excluding AOCI from the numerator is useful to investors because it eliminates the effect of items that can fluctuate significantly from period to period, primarily based on changes in interest rates. Book value per diluted share is the most directly comparable U.S. GAAP measure.

Combined Ratio- The sum of the loss and loss adjustment expense ratio, the expense ratio and the policyholder dividend ratio. This ratio is a relative measurement that describes the related cost of losses and expenses for every $100 of earned premiums. A combined ratio below 100 demonstrates underwriting profit; a combined ratio above 100 demonstrates underwriting losses.

Core Earnings- The Hartford uses the non-GAAP measure core earnings as an important measure of the Company’s operating performance. The Hartford believes that core earnings provides investors with a valuable measure of the performance of the Company’s ongoing businesses because it reveals trends in our insurance and financial services businesses that may be obscured by including the net effect of certain items. Therefore, the following items are excluded from core earnings:

•Certain realized capital gains and losses - Some realized capital gains and losses are primarily driven by investment decisions and external economic developments, the nature and timing of which are unrelated to the insurance and underwriting aspects of our business. Accordingly, core earnings excludes the effect of all realized gains and losses that tend to be highly variable from period to period based on capital market conditions. The Hartford believes, however, that some realized capital gains and losses are integrally related to our insurance operations, so core earnings includes net realized gains and losses such as net periodic settlements on credit derivatives. These net realized gains and losses are directly related to an offsetting item included in the income statement such as net investment income.

•Restructuring and other costs - Costs incurred as part of a restructuring plan are not a recurring operating expense of the business.

•Loss on extinguishment of debt - Largely consisting of make-whole payments or tender premiums upon paying debt off before maturity, these losses are not a recurring operating expense of the business.

•Gains and losses on reinsurance transactions - Gains or losses on reinsurance, such as those entered into upon sale of

a business or to reinsure loss reserves, are not a recurring operating expense of the business.

•Integration and transaction costs in connection with an acquired business - As transaction costs are incurred upon acquisition of a business and integration costs are completed within a short period after an acquisition, they do not represent ongoing costs of the business.

•Change in loss reserves upon acquisition of a business - These changes in loss reserves are excluded from core earnings because such changes could obscure the ability to compare results in periods after the acquisition to results of periods prior to the acquisition.

•Deferred gain resulting from retroactive reinsurance and subsequent changes in the deferred gain - Retroactive reinsurance agreements economically transfer risk to the reinsurers and including the full benefit from retroactive reinsurance in core earnings provides greater insight into the economics of the business.

•Change in valuation allowance on deferred taxes related to non-core components of pre-tax income - These changes in valuation allowances are excluded from core earnings because they relate to non-core components of pre-tax income, such as tax attributes like capital loss carryforwards.

•Results of discontinued operations - These results are excluded from core earnings for businesses sold or held for sale because such results could obscure the ability to compare period over period results for our ongoing businesses.

In addition to the above components of net income available to common stockholders that are excluded from core earnings, preferred stock dividends declared, which are excluded from net income available to common stockholders, are included in the determination of core earnings. Preferred stock dividends are a cost of financing more akin to interest expense on debt and are expected to be a recurring expense as long as the preferred stock is outstanding.

Net income (loss) and net income (loss) available to common stockholders are the most directly comparable U.S. GAAP measures to core earnings. Core earnings should not be considered as a substitute for net income (loss) or net income (loss) available to common stockholders and does not reflect the overall profitability of the Company's business. Therefore, The Hartford believes that it is useful for investors to evaluate net income (loss), net income (loss) available to common stockholders, and core earnings when reviewing the Company's performance.

Table of Contents Index to MD&A

Part II - Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

Reconciliation of Net Income to Core Earnings

For the years ended December 31,

Preferred stock dividends 21 21 6

Net income available to common stockholders $ 1,716 $ 2,064 $ 1,801

Restructuring and other costs, before tax 104 — —

Loss on extinguishment of debt, before tax — 90 6

Loss on reinsurance transactions, before tax — 91 —

Pension settlement, before tax — — —

Change in loss reserves upon acquisition of a business, before tax — 97 —

Change in deferred gain on retroactive reinsurance, before tax 312 16 —

Income tax expense (benefit) (115) 2 (75)

Loss (income) from discontinued operations, net of tax — — (322)

Core Earnings Margin- The Hartford uses the non-GAAP measure core earnings margin to evaluate, and believes it is an important measure of, the Group Benefits segment's operating performance. Core earnings margin is calculated by dividing core earnings by revenues, excluding buyouts and realized gains (losses). Net income margin, calculated by dividing net income by revenues, is the most directly comparable U.S. GAAP measure. The Company believes that core earnings margin provides investors with a valuable measure of the performance of Group Benefits because it reveals trends in the business that may be obscured by the effect of buyouts and realized gains (losses) as well as other items excluded in the calculation of core earnings. Core earnings margin should not be considered as a substitute for net income margin and does not reflect the overall profitability of Group Benefits. Therefore, the Company believes it is important for investors to evaluate both core earnings margin and net income margin when reviewing performance. A reconciliation of net income margin to core earnings margin is set forth in the Results of Operations section within MD&A - Group Benefits.

Current Accident Year Catastrophe Ratio- A component of the loss and loss adjustment expense ratio, represents the ratio of catastrophe losses incurred in the current accident year (net of reinsurance) to earned premiums. For U.S. events, a catastrophe is an event that causes $25 or more in industry insured property losses and affects a significant number of property and casualty policyholders and insurers, as defined by the Property Claim Services office of Verisk. For international events, the Company's approach is similar, informed, in part, by how Lloyd's defines catastrophes. Lloyd's is an insurance market-place operating worldwide. Lloyd's does not underwrite risks. The Company accepts risks as the sole member of its Lloyd's Syndicate. The current accident year catastrophe ratio includes the effect of catastrophe losses, but does not include the effect of reinstatement premiums.

Expense Ratio- For the underwriting segments of Commercial Lines and Personal Lines is the ratio of underwriting expenses less fee income, to earned premiums. Underwriting expenses include the amortization of deferred policy acquisition costs ("DAC") and insurance operating costs and expenses, including certain centralized services costs and bad debt expense. DAC include commissions, taxes, licenses and fees and other incremental direct underwriting expenses and are amortized over the policy term.

The expense ratio for Group Benefits is expressed as the ratio of insurance operating costs and other expenses including amortization of intangibles and amortization of DAC, to premiums and other considerations, excluding buyout premiums.

The expense ratio for Commercial Lines, Personal Lines and Group Benefits does not include integration and other transaction costs associated with an acquired business.

Fee Income- Is largely driven from amounts earned as a result of contractually defined percentages of assets under management in our Hartford Funds business. These fees are generally earned on a daily basis. Therefore, the growth in assets under management either through positive net flows or favorable market performance will have a favorable impact on fee income. Conversely, either negative net flows or unfavorable market performance will reduce fee income.

Gross New Business Premium- Represents the amount of premiums charged, before ceded reinsurance, for policies issued to customers who were not insured with the Company in the previous policy term. Gross new business premium plus gross renewal written premium less ceded reinsurance equals total written premium.

Loss and Loss Adjustment Expense Ratio- A measure of the cost of claims incurred in the calendar year divided by earned premium and includes losses and loss adjustment expenses incurred for both the current and prior

Table of Contents Index to MD&A

Part II - Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

accident years. Among other factors, the loss and loss adjustment expense ratio needed for the Company to achieve its targeted ROE fluctuates from year to year based on changes in the expected investment yield over the claim settlement period, the timing of expected claim settlements and the targeted returns set by management based on the competitive environment.

The loss and loss adjustment expense ratio is affected by claim frequency and claim severity, particularly for shorter-tail property lines of business, where the emergence of claim frequency and severity is credible and likely indicative of ultimate losses. Claim frequency represents the percentage change in the average number of reported claims per unit of exposure in the current accident year compared to that of the previous accident year. Claim severity represents the percentage change in the estimated average cost per claim in the current accident year compared to that of the previous accident year. As one of the factors used to determine pricing, the Company’s practice is to first make an overall assumption about claim frequency and severity for a given line of business and then, as part of the rate-making process, adjust the assumption as appropriate for the particular state, product or coverage.

Loss and Loss Adjustment Expense Ratio before Catastrophes and Prior Accident Year Development- A measure of the cost of non-catastrophe loss and loss adjustment expenses incurred in the current accident year divided by earned premiums. Management believes that the current accident year loss and loss adjustment expense ratio before catastrophes is a performance measure that is useful to investors as it removes the impact of volatile and unpredictable catastrophe losses and prior accident year development.

Loss Ratio, excluding Buyouts- Utilized for the Group Benefits segment and is expressed as a ratio of benefits, losses and loss adjustment expenses, excluding those related to buyout premiums, to premiums and other considerations, excluding buyout premiums. Since Group Benefits occasionally buys a block of claims for a stated premium amount, the Company excludes this buyout from the loss ratio used for evaluating the profitability of the business as buyouts may distort the loss ratio. Buyout premiums represent takeover of open claim liabilities and other non-recurring premium amounts.

Mutual Fund and Exchange-Traded Product Assets- Are owned by the shareholders of those products and not by the Company and, therefore, are not reflected in the Company’s Consolidated Financial Statements except in instances where the Company seeds new investment products and holds an investment in the fund for a period of time. Mutual fund and ETP assets are a measure used by the Company primarily because a significant portion of the Company’s Hartford Funds segment revenues are based upon asset values. These revenues increase or decrease with a rise or fall in AUM whether caused by changes in the market or through net flows.

Net New Business Premium- Represents the amount of premiums charged, after ceded reinsurance, for policies issued to customers who were not insured with the Company in the previous policy term. Net new business premium plus renewal written premium equals total written premium.

Policies in Force- Represents the number of policies with coverage in effect as of the end of the period. The number of

policies in force is a growth measure used for Personal Lines and standard commercial lines (small commercial and middle market lines within middle & large commercial) within Commercial Lines and is affected by both new business growth and policy count retention.

Premium Retention- Represents renewal premium written in the current period divided by total premium written in the prior period.

Policy Count Retention- Represents the ratio of the number of policies renewed during the period divided by the number of policies available to renew. The number of policies available to renew represents the number of policies, net of any cancellations, written in the previous policy term. Policy count retention is affected by a number of factors, including the percentage of renewal policy quotes accepted and decisions by the Company to non-renew policies because of specific policy underwriting concerns or because of a decision to reduce premium writings in certain classes of business or states. Policy count retention is also affected by advertising and rate actions taken by competitors.

Policyholder Dividend Ratio- The ratio of policyholder dividends to earned premium.

Prior Accident Year Loss and Loss Adjustment Expense Ratio- Represents the increase (decrease) in the estimated cost of settling catastrophe and non-catastrophe claims incurred in prior accident years as recorded in the current calendar year divided by earned premiums.

Reinstatement Premiums- Represents additional ceded premium paid for the reinstatement of the amount of reinsurance coverage that was reduced as a result of the Company ceding losses to reinsurers.

Renewal Earned Price Increase (Decrease)- Written premiums are earned over the policy term, which is six months for certain Personal Lines automobile business and twelve months for substantially all of the remainder of the Company’s Property and Casualty business. Since the Company earns premiums over the six to twelve month term of the policies, renewal earned price increases (decreases) lag renewal written price increases (decreases) by six to twelve months.

Renewal Written Price Increase (Decrease)-For Commercial Lines, represents the combined effect of rate changes, amount of insurance and individual risk pricing decisions per unit of exposure on commercial lines policies that renewed. For Personal Lines, renewal written price increases represent the total change in premium per policy since the prior year on those policies that renewed and includes the combined effect of rate changes, amount of insurance and other changes in exposure. For Personal Lines, other changes in exposure include, but are not limited to, the effect of changes in number of drivers, vehicles and incidents, as well as changes in customer policy elections, such as deductibles and limits. The rate component represents the change in rate filed with and approved by state regulators during the period and the amount of insurance represents the change in the value of the rating base, such as model year/vehicle symbol for automobiles, building replacement costs for property and wage inflation for workers’ compensation. A number of factors affect renewal written price increases (decreases) including

Table of Contents Index to MD&A

Part II - Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

expected loss costs as projected by the Company’s pricing actuaries, rate filings approved by state regulators, risk selection decisions made by the Company’s underwriters and marketplace competition. Renewal written price changes reflect the property and casualty insurance market cycle. Prices tend to increase for a particular line of business when insurance carriers have incurred significant losses in that line of business in the recent past or the industry as a whole commits less of its capital to writing exposures in that line of business. Prices tend to decrease when recent loss experience has been favorable or when competition among insurance carriers increases. Renewal written price statistics are subject to change from period to period, based on a number of factors, including changes in actuarial estimates and the effect of subsequent cancellations and non-renewals, and modifications made to better reflect ultimate pricing achieved.

Return on Assets ("ROA"), Core Earnings- The Company uses this non-GAAP financial measure to evaluate, and believes is an important measure of, the Hartford Funds segment’s operating performance. ROA, core earnings is calculated by dividing annualized core earnings by a daily average AUM. ROA is the most directly comparable U.S. GAAP measure. The Company believes that ROA, core earnings, provides investors with a valuable measure of the performance of the Hartford Funds segment because it reveals trends in our business that may be obscured by the effect of items excluded in the calculation of core earnings. ROA, core earnings, should not be considered as a substitute for ROA and does not reflect the overall profitability of our Hartford Funds business. Therefore, the Company believes it is important for investors to evaluate both ROA, and ROA, core earnings when reviewing the Hartford Funds segment performance. A reconciliation of ROA to ROA, core earnings is set forth in the Results of Operations section within MD&A - Hartford Funds.

Underlying Combined Ratio-This non-GAAP financial measure of underwriting results represents the combined ratio before catastrophes, prior accident year development and current accident year change in loss reserves upon acquisition of

a business. Combined ratio is the most directly comparable GAAP measure. The underlying combined ratio represents the combined ratio for the current accident year, excluding the impact of current accident year catastrophes and current accident year change in loss reserves upon acquisition of a business. The Company believes this ratio is an important measure of the trend in profitability since it removes the impact of volatile and unpredictable catastrophe losses and prior accident year loss and loss adjustment expense reserve development. The changes to loss reserves upon acquisition of a business are excluded from underlying combined ratio because such changes could obscure the ability to compare results in periods after the acquisition to results of periods prior to the acquisition as such trends are valuable to our investors' ability to assess the Company's financial performance. A reconciliation of combined ratio to underlying combined ratio is set forth in the Results of Operations section within MD&A - Commercial Lines and Personal Lines.

Underwriting Gain (Loss)- The Hartford's management evaluates profitability of the Commercial and Personal Lines segments primarily on the basis of underwriting gain or loss. Underwriting gain (loss) is a before tax non-GAAP measure that represents earned premiums less incurred losses, loss adjustment expenses and underwriting expenses. Net income (loss) is the most directly comparable GAAP measure. Underwriting gain (loss) is influenced significantly by earned premium growth and the adequacy of The Hartford's pricing. Underwriting profitability over time is also greatly influenced by The Hartford's underwriting discipline, as management strives to manage exposure to loss through favorable risk selection and diversification, effective management of claims, use of reinsurance and its ability to manage its expenses. The Hartford believes that the measure underwriting gain (loss) provides investors with a valuable measure of profitability, before tax, derived from underwriting activities, which are managed separately from the Company's investing activities.

Table of Contents Index to MD&A

Part II - Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

Reconciliation of Net Income to Underwriting Gain (Loss)

For the years ended December 31,

Commercial Lines

Adjustments to reconcile net income to underwriting gain (loss):

Net servicing income (4) (2) (2)

Net realized capital losses (gains) 60 (271) 43

Loss on reinsurance transaction — 91 —

Underwriting gain (loss) $ (37) $ 189 $ 525

Personal Lines

Adjustments to reconcile net income to underwriting gain (loss):

Net servicing income (14) (13) (16)

Net realized capital losses (gains) 5 (43) 7

Other expense 1 1 1

Income tax expense (benefit) 184 76 (19)

P&C Other Ops

Adjustments to reconcile net income to underwriting gain (loss):

Net investment income (55) (84) (90)

Net realized capital losses (gains) 1 (20) 4

Other expense (income) (1) — 1

Income tax expense (benefit) (46) 12 (7)

Underwriting loss $ (269) $ (31) $ (77)

Written and Earned Premiums- Written premium represents the amount of premiums charged for policies issued, net of reinsurance, during a fiscal period. Premiums are considered earned and are included in the financial results principally on a pro rata basis over the policy period. Management believes that written premium is a performance measure that is useful to investors as it reflects current trends in the Company’s sale of property and casualty insurance products. Written and earned premium are recorded net of ceded reinsurance premium.

Traditional life and disability insurance type products, such as those sold by Group Benefits, collect premiums from policyholders in exchange for financial protection for the policyholder from a specified insurable loss, such as death or disability. These premiums, together with net investment income earned, are used to pay the contractual obligations under these insurance contracts. Two major factors, new sales and persistency, impact premium growth. Sales can increase or decrease in a given year based on a number of factors including, but not limited to, customer demand for the Company’s product offerings, pricing competition, distribution channels and the

Company’s reputation and ratings. Persistency refers to the percentage of premium remaining in-force from year-to-year.

THE HARTFORD'S OPERATIONS

The Hartford conducts business principally in five reporting segments including Commercial Lines, Personal Lines, Property & Casualty Other Operations, Group Benefits and Hartford Funds, as well as a Corporate category. The Company includes in the Corporate category reserves for run-off structured settlement and terminal funding agreement liabilities, restructuring costs, capital raising activities (including equity financing, debt financing and related interest expense), transaction expenses incurred in connection with an acquisition, purchase accounting adjustments related to goodwill, and other expenses not allocated to the reporting segments. Corporate also includes investment management fees and expenses related to managing third party business, including management of the invested assets of Talcott Resolution Life, Inc. and its subsidiaries ("Talcott Resolution").

Table of Contents Index to MD&A

Part II - Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

Talcott Resolution is the holding company of the life and annuity business that was sold in May 2018. In addition, Corporate includes a 9.7% ownership interest in the legal entity that acquired the life and annuity business sold.

The Company derives its revenues principally from: (a) premiums earned for insurance coverage provided to insureds; (b) management fees on mutual fund and ETP assets; (c) net investment income; (d) fees earned for services provided to third parties; and (e) net realized capital gains and losses. Premiums charged for insurance coverage are earned principally on a pro rata basis over the terms of the related policies in-force.

The profitability of the Company's property and casualty insurance businesses over time is greatly influenced by the Company’s underwriting discipline, which seeks to manage exposure to loss through favorable risk selection and diversification, its management of claims, its use of reinsurance, the size of its in force block, actual mortality and morbidity experience, and its ability to manage its expense ratio which it accomplishes through economies of scale and its management of acquisition costs and other underwriting expenses. Pricing adequacy depends on a number of factors, including the ability to obtain regulatory approval for rate changes, proper evaluation of underwriting risks, the ability to project future loss cost frequency and severity based on historical loss experience adjusted for known trends, the Company’s response to rate actions taken by competitors, its expense levels and expectations about regulatory and legal developments. The Company seeks to price its insurance policies such that insurance premiums and future net investment income earned on premiums received will cover underwriting expenses and the ultimate cost of paying claims reported on the policies and provide for a profit margin. For many of its insurance products, the Company is required to obtain approval for its premium rates from state insurance departments and the Lloyd's Syndicate's ability to write business is subject to Lloyd's approval for its premium capacity each year. Most of Personal Lines written premium is associated with our exclusive licensing agreement with AARP. This agreement provides an important competitive advantage given the size of the 50 plus population and the strength of the AARP brand. During the second quarter of 2020, the Company extended this agreement through December 31, 2032.

Similar to property and casualty, profitability of the group benefits business depends, in large part, on the ability to evaluate and price risks appropriately and make reliable estimates of mortality, morbidity, disability and longevity. To manage the pricing risk, Group Benefits generally offers term insurance policies, allowing for the adjustment of rates or policy terms in order to minimize the adverse effect of market trends, loss costs, declining interest rates and other factors. However, as policies are typically sold with rate guarantees of up to three years, pricing for the Company’s products could prove to be inadequate if loss and expense trends emerge adversely during the rate guarantee period or if investment returns are lower than expected at the time the products were sold. For some of its products, the Company is required to obtain approval for its premium rates from state insurance departments. New and renewal business for group benefits business, particularly for long-term disability, are priced using an assumption about expected investment yields over time. While the Company employs asset-liability duration matching strategies to mitigate risk and may use interest-rate sensitive derivatives to hedge its

exposure in the Group Benefits investment portfolio, cash flow patterns related to the payment of benefits and claims are uncertain and actual investment yields could differ significantly from expected investment yields, affecting profitability of the business. In addition to appropriately evaluating and pricing risks, the profitability of the Group Benefits business depends on other factors, including the Company’s response to pricing decisions and other actions taken by competitors, its ability to offer voluntary products and self-service capabilities, the persistency of its sold business and its ability to manage its expenses which it seeks to achieve through economies of scale and operating efficiencies.

The financial results of the Company’s mutual fund and ETP businesses depend largely on the amount of assets under management and the level of fees charged based, in part, on asset share class and product type. Changes in assets under management are driven by the two main factors of net flows and the market return of the funds, which are heavily influenced by the return realized in the equity and bond markets. Net flows are comprised of new sales less redemptions by mutual fund and ETP shareholders. Financial results are highly correlated to the growth in assets under management since these products generally earn fee income on a daily basis.

The investment return, or yield, on invested assets is an important element of the Company’s earnings since insurance products are priced with the assumption that premiums received can be invested for a period of time before benefits, losses and loss adjustment expenses are paid. Due to the need to maintain sufficient liquidity to satisfy claim obligations, the majority of the Company’s invested assets have been held in available-for-sale securities, including, among other asset classes, corporate bonds, municipal bonds, government debt, short-term debt, mortgage-backed securities, asset-backed securities and collateralized loan obligations. The primary investment objective for the Company is to maximize economic value, consistent with acceptable risk parameters, including the management of credit risk and interest rate sensitivity of invested assets, while generating sufficient net of tax income to meet policyholder and corporate obligations. Investment strategies are developed based on a variety of factors including business needs, regulatory requirements and tax considerations.

Impact of COVID-19 on our financial condition, results of operations and liquidity

Impact to revenues

Earned premiums

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused significant disruption to the economy of the U.S. and other countries in which we operate. Due to government restrictions that have prevented some businesses from offering goods and services to their customers and due to shelter-in-place guidelines that have reduced business activity, many of our customers, especially small businesses, have had to curtail their operations or have found they are unable to meet cash flow needs due to declining business volume, causing some to lay off workers. As one of the largest providers of small business insurance in the U.S., in 2020, we experienced a 3% year over year decline in our small commercial written premium although trends improved in the second half of 2020. In addition

Table of Contents Index to MD&A

Part II - Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

to the expected decline in small commercial written and earned premium, other business lines in Commercial Lines have also been negatively affected due to government-mandated restrictions and stay-at-home guidelines reducing business activity and due to consumers having less disposable income or less willingness to spend on the products and services that our commercial lines policyholders sell. Excluding the effect of the Navigators acquisition, Commercial Lines written premium declined $290, or 4%, year over year driven by lower new business and due to endorsements or other changes to in-force policies that decrease premiums to reflect reduced exposures.

Within Commercial Lines, workers’ compensation written premium declined year over year, partly due to declining payrolls as a result of the economic effects of COVID-19.

Contributing to a 6% decline in Personal Lines written premium in 2020 was the effect of increased shopping behaviors, and lower new business levels arising out of the competitive marketplace. In addition, The Hartford provided a 15 percent refund on policyholders’ April, May and June personal automobile insurance premiums which reduced Personal Lines written and earned premiums by $81 in the second quarter of 2020. In Group Benefits, fully insured ongoing premium decreased 2% in 2020 resulting primarily from lower insured exposure on in-force policies. Because of the economic stress caused by COVID-19, we also experienced a higher amount of uncollectible premiums receivable in 2020. As a result, to reflect our higher expectation of credit losses, The Hartford increased its allowance for credit losses ("ACL") on premiums receivable by $40 in the twelve months ended December 31, 2020.

Net investment income and realized capital gains (losses)

Total net investment income decreased in 2020 primarily due to a lower yield on fixed maturity investments resulting from lower reinvestment rates and lower yields on floating rate securities, partially offset by a higher level of invested assets, due in part to the acquisition of Navigators Group. In an effort to stimulate the economy, central banks have reduced benchmark interest rates to near zero, impacting our yields on floating rate securities and reinvestment rates. From late March to mid-May, 2020, the Company temporarily reinvested receipts of interest and proceeds from maturing fixed maturity investments in liquid, short-term investments. While the Company resumed investing in fixed maturities in May, 2020, lower interest rates since the pandemic began have generally resulted in lower investment yields on newly invested funds. A prolonged period of lower interest rates could depress the Company's net investment income such that to earn the same level of return on equity we may have to charge higher premiums for the insurance products we sell unless loss costs similarly lessen.

Net realized capital gains (losses) on equity securities for the year ended December 31, 2020 totaled $(214) before tax, consisting of unrealized mark-to-market gains (losses) on equity securities held and net realized gains (losses) on equity securities sold, net of realized gains on equity derivative hedges. While equity markets in the last nine months of 2020 increased more than the value they lost during the first quarter, economic conditions remain uncertain and if equity markets were to experience similar declines as occurred in the first quarter of 2020, we may incur more net realized capital losses in future periods.

Net realized capital losses for the year ended December 31, 2020 also included $47 of increases in the allowance for credit losses, partially offset by reversals of the allowance due to improvements in market value or sales, and $5 of intent-to-sell impairments. The increase in the allowance for credit losses in the twelve month period included increases of $28 on available for sale fixed maturities and increases of $19 on commercial mortgage loans. If it takes a prolonged period for the economy to recover or if the impacts of the economic downturn are deeper than anticipated, we could experience further credit losses and intent-to-sell impairments, particularly with highly leveraged companies and issuers in the energy, commercial real estate, and travel and leisure sectors, resulting in further net realized capital losses.

Impact to direct benefits, losses and loss adjustment expenses from COVID-19 claims

For the year ended December 31, 2020, we recorded direct COVID-19 incurred losses in P&C of $278, reflecting management’s best estimate of the ultimate cost of settling COVID-19 claims incurred, including $141 for property claims, $66 for workers’ compensation, net of favorable frequency on other workers' compensation claims, and $71 of incurred losses largely concentrated in financial lines such as D&O and E&O and in surety and marine.

Nearly all of our property insurance policies require direct physical loss or damage to property and contain standard exclusions that we believe preclude coverage for COVID-19 related claims, and the vast majority of such policies contain exclusions for virus-related losses. Included in the $141 of COVID-19 property incurred losses and loss adjustment expenses in the twelve month period were $101 of losses arising from a small number of property policies that do not require direct physical loss or damage and from policies intended to cover specific business needs, including crisis management and performance disruption, as well as a reserve of $40 for legal defense costs. Given the significant business disruptions that have occurred due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Company has experienced increased property claims, resulting in increased litigation activity and legal expenses. Within Property & Casualty, we incur COVID-19 workers’ compensation losses when it is determined that workers were exposed to COVID-19 out of and in the course of their employment and in other cases where states have passed laws providing for the presumption of coverage for certain industry classes, including health care and other essential workers. While current accident year losses for workers’ compensation for the year ended December 31, 2020 increased by $180 due to COVID-19 claims, this has been partially offset by lower claim frequency of non-COVID-19 related workers’ compensation claims due to reduced business activity, resulting in a net increase in incurred losses of $66. Favorable non-COVID-19 workers’ compensation claim frequency could continue through 2021 though possibly to a lesser extent if more business activity resumes. The Company could incur additional COVID-19 direct incurred losses in P&C through much of 2021, particularly for workers’ compensation and financial lines.

Within Group Benefits, the Company experienced excess mortality in its group life business of $239 in 2020, primarily caused by direct and indirect impacts of COVID-19. Within the group disability business, in 2020 the Company recognized $29 of

Table of Contents Index to MD&A

Part II - Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

COVID-19 direct losses from short-term disability claims, more than offset by $38 of favorable frequency on other short-term disability claims.

Other impacts from COVID-19 and resulting economic downturn

Apart from impacts on the investment portfolio, net investment income and net realized capital gains (losses), in 2020, the Company incurred a number of other insurance business impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting economic downturn as follows:

•For the year ended December 31, 2020, we recognized an estimated decrease in current accident incurred losses in Personal Lines automobile of $218 due to a significant reduction in miles driven since the pandemic began, though miles driven has begun to increase again. In the second quarter of 2020, Personal Lines written and earned premiums were reduced by $81 due to providing automobile policyholders with premium refunds or credits in recognition of the decrease in miles driven.

•The Company experienced the impacts of lower premium retention, including the impact of a lower exposure base on workers' compensation premium.

•From April through approximately July of 2020, the Company waived late payment fees for a period of time for business and personal insurance customers and temporarily suspended the policy cancellation process for policyholders of our Commercial Lines, Personal Lines and Group Benefits segments with the period of policy cancellations for non-payment varying by state.

•Because of the economic stress caused by COVID-19 and partly due to the extension of billing terms, we expect a higher amount of uncollectible premiums receivable. As a result, to reflect our higher expectation of credit losses, The Hartford increased its ACL on premiums receivable by $40 in the year ended December 31, 2020.

•Apart from the increase in the premiums receivable allowance, we have experienced a decline in insurance operating costs and other expenses partly due to lower travel and employee benefits costs and lower operating costs associated with lower earned premium volumes.

Considering the impacts of COVID-19, the Company evaluated the impact of market factors on the fair value of the reporting units using the income approach and determined the estimated fair values do not indicate a goodwill impairment for any reporting unit. The annual goodwill assessment for the reporting units was completed as of October 31, 2020, and resulted in no write-downs of goodwill for the year ended December 31, 2020.

For information about additional resources the Company has to manage capital and liquidity during the COVID-19 pandemic and economic downturn, refer to the Capital Resources & Liquidity section of MD&A.

For additional information about the potential impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting economic downturn, see the risk factor "The pandemic caused by the spread of COVID-19 has disrupted our operations and may have a material adverse impact

on our business results, financial condition, results of operations and/or liquidity" in Item 1A of Part I.

Common stockholders’ equity

Apart from the direct loss and premium impacts of COVID-19 on net income, we could also experience a reduction in AOCI within common stockholders’ equity. The net unrealized gain position on our portfolio of fixed maturities, AFS increased by $1.4 billion from December 31, 2019 to December 31, 2020, due to an increase in valuations resulting from a decline in interest rates. If credit spreads widen going forward or if interest rates increase from the level they were at as of December 31, 2020, we would recognize a decline in the fair value of fixed maturities, AFS in future periods through a reduction of AOCI within common stockholders’ equity.

In December 2020, the Company announced a $1.5 billion equity repurchase authorization by the Board of Directors which is effective from January 1, 2021 through December 31, 2022. Any future repurchase of shares is dependent on market conditions and other factors including the extent to which COVID-19 impacts our business, results of operations, financial condition and liquidity. For further information, see Note 16 - Equity of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.

Operational Transformation and Cost Reduction Plan

In recognition of the need to become more cost efficient and competitive along with enhancing the experience we provide to agents and customers, on July 30, 2020, the Company announced an operational transformation and cost reduction plan it refers to as Hartford Next. Through reduction of its headcount, IT investments to further enhance our capabilities, and other activities, relative to 2019, the Company expects to achieve a reduction in annual insurance operating costs and other expenses of approximately $500 by 2022. The Hartford Next program will contribute to our goal of reducing the 2022 P&C expense ratio by about 2.0 to 2.5 points, reducing the 2022 Group Benefits expense ratio by about 1.5 to 2.0 points and reducing our 2022 claim expense ratio by approximately 0.5 point.

To achieve those expected savings, we expect to incur approximately $410, with $153 expensed over the last six months of 2020, and expected expenses of $110 in 2021, $77 in 2022 and $70 after 2022, with the expenses after 2022 consisting mostly of amortization of internal use software and capitalized real estate costs. The estimated costs of approximately $410 includes an expected $54 in capitalized development costs for internal use software to be amortized over the useful life of the software, typically 3 years, and approximately $23 of capitalized real estate assets to be amortized over their useful lives. Included in the estimated costs of $410, we expect to incur restructuring costs of approximately $158, including $73 of employee severance, and approximately $85 of other costs, including consulting expenses and the cost to retire certain IT applications.

Restructuring costs are reported as a charge to net income but not in core earnings. All other costs of the Hartford Next program will be included in insurance operating costs and other expenses in the Consolidated Statement of Operations. Relative to 2019 full year actual expenses, the Company recognized a net increase in insurance operating costs and other expenses of approximately

Table of Contents Index to MD&A

Part II - Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

$47 over the last six months of 2020 and expects a net expense reduction of approximately $240 in 2021 and approximately $423 in 2022.

The following table presents Hartford Next program costs incurred, including restructuring costs, and expense savings realized in 2020 from the inception of the program on July 30, 2020 through December 31, 2020, and expected costs and expense savings in each year through the expected completion of the program on December 31, 2022:

Hartford Next Costs and Expense Savings

Employee severance $ 73 $ — $ —

IT costs to retire applications 2 10 14

Professional fees and other expenses 29 23 7

Estimated restructuring costs 104 33 21

Non-capitalized IT costs 30 56 33

Amortization of capitalized IT development costs [1] — 1 5

Amortization of capitalized real estate [2] — 1 3

Estimated costs within core earnings 49 77 56

Total Hartford Next program costs 153 110 77

Net expense (savings) before tax $ 47 $ (240) $ (423)

Net expense (savings) before tax:

To be accounted for within core earnings $ (57) $ (273) $ (444)

Restructuring costs recognized outside of core earnings 104 33 21

Net expense (savings) before tax $ 47 $ (240) $ (423)

[1] Does not include approximately $48 of IT asset amortization after 2022.

[2] Does not include approximately $19 of real estate amortization after 2022.

Table of Contents Index to MD&A

Part II - Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

2020 Financial Highlights

+ Decrease in weighted average shares outstanding

- A decrease in net investment income

- Higher mortality within group life driven by COVID-19

- Restructuring costs related to the Hartford Next initiative

+ Loss on reinsurance and loss on extinguishment of debt in 2019

+ Greater net favorable prior accident year development

Þ Decreased 40 bps Þ Improved 0.8 points Þ Decreased 2.4 points

- Lower net investment income

Table of Contents Index to MD&A

Part II - Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

CONSOLIDATED RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

The Consolidated Results of Operations should be read in conjunction withthe Company's Consolidated Financial Statements and the related Notes as well as with the segment operating results sections of the MD&A.

Consolidated Results of Operations

Net realized capital gains (losses) (14) 395 (112) (104 %) NM

Amortization of deferred policy acquisition costs 1,706 1,622 1,384 5 % 17 %

Insurance operating costs and other expenses 4,480 4,580 4,281 (2 %) 7 %

Loss on extinguishment of debt — 90 6 (100 %) NM

Loss on reinsurance transactions — 91 — (100 %) NM

Amortization of other intangible assets 72 66 68 9 % (3 %)

Restructuring and other costs 104 — — NM — %

Income from discontinued operations, net of tax — — 322 — % (100 %)

Preferred stock dividends 21 21 6 — % NM

Year ended December 31, 2020 compared to year ended December 31, 2019

Net income available to common stockholders decreased by $348 primarily driven by a $409 before tax change from net realized capital gains in the 2019 period to net realized capital losses in the 2020 period, $278 before tax of P&C COVID-19 claims in the 2020 period, higher mortality in group life, mostly driven by COVID-19, a $143 before tax increase in current accident year catastrophes, a $105 before tax decrease in net investment income, and $104 before tax of restructuring costs, partially offset by lower Personal Lines automobile claim frequency in the 2020 period net of premium credits given to policyholders in second quarter 2020, lower non-catastrophe property losses, a decrease in P&C insurance operating costs, higher net favorable P&C prior accident year development, and the effect of charges in 2019, including the Navigators ADC premium paid of $91 before tax and a $90 before tax loss on debt extinguishment.

For a discussion of the Company's operating results by segment, see MD&A - Segment Operating Summaries. In addition, for further discussion of impacts resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, refer to the Impact of COVID-19 on our financial condition, results of operations and liquidity section of this MD&A.

Table of Contents Index to MD&A

Part II - Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

Revenue

Earned Premiums

[1]For the years ended 2020 and 2019, the total includes $9 and $10, respectively, recorded in Corporate other revenue.

Year ended December 31, 2020 compared to year ended December 31, 2019

Earned premiums increased primarily due to:

•An increase in Property and Casualty reflecting a 7% increase in Commercial Lines driven by the Navigators Group acquisition, partially offset by a 6% decline in Personal Lines. Driving part of the decrease in Personal Lines earned premiums was the impact of the Company offering a 15 percent credit on policyholders’ April, May and June personal automobile insurance premiums totaling $81.

HIG US Equity

HIG · 10-K · period ended 2020-12-31

Item 1A. RISK FACTORS

Item 2. PROPERTIES

Item 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

Item 5. MARKET FOR THE HARTFORD’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES

Item 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

HIG US Equity☆

HIG · 10-K · period ended 2020-12-31

Item 1A. RISK FACTORS

Item 2. PROPERTIES

Item 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

Item 5. MARKET FOR THE HARTFORD’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES

Item 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

HIG US Equity