HIG US Equity☆

hig-20251231

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

(Mark One)

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025

or

For the transition period from to

Commission file number 001-13958

The Hartford Insurance Group, Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

One Hartford Plaza, Hartford, Connecticut06155

(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)

(860)547-5000

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12 (b) of the Act:

Title of each class Trading Symbol(s) Name of each exchange on which registered

Common Stock, par value $0.01 per share HIG The New York Stock Exchange

6.10% Senior Notes due October 1, 2041 HIG 41 The New York Stock Exchange

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12 (g) of the Act:

None

1

Indicate by check mark:

Large accelerated filer ☑ Accelerated filer ☐

Non-accelerated filer ☐ Smaller reporting company ☐

Emerging growth company ☐

The aggregate market value of the shares of Common Stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant as of June 30, 2025 was approximately $36 billion, based on the closing price of $126.87 per share of the Common Stock on the New York Stock Exchange on June 30, 2025.

As of February 19, 2026, there were outstanding 275,863,220 shares of Common Stock, $0.01 par value per share, of the registrant.

Documents Incorporated by Reference

Portions of the registrant’s definitive proxy statement for its 2026 annual meeting of stockholders are incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K.

2

The Hartford Insurance Group, Inc.

Annual Report on Form 10-K

For the Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2025

Table of Contents

Item Description Page

Part I

1 Business 6

1A. Risk Factors 21

1B. Unresolved Staff Comments None

1C. Cybersecurity 33

3 Legal Proceedings 34

4 Mine Safety Disclosures Not Applicable

Part II

6 Reserved None

7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk [a]

8 Financial Statements and Supplementary Data [b]

9A. Controls and Procedures 115

9B. Other Information 117

Part III

10 Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance of The Hartford 118

11 Executive Compensation [c]

13 Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence [d]

14 Principal Accountant Fees and Services [e]

Part IV

15 Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules 120

Exhibits Index 221

16 Form 10-K Summary Not Applicable

[a]The information required by this item is set forth in the Enterprise Risk Management section of Item 7, Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations and is incorporated herein by reference.

[b] See Index to Consolidated Financial Statements and Schedules elsewhere herein.

[c]The information called for by Item 11 will be set forth in the Proxy Statement under the subcaptions "Compensation Discussion and Analysis", "Executive Compensation Tables", "Director Compensation", "Report of the Compensation and Management Development Committee", "Pay Versus Performance" and "CEO Pay Ratio" and is incorporated herein by reference.

[d]Any information called for by Item 13 will be set forth in the Proxy Statement under the caption and subcaption "Board and Governance Matters" and "Director Independence" and is incorporated herein by reference.

[e]The information called for by Item 14 will be set forth in the Proxy Statement under the caption "Audit Matters" and is incorporated herein by reference.

3

Forward-looking Statements

Certain of the statements contained herein are forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements can be identified by words such as “anticipates,” “intends,” “plans,” “seeks,” “believes,” “estimates,” “expects,” “projects,” and similar references to future periods.

Forward-looking statements are based on management's current expectations and assumptions regarding future economic, competitive, legislative and other developments and their potential effect upon The Hartford Insurance Group, Inc. and its subsidiaries (collectively, the "Company" or "The Hartford"). Because forward-looking statements relate to the future, they are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict. Actual results could differ materially from expectations depending on the evolution of various factors, including the risks and uncertainties identified below, as well as factors described in such forward-looking statements; or in Part I, Item 1A, Risk Factors, in Part II, Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, and those identified from time to time in our other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

•Risks Relating to Economic, Political and Global Market Conditions:

◦challenges related to the Company’s current operating environment, including global political, economic and market conditions, and the effect of financial market disruptions, economic downturns, changes in trade regulation including tariffs and other barriers or other potentially adverse macroeconomic developments on the demand for our products and returns in our investment portfolios;

◦market risks associated with our business, including changes in credit spreads, equity prices, interest rates, inflation rate, foreign currency exchange rates and market volatility;

◦the impact on our investment portfolio if our investment portfolio is concentrated in any particular segment of the economy;

◦the impacts of changing climate and weather patterns on our businesses, operations and investment portfolio including on claims, demand and pricing of our products, the availability and cost of reinsurance, our modeling data used to evaluate and manage risks of catastrophes and severe weather events, the value of our investment portfolios and credit risk with reinsurers and other counterparties;

•Insurance Industry and Product-Related Risks:

◦the possibility of unfavorable loss development, including with respect to long-tailed exposures;

◦the significant uncertainties that limit our ability to estimate the ultimate reserves necessary for asbestos and environmental claims;

◦the possibility of a pandemic, civil unrest, earthquake, or other natural or man-made disaster that may adversely affect our businesses;

◦weather and other natural physical events, including the intensity and frequency of thunderstorms, tornadoes, hail, wildfires, flooding, winter storms, hurricanes and tropical storms, as well as climate change and its potential impact on weather patterns;

◦the possible occurrence of terrorist attacks and the Company’s inability to contain its exposure as a result of, among other factors, the inability to exclude coverage for terrorist attacks from workers' compensation policies and limitations on reinsurance coverage from the federal government under applicable laws;

◦the Company’s ability to effectively price its products and policies, including its ability to obtain regulatory consents to pricing actions or to non-renewal or withdrawal of certain product lines;

◦actions by competitors that may be larger or have greater financial resources than we do;

◦technological changes, including usage-based methods of determining premiums, advancements in certain emerging technologies, including machine learning, predictive analytics, “big data” analysis or other artificial intelligence functions, advancements in automotive safety features, the development of autonomous vehicles, and platforms that facilitate ride sharing could provide our competitors with a competitive advantage and could impact the rate and severity of claims, as well as the demand for our products;

◦the Company's ability to market, distribute and provide insurance products and investment advisory services through current and future distribution channels and advisory firms;

◦the uncertain effects of emerging claim and coverage issues;

◦political instability, politically motivated violence or civil unrest, which may increase the frequency and severity of insured losses;

•Financial Strength, Credit and Counterparty Risks:

◦risks to our business, financial position, prospects and results associated with negative rating actions or downgrades in the Company’s financial strength and credit ratings or negative rating actions or downgrades relating to our investments;

◦capital requirements which are subject to many factors, including many that are outside the Company’s control, such as National Association of Insurance Commissioners ("NAIC") risk based capital formulas, rating agency capital models, Funds at Lloyd's

4

and Solvency Capital Requirement, which can in turn affect our credit and financial strength ratings, cost of capital, regulatory compliance and other aspects of our business and results;

◦losses due to nonperformance or defaults by others, including credit risk with counterparties associated with investments, derivatives, premiums receivable, reinsurance recoverables and indemnifications provided by third parties in connection with previous dispositions;

◦the potential for losses due to our reinsurers' unwillingness or inability to meet their obligations under reinsurance contracts and the availability, pricing and adequacy of reinsurance to protect the Company against losses;

◦state and international regulatory limitations on the ability of the Company and certain of its subsidiaries to declare and pay dividends;

•Risks Relating to Estimates, Assumptions and Valuations:

◦risks associated with the use of analytical models in making decisions in key areas such as underwriting, pricing, capital management, reserving, investments, reinsurance and catastrophe risk management;

◦the potential for differing interpretations of the methodologies, estimations and assumptions that underlie the Company’s fair value estimates for its investments and the evaluation of intent-to-sell impairments and allowance for credit losses on available-for-sale securities and mortgage loans;

◦the potential for impairments of our goodwill;

•Strategic and Operational Risks:

◦the Company’s ability to maintain the availability of its systems and safeguard the security of its data in the event of a disaster, cyber breach or other information security incident, technology failure or other unanticipated event;

◦the potential for difficulties arising from outsourcing, including vendors and similar third-party relationships;

◦the risks, challenges and uncertainties associated with capital management plans, expense reduction initiatives and other actions;

◦risks associated with acquisitions and divestitures, including the challenges of integrating acquired companies or businesses, which may result in our inability to achieve the anticipated benefits and synergies and may result in unintended consequences;

◦difficulty in attracting and retaining talented and qualified personnel, including key employees, such as executives, managers and employees with strong technological, analytical and other specialized skills;

◦the Company’s ability to protect its intellectual property and defend against claims of infringement;

•Regulatory and Legal Risks:

◦the cost and other potential effects of increased federal, state and international regulatory and legislative developments, including those that could adversely impact the demand for the Company’s products, operating costs and required capital levels;

◦unfavorable judicial or legislative developments;

◦the impact of changes in federal, state or foreign tax laws;

◦regulatory requirements that could delay, deter or prevent a takeover attempt that stockholders might consider in their best interests; and

◦the impact of potential changes in accounting principles and related financial reporting requirements.

Any forward-looking statement made by the Company in this document speaks only as of the date of the filing of this Form 10-K. Factors or events that could cause the Company’s actual results to differ may emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for the Company to predict all of them. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise.

5

Table of Contents Index to Business

Part I - Item 1. Business

Item 1.

Business

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

Index

Description Page

General 6

Organization 6

Purpose and Strategic Priorities 6

Reportable Segments and Corporate 7

Reserves 15

Underwriting for P&C and Employee Benefits 16

Claims Administration for P&C and Employee Benefits 16

Reinsurance 16

Investment Operations 17

Enterprise Risk Management 17

Regulation 17

Intellectual Property 18

Human Capital Resources 18

Available Information 20

General

The Hartford Insurance Group, Inc. ("HIG") (together with its subsidiaries, “The Hartford”, the “Company”, “we”, or “our”) is a holding company for a group of subsidiaries that provide property and casualty ("P&C") insurance, employee group benefits insurance and services, and mutual funds and exchange-traded funds ("ETF") to individual and business customers in the United States, as well as in the United Kingdom and other international locations. The Hartford is headquartered in Connecticut and its oldest subsidiary, Hartford Fire Insurance Company, dates back to 1810. As of December 31, 2025, total assets and total stockholders’ equity of The Hartford were $86.0 billion and $19.0 billion, respectively.

Organization

The Hartford strives to maintain and enhance its position as a market leader within the insurance industry. The Company sells diverse and innovative products through multiple distribution channels to individuals and businesses and is considered a leading property & casualty and employee group benefits insurer. The Hartford Stag logo is a widely recognized symbol in the insurance industry.

As a holding company, HIG is separate and distinct from its subsidiaries and has no significant business operations of its own. The holding company relies on the dividends from its insurance companies and other subsidiaries as the principal source of cash flow to meet its obligations, pay dividends and repurchase common stock. Information regarding the cash flow

and liquidity needs of The Hartford Insurance Group, Inc. may be found in Part II, Item 7, Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (“MD&A”) — Capital Resources and Liquidity.

Purpose and Strategic Priorities

The Hartford’s mission is to provide people and businesses with the support and protection they need to pursue their unique ambitions, seize opportunity, and prevail through unexpected challenges. Our strategy to maximize value creation for all stakeholders remains consistent and focuses on the following priorities across our businesses:

•Embracing a culture of growth, innovation and cross-enterprise collaboration;

•Advancing leading underwriting capabilities across our portfolio to offer expanded products and services that solve for a broader range of customer needs;

•Maximizing distribution channels to increase market share;

•Deepening customer centricity by delivering seamless, personalized experiences that build lasting trust and reflect the evolving needs of those we serve;

•Optimizing organizational efficiency with a focus on continuous improvement;

•Accelerating artificial intelligence enablement and responsibly leveraging data, analytics, and digital capabilities to deliver smarter, faster outcomes across the businesses;

•Developing future ready talent to lead in a constantly evolving world; and

•Balancing use of excess capital for growth initiatives, investments in the business, and return to stockholders through dividends and share repurchases.

We endeavor to maintain and enhance our position as a market leader by leveraging our core strengths of underwriting excellence, risk management, claims, product development and distribution.

An ethical, people-oriented, and performance-driven culture drives our values. We are committed to maintaining and enhancing our culture and are proud of our reputation for ethics and integrity.

6

Table of Contents Index to Business

Part I - Item 1. Business

Reportable Segments and Corporate

The Hartford conducts business principally in five reportable segments, including Business Insurance, Personal Insurance, Property & Casualty Other Operations, Employee Benefits and Hartford Funds, as well as a Corporate category.

The following discussion describes the principal products and services, marketing and distribution, and competition of The Hartford's reportable segments. For further discussion of the reportable segments, including financial disclosures of revenues by product line, significant segment expenses, net income (loss), and assets for each reportable segment, see Note 3 - Segment Information of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.

2025 Revenues of $28,368 by Segment/Category

[1]Includes Revenue of $73 for Property & Casualty Other Operations and $147 for the Corporate category.

Business Insurance

2025 Earned Premiums of $13,883 by Line of Business

2025 Earned Premiums of $13,883 by Product

7

Table of Contents Index to Business

Part I - Item 1. Business

Principal Products and Services

Package Business Covers both commercial property and general liability damages.

Through its three lines of business, small business, middle & large business, and global specialty, Business Insurance offers its products and services to businesses in the United States ("U.S.") and internationally. Business Insurance generally consists of products written for businesses of all sizes, largely distributed through retail agents and brokers, wholesale agents and global and specialty insurance and reinsurance brokers, serving both admitted and non-admitted markets. The majority of Business Insurance written premium is generated by small business and middle market lines (the portion of middle & large business excluding the loss-sensitive book), which provide coverage options and customized pricing based on the policyholder’s individual risk characteristics.

Small business provides coverages for small businesses, which the Company generally considers to be businesses with an annual payroll under $20, revenues under $50 and property values less than $20 per location. The Company serves a broad range of small businesses, with an average written premium of less than $5 thousand per policy. Primary coverages provided include workers' compensation, property, general liability and commercial automobile, with both property and general liability coverages offered as a single package policy, marketed under the Spectrum name. Small business also provides excess and surplus lines coverage to small businesses including property, general liability, umbrella and other coverages.

Middle & large business provides insurance coverage to a broad spectrum of companies, from mid-sized firms to large national accounts. These are businesses whose payroll, revenue and

property values exceed the small business threshold. Middle & large business offers standard commercial lines products, including workers' compensation, property, general liability, commercial automobile and, umbrella and excess products, coupled with global specialty offerings. Middle & large business includes programs business which provides tailored programs, primarily to customers with common risk characteristics. For national accounts, a significant portion of the business is written through large deductible programs. Other programs written within middle & large business are loss sensitive, or retrospectively-rated where the ultimate premium collected from the insured is adjusted based on how incurred losses for the policy year develop over time, subject to a minimum and maximum premium. Also within middle & large business, the Company writes captive business, which provides tailored programs to those seeking a loss sensitive solution where premiums are adjustable based on loss experience. In addition to flexible premium structures, captive programs may offer potential tax advantages, enable a greater degree of self-insurance, and allow clients to retain underwriting profits with improved total cost of risk and enhanced risk management through customized coverage. Additionally, through business partners, middle & large business offers business insurance coverages to exporters and other U.S. companies with a physical presence overseas.

Lines of business written by small business and middle & large business are subject to rate regulation and written pricing increases or decreases that are partly in response to loss cost trends. Workers’ compensation rates are based on loss experience and are informed by data submitted through the

8

Table of Contents Index to Business

Part I - Item 1. Business

National Council on Compensation Insurance ("NCCI"). Workers’ compensation rates have been under downward pressure for the industry due to favorable loss cost trends in recent years. General liability and commercial automobile rate increases have been supported by elevated loss cost trends in recent years, while rate increases in property are decelerating.

Global specialty provides a variety of customized insurance products, including property, general liability, marine, professional liability, bond, and excess and surplus lines, for companies of all sizes. Global specialty also offers various products internationally as a sole corporate member of Lloyd’s Syndicate 1221 ("Lloyd's Syndicate"). In addition, global specialty also offers assumed reinsurance for various risks including property, liability, surety, marine, credit and political, and agricultural, primarily in Europe and the America’s.

Marketing and Distribution

Business Insurance provides insurance products and services through the Company’s regional offices, branches and sales and policyholder service centers throughout the United States and, to a lesser extent, overseas, principally in the United Kingdom. The products are marketed and distributed using independent retail agents and brokers, wholesale agents and specialty insurance and reinsurance brokers, with business also sold direct-to-consumer. In addition, the Company offers insurance products to customers of payroll service providers through its relationships with major national payroll companies in the United States and to members of affinity organizations. As the sole corporate member of Lloyd's Syndicate 1221, the Company has the exclusive right to underwrite business up to an approved level of premium in the Lloyd’s of London ("Lloyd's") market.

In the United States, independent agents, brokers and wholesalers are consolidating. While acquisition activity has slowed, we continue to expect large deals by well positioned companies. This will likely result in a larger proportion of written premium being concentrated among fewer agents, brokers and wholesalers. These distribution partners are looking to exercise more control over the insurance value chain and are leveraging data and analytics for bargaining power. Distribution continues to evolve, with revenue concentration intensifying among larger brokers and wholesalers maintaining secular growth; this dynamic places greater emphasis on carrier enablement, digital connectivity and differentiated service.

Competition

Small Business

In small business, The Hartford competes against large national carriers, regional carriers and direct writers. Competitors include stock companies, mutual companies and other underwriting organizations. The small business market remains highly competitive and fragmented as carriers seek to differentiate themselves through product expansion, price, enhanced service and leading technology. Larger carriers such as The Hartford are continually advancing their pricing sophistication and ease of doing business with agents and customers through the use of technology, analytics and other capabilities that improve the process of evaluating a risk, quoting new business and servicing customers. The Company also continuously enhances digital capabilities as customers and distributors demand more access

and convenience, and expands product and underwriting capabilities to accommodate both larger accounts and a broader risk appetite.

Existing competitors and new entrants, including start-up and non-traditional carriers, are actively looking to expand sales of business insurance products to small businesses through increasing their underwriting appetite, deepening their relationships with distribution partners, leveraging emerging artificial intelligence capabilities, and through on-line and direct-to-consumer marketing. Carriers that can quote business in an automated way have a competitive advantage by shortening the time from quoting to issuance. Through its industry-leading ICON quoting tool, The Hartford quotes over 75% of new business policies from admitted markets without human intervention. Emerging artificial intelligence-enabled capabilities are raising customer and distributor expectations for speed and automation and may further reshape how small business customers shop for coverage.

Middle & Large Business

Competition in this market includes stock companies, mutual companies, alternative risk sharing groups and other underwriting organizations. In addition, some larger brokers are now becoming competitors through acquisition of managing general agents or managing general underwriters.

The pricing of middle market and national accounts is prone to volatility over time due to changes in individual account characteristics and exposure, as well as legislative and macro-economic forces. National and regional carriers participate in the middle & large business insurance sector, resulting in a competitive environment where pricing and policy terms are critical to securing new business and retaining existing accounts. As a means to mitigate the cost of insurance, middle market and large commercial buyers may opt for loss-sensitive products in-lieu of guaranteed cost policies.

Middle & large business has historically been considered “higher touch” and involves highly specialized expertise, including individual underwriting and pricing decisions. Within this competitive environment, The Hartford is continuing to invest in its underwriting systems and capabilities, including investing in speed to market solutions, enhancing its digital experience, leveraging its sales and underwriting talent and expanding its use of data analytics, artificial intelligence capabilities and third party data to make expert risk selection and pricing decisions as the firm pursues responsible growth strategies to deliver target returns. In product development and related areas such as claims and risk engineering, the Company has expanded its capabilities in industry verticals, such as energy, construction, media arts & entertainment, technology and life science. The pace of change in artificial intelligence and shifting broker influence are increasing the importance of consistency, efficiency and resiliency across the end-to-end underwriting and service experience.

9

Table of Contents Index to Business

Part I - Item 1. Business

Global Specialty

Global specialty competes against multi-national insurance and reinsurance companies, in the U.S and London markets. Global specialty writes many surplus lines of business, which are lines of business not written through standard products licensed or admitted in a state ("nonadmitted"). In recent years, surplus lines have accounted for a significant portion of the total U.S. property and casualty commercial market, and The Hartford continues to grow its surplus book of business. Excess & surplus growth has outpaced the overall market in recent years, though pricing conditions may vary by line as competition increases.

Customers served by the global specialty marketplace expect tailored policy language for their unique risks and, increasingly, are looking for a single insurance carrier to meet all their coverage needs. The Company has been successful in cross-selling global specialty product lines to customers of small

business and of middle & large business and seeks to expand cross-sell opportunities in the future. The Hartford competes on the basis of its underwriting capabilities where it uses data and actuarial insights to enhance risk selection. The Company seeks to drive greater efficiency, shorten the quoting process and improve the customer’s experience through expanded use of digital and artificial intelligence capabilities.

Global specialty also writes business in the London market via its Lloyd’s syndicate platform. The Lloyd’s platform is comprised of over 50 syndicates and 350 brokers, who benefit from the ability to write risks in over 200 countries using Lloyd’s international licenses. Lloyd’s is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority ("FCA") and Prudential Regulatory Authority ("PRA") in the U.K. For further discussion, see Part II, Item 7, MD&A - Capital Resources and Liquidity.

Personal Insurance

2025 Earned Premiums of $3,725 by Line of Business

2025 Earned Premiums of $3,725 by Product

Principal Products and Services

Personal Insurance provides automobile, homeowners and personal umbrella coverages to individuals across the United States, mostly through a program designed exclusively for members of AARP (“AARP Program”). The Hartford's automobile and homeowners products provide coverage options

and pricing tailored to a customer's individual risk. The Hartford has individual customer relationships with AARP Program policyholders and, as a group, they represent a significant portion of the total Personal Insurance's business. Business sold to AARP members, either direct or through independent

10

Table of Contents Index to Business

Part I - Item 1. Business

agents, amounted to earned premiums of $3.4 billion, $3.2 billion and $2.9 billion in 2025, 2024 and 2023, respectively. The AARP relationship provides The Company with a competitive advantage to capitalize on the continued growth of the over age 50 population. The mature market continues to expand, supporting sustained demand for tailored products and experiences.

The Company has rolled out its new cloud-based product and platform, Prevail, which is now in market in nearly all states. In mid-2025, Prevail was also introduced in the agency distribution channel and it will continue to roll out over time with 30 state launches planned by early 2027. Prevail is tailored to the mature market and includes digital service capabilities that provide real time transaction support. Among other things, overall rate levels, price segmentation, rating factors and underwriting procedures are being updated through the introduction of Prevail. Personal Insurance works with carrier partners to provide risk protection options for AARP members with needs beyond the company’s current product offering.

Marketing and Distribution

Personal Insurance reaches diverse customers through multiple distribution channels, including direct-to-consumer and independent agents. In the direct-to-consumer channel, Personal Insurance markets its products through a mix of media, including digital marketing, direct mail, print advertising, and television. In the agency channel, Personal Insurance provides products and services to customers through a network of independent agents in the standard personal lines market, primarily serving mature, preferred consumers. These independent agents are not employees of the Company.

Personal Insurance has made significant investments in offering direct and agency-based customers the opportunity to interact with the company on-line, including via mobile devices. In addition, its technology platform for telephone sales centers enables sales representatives to provide an enhanced experience for direct-to-consumer customers, positioning the Company to offer unique capabilities to AARP’s member base.

Most of Personal Insurance's sales are associated with its exclusive licensing arrangement with AARP, with the current agreement in place through December 31, 2032, to market automobile, homeowners and personal umbrella coverages to AARP's approximately 38 million members. This relationship with AARP, which has been in place since 1984, provides Personal Insurance with an important competitive advantage given the increase in the population of those over age 50 and the strength of the AARP brand.

Prior to May 2021, in most states, new business automobile and home policies were issued to AARP members with a lifetime continuation agreement endorsement, providing that the policies will be renewed as long as certain terms are met, such as timely payment of premium and maintaining a driver’s license in good standing. However, beginning in May 2021, Personal Insurance no longer offers the lifetime continuation agreement to new home and automobile policies. The endorsement will remain on renewal policies with original effective dates prior to May 2021.

In addition to selling to AARP members, Personal Insurance offers its automobile and homeowners products to non-AARP customers, primarily through the independent agent channel.

Personal Insurance leverages its agency channel to primarily target the over age 50 preferred mature market, which values the advice of an independent agent and recognizes the differentiated experience the Company provides. In particular, the Company has taken action to distinguish its brand within the over age 50 preferred mature market and improve profitability in the independent agent channel, placing more emphasis on our highly partnered agents.

Competition

The personal automobile and homeowners insurance markets are highly competitive. In 2025, many personal lines insurance companies, including The Hartford, increased marketing spend in order to increase new business production after returning to new business rate adequacy. Personal Insurance is written by insurance companies of varying sizes that compete principally on the basis of price, product, service, including claims handling, the insurer's ratings and brand recognition. Companies with strong ratings, recognized brands, direct sales capability and economies of scale will have a competitive advantage. Industry conditions are evolving as automobile premium growth moderates with improving margin conditions, while homeowners show signs of stabilization even as catastrophe frequency and severity remain a key consideration.

Insurers that distribute products principally through agency channels compete by offering commissions and additional incentives to attract new business. To distinguish themselves in the marketplace, top tier insurers are offering digital and self-service capabilities that make it easier for agents and consumers to do business with the insurer. A large majority of agents have been using “comparative rater” tools that allow the agent to compare premium quotes among several insurance companies. The use of comparative rater tools increases price competition. Insurers that are able to capitalize on their brand and reputation, differentiate their products and deliver strong customer service are more likely to be successful in this market.

The use of data mining and predictive modeling is used by more and more carriers to target the most profitable business, and carriers have further segmented their pricing plans to expand market share in what they believe to be the most profitable segments. The Company continues to invest in capabilities to better utilize data and analytics, and thereby, refine and manage underwriting and pricing. Many carriers, including The Hartford, continue to invest in telematics capabilities to enable better risk selection and pricing segmentation in response to changes in driving patterns. In the states where the Prevail product has been rolled out, The Hartford offers its telematics program, TrueLane, which uses a mobile app solution to offer individualized pricing for policyholders based on their personal driving behavior including such attributes as braking, speed, distracted driving, and acceleration.

Also, automobile technology advancements, including lane departure warnings, backup cameras, automatic braking and active collision alerts, continue to be deployed and are expected to improve driver safety and reduce the likelihood of vehicle collisions. However, these features include expensive parts, contributing to increasing average claim severity.

11

Table of Contents Index to Business

Part I - Item 1. Business

P&C Other Operations

Property & Casualty Other Operations includes certain property and casualty operations managed by the Company that have discontinued writing new business and includes substantially all of the Company's pre-1986 asbestos and environmental ("A&E") exposures. For a discussion of coverages provided under

policies written with exposure to A&E prior to 1986 reported within the P&C Other Operations segment (“Run-off A&E”), run-off assumed reinsurance and all other non-A&E exposures, see Part II, Item 7, MD&A - Critical Accounting Estimates, Property & Casualty Insurance Product Reserves, Net of Reinsurance.

Employee Benefits

2025 Premiums and Other Considerations of $6,645

Principal Products and Services

Employee Benefits provides group life, disability and other group coverages to members of employer groups, associations and affinity groups through direct insurance policies and provides reinsurance to other insurance companies. Group insurance typically covers an entire group of people under a single contract, most typically the employees of a single employer or members of an association. In addition to employer paid coverages, the segment offers voluntary product coverages which are offered through employee payroll deductions. Employee Benefits also offers disability underwriting, administration, and claims processing to self-funded employer plans. In addition, the segment offers a single-company leave management solution, which integrates work absence data from the insurer’s short-term and long-term group disability and

workers’ compensation insurance business with its leave management administration services.

Statutory paid family and medical leave ("PFML") programs are a source of growth as the Company offers fully insured coverage or administers self-insured coverage for some of these programs. As of year-end 2025, thirteen states and the District of Columbia have enacted mandated PFML programs. Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Kentucky, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, and Virginia have also created opt-in paid family leave programs, and additional states are considering adopting PFML programs.

Employee Benefits generally offers term insurance policies, allowing for the adjustment of rates or policy terms at renewal in

12

Table of Contents Index to Business

Part I - Item 1. Business

order to minimize the adverse effect of market trends, loss costs, changes in interest rates and other factors. Policies are typically sold with one, two or three-year rate guarantees depending upon the product and market segment.

Marketing and Distribution

The Employee Benefits distribution network is managed through a regional sales office system to distribute its group insurance products and services through a variety of distribution outlets including brokers, consultants, third-party administrators and trade associations. Additionally, the segment has relationships with several private exchanges which offer its products to employer groups. Technology providers, including human resources platform vendors, are taking an increasingly prominent role in influencing customer decisions that also influence selection of the employee benefits insurance provider. Carriers across the industry are increasing automated interfaces and digital workflows to meet distributor and employer expectations and to improve service and claim experiences.

Competition

Employee Benefits competes with numerous insurance companies and financial intermediaries marketing insurance products. The market for employee benefits continues to grow as employees and employers continue to demand employee benefits for addressing mental health, wellness, and caregiving costs. Growth is moderating as employment and wage growth slow, while opportunities continue in the small to mid-size segment and in employee-paid supplemental health offerings as employers seek cost relief.

In order to differentiate itself, Employee Benefits uses its risk management expertise and economies of scale to derive a competitive advantage. Competitive factors include the extent of products offered, price, the quality of customer and claims

handling services, digital capabilities, and the Company's relationship with third-party distributors and private exchanges. Active price competition continues in the marketplace, resulting in multi-year rate guarantees being offered to customers. Top tier insurers in the marketplace also offer digital and self-service capabilities to third party distributors and consumers. The relatively large size and underwriting capacity of the Employee Benefits business provides a competitive advantage over smaller competitors.

The Company's market presence has increased in recent years, benefiting from our industry leading digital technology and integrated absence management and claims platform.

Additionally, as employers continue to focus on reducing the cost of employee benefits, we expect more companies to offer voluntary products paid for by employees. Across the industry, the sale of voluntary product offerings, including supplemental health coverage, is growing at a faster rate than employer-provided benefits. Competitive factors affecting the sale of voluntary products include the breadth of products, product education, enrollment capabilities and overall customer service. The Company, as well its competitors, are investing in technology to offer digital capabilities, and to improve product offerings and service levels, particularly with voluntary products.

We offer our voluntary products including critical illness, accident and hospital indemnity coverage to employees through our Employee Choice Benefits programs. The Company's enhanced enrollment and marketing tools, such as digital decision support and personalized recommendations, are providing additional opportunities to educate individual participants about supplementary benefits and deepen their knowledge about product selection.

In addition to providing group disability, leave management and life insurance, we offer integrated claim, leave and benefits administration with The Hartford's Ability Advantage platform.

Hartford Funds

Hartford Funds Segment Assets Under Management ("AUM") of $154,229 as of December 31, 2025

Mutual Fund AUM of $137,548 as of December 31, 2025

13

Table of Contents Index to Business

Part I - Item 1. Business

Principal Products and Services

The Hartford Funds segment provides investment management, administration, product distribution and related services to investors through a diverse set of investment products in domestic markets. Hartford Funds' comprehensive range of products and services assist clients in achieving their desired investment objectives. AUM are separated into three distinct categories referred to as mutual funds, ETFs and third-party life and annuity separate accounts under management.

Marketing and Distribution

Our funds and ETFs are sold through national and regional broker-dealer organizations, independent financial advisers, defined contribution plans, financial consultants, bank trust groups and registered investment advisers. Our distribution team is organized to sell primarily in the United States.

Competition

The investment management industry is mature and highly competitive. Firms are differentiated by investment performance, range of products offered, brand recognition, financial strength, proprietary distribution channels, quality of service and level of fees charged relative to quality of investment products. The Hartford Funds segment competes with a large number of asset management firms and other financial institutions and differentiates itself through its global sub-advisors, product breadth, competitive fees and strong distribution. The segment also competes directly with lower cost passive investment strategies, which continue taking share from active managers.

Corporate

The Company includes in the Corporate category capital raising activities (including equity financing, debt financing and related interest expense), purchase accounting adjustments related to goodwill, reserves for run-off structured settlement and terminal funding agreement liabilities, restructuring costs, transaction expenses incurred in connection with an acquisition, certain M&A costs, and other expenses not allocated to the reportable segments. Corporate also includes investment management fees and expenses related to managing third-party assets.

14

Table of Contents Index to Business

Part I - Item 1. Business

Reserves

Total Reserves as of December 31, 2025 [1]

[1]Includes reserves for future policy benefits and other policyholder funds and benefits payable of $444 and $612, respectively, of which $291 and $409, respectively, relate to the Employee Benefits segment with the remainder related to run-off structured settlement and terminal funding agreements within Corporate.

The reserve for unpaid losses and loss adjustment expenses ("LAE") includes a liability for unpaid losses, including those that have been incurred but not yet reported, as well as estimates of all expenses associated with processing and settling these insurance claims, including reserves related to both Property & Casualty and Employee Benefits.

Total Property & Casualty Reserves as of December 31, 2025

Further discussion of The Hartford’s property and casualty insurance product reserves, including run-off asbestos and environmental claims reserves within P&C Other Operations, may be found in Part II, Item 7, MD&A — Critical Accounting Estimates — Property and Casualty Insurance Product Reserves, Net of Reinsurance. Additional discussion may be found in Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, including in the Company’s accounting policies for insurance product reserves within Note 1 - Basis of Presentation and Significant Accounting Policies and in Note 10 - Reserve for Unpaid Losses and Loss Adjustment Expenses of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.

Total Employee Benefits Reserves as of December 31, 2025 [1]

[1]Includes short duration contract reserves of $169 for short-term disability and $45 of supplemental health as well as reserves for future policy benefits that include $203 of paid up life reserves and policy reserves on life policies, $68 of reserves for conversions to individual life and $20 of other reserves.

Employee Benefits reserves include unpaid loss and loss adjustments expenses for LTD, group life and other lines of business as well as reserves for other policyholder funds and reserves for future policy benefits. Other policyholder funds and benefits payable represent deposits from policyholders, including policyholders of short-duration insurance contracts, where the Company does not have insurance risk but is subject to investment risk. Reserves for future policy benefits represent life-contingent reserves for which the Company is subject to insurance, interest rate, and investment risk.

Discussion of The Hartford's Employee Benefits long-term disability reserves may be found in Part II, Item 7, MD&A — Critical Accounting Estimates — Employee Benefit LTD Reserves, Net of Reinsurance. Additional discussion may be found in Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, including in the Company’s accounting policies for insurance product reserves within Note 1 - Basis of Presentation and Significant Accounting Policies and in Note 10 - Reserve for Unpaid Losses and Loss Adjustment Expenses of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.

15

Table of Contents Index to Business

Part I - Item 1. Business

Underwriting for P&C and Employee Benefits

The Company underwrites the risks it insures in order to manage exposure to loss through favorable risk selection and diversification. Risk modeling is used to manage, within specified limits, the aggregate exposure taken in each line of business and across the Company. For property and casualty business, aggregate exposure limits are set by geographic zone and peril. Products are priced according to the risk characteristics of the insured’s exposures. Rates charged for Personal Insurance products are filed with the states in which we write business. Rates for most Business Insurance products are also filed with the states but the premium charged may be modified based on the insured’s relative risk profile and workers’ compensation policies may be subject to modification based on prior loss experience. The Company also writes coverage in the excess and surplus lines market, within global specialty and small business, which is characterized by the absence of regulation related to rate and form and allows for more pricing and coverage flexibility to write certain classes of business. Pricing for Employee Benefits products, including long-term disability and life insurance, is also based on an underwriting of the risks and a projection of estimated losses, including consideration of investment income.

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.

Geographic Distribution of Earned Premium

(% of total)

Location Business Insurance Personal Insurance Employee Benefits Total

California 9 % 1 % 2 % 12 %

New York 5 % 1 % 3 % 9 %

Texas 5 % 2 % 2 % 9 %

Florida 3 % 1 % 1 % 5 %

[1]No other single state or country accounted for 5% or more of the Company's consolidated earned premium in 2025.

Claims Administration for P&C and Employee Benefits

Claims administration includes functions associated with the receipt of initial loss notices, claims adjudication and estimates, legal representation for insureds where appropriate, establishment of case reserves, payment of losses and notification to reinsurers. These activities are performed by approximately 6,700 claim employees including, among others, claim adjusters, appraisers, attorneys, doctors, nurses, behavioral health specialists, investigators and data analytics professionals as well as training staff, management, and support staff. The Company contracts with a select number of approved regional, national and international suppliers to enhance claim capabilities and business resiliency.

The Company's claims teams manage losses across the U.S. and internationally, working from locations across the U.S. and in two of our international offices. The teams are organized to meet the specific claim service needs for our various product offerings. The claims organization is supported by data and analytics, technology, and strategy located across the U.S. and in two of our international offices.

As a leading provider of workers’ compensation and employee benefits coverages, the Company leverages data analytics to return employees to active, productive lives as soon and safely as possible. Clinical experts focus on opioid usage, vocational rehabilitation, behavioral health and medical case management which we believe provides the Company with a competitive advantage for managing medical costs.

The Company maintains a dedicated catastrophe claims organization that is positioned to respond to large-scale catastrophic events across the country. For the most severe events, the team is supplemented with additional Company staff to respond to claimants promptly after an event.

The Company's claims organization has a nationwide staff of attorneys who represent insureds in key jurisdictions, including dedicated lawyers specializing in complex litigation.

Claim payments for benefits, losses and loss adjustment expenses are the largest expenditure for the Company.

Reinsurance

For discussion of reinsurance, see Part II, Item 7, MD&A — Enterprise Risk Management and Note 8 - Reinsurance of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.

16

Table of Contents Index to Business

Part I - Item 1. Business

Investment Operations

Hartford Investment Management Company (“HIMCO”) is an Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") registered investment advisor and manages the Company's investment operations. HIMCO provides customized investment strategies for The Hartford's investment portfolio, as well as for The Hartford's pension plan and institutional clients.

As of December 31, 2025 and 2024, the fair value of HIMCO’s total assets under management was approximately $121.9 billion and $112.0 billion, respectively, including $55.6 billion and $50.9 billion, respectively, that were held in HIMCO managed third party accounts and $3.5 billion and $3.6 billion, respectively, that support the Company's pension and other postretirement plans.

The Hartford's Investment Portfolio of $64.0 billion as of December 31, 2025

Management of The Hartford's Investment Portfolio

HIMCO manages the Company's investment portfolios to maximize economic value, ensure sufficient funding of the Company's liabilities, and achieve enterprise financial objectives while remaining within acceptable risk tolerances. Portfolio objectives and guidelines are developed based upon the asset/liability profile, including timing and amount of claim payment obligations, investment return opportunity, and risk characteristics. The Company attempts to minimize adverse impacts to the portfolio and the Company’s results of operations from changes in economic conditions through asset diversification, asset allocation limits, asset/liability duration matching, and active portfolio management, which may include the use of derivatives. Risk tolerances considered include, but are not limited to, asset sector exposure limits, credit issuer allocation limits, portfolio quality constraints including maximum exposure to below investment grade holdings, and interest rate duration limits. For further discussion of HIMCO’s portfolio management approach, see Part II, Item 7, MD&A — Enterprise Risk Management.

Enterprise Risk Management

The Company has insurance, operational and financial risks. For discussion on how The Hartford manages these risks, see Part II, Item 7, MD&A - Enterprise Risk Management.

Regulation

State and Foreign Insurance Laws

State insurance laws are intended to supervise and regulate insurers with the goal of protecting policyholders and ensuring the solvency of the insurers. As such, the insurance laws and regulations grant broad authority to state insurance departments (“Departments”) to oversee and regulate the business of insurance. The Departments monitor the financial stability of an insurer by requiring insurers to maintain certain solvency standards and minimum capital and surplus requirements; invested asset requirements; state deposits of securities; guaranty fund premiums; restrictions on the size of risks which may be insured under a single policy; and adequate reserves and other necessary provisions for unearned premiums, unpaid losses and loss adjustment expenses and other liabilities, both reported and unreported. In addition, the Departments perform periodic market and financial examinations of insurers and require insurers to file annual and other reports on the financial condition of the companies. Policyholder protection is also regulated by the Departments through licensing of insurers, sales employees, agents and brokers and others; approval of premium rates and policy forms; and claims administration requirements.

Many states also have laws regulating insurance holding company systems. These laws require insurance companies, which are formed and chartered in the state (“Domestic Insurers”), to register with the state department of insurance (referred to as their “domestic state or regulator”) and file information concerning the operations of companies within the holding company system that may materially affect the operations, management or financial condition of the insurers within the system. Insurance holding company regulations principally relate to (i) state insurance approval of the acquisition of Domestic Insurers, (ii) prior review or approval of certain transactions between the Domestic Insurer and its affiliates, and (iii) regulation of dividends made by the Domestic Insurer. All transactions within a holding company system affecting Domestic Insurers must be determined to be fair and equitable.

The extent of financial services regulation on business outside the United States varies significantly among the countries in which The Hartford operates. Foreign financial services providers in certain countries are faced with greater restrictions than domestic competitors domiciled in that particular jurisdiction. Our International operations include a Lloyd’s Syndicate which is required to meet the minimum market standards set by Lloyd’s, as well as UK PRA and UK FCA regulatory requirements. Consistent with the U.K.'s current interpretation of Solvency II, both Lloyd’s and the PRA focus on the adequacy of capital held and solvency of an insurer against the risk profile and management of the authorized insurer in setting capital requirements.

17

Table of Contents Index to Business

Part I - Item 1. Business

Federal and State Securities and Financial Regulation Laws

The Company sells and distributes its mutual funds and ETFs through a broker dealer subsidiary, and is subject to regulation promulgated and enforced by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, the SEC and/or, in some instances, state securities administrators. Other subsidiaries operate as investment advisers registered with the SEC under the Investment Advisers’ Act of 1940, as amended, and are registered as investment advisers under certain state laws, as applicable. Because federal and state laws and regulations are primarily intended to protect investors in securities markets, they generally grant regulators broad rulemaking and enforcement authority. Some of these regulations include, among other things, regulations impacting sales methods, trading practices, suitability of investments, use and safekeeping of customers’ funds, corporate governance, capital, recordkeeping, and reporting requirements.

Failure to comply with federal and state laws and regulations may result in fines, the issuance of cease-and-desist orders or suspension, termination or limitation of the activities of our operations and/or our employees.

Intellectual Property

We rely on a combination of contractual rights and copyright, trademark, patent and trade secret laws to establish and protect our intellectual property.

We have a trademark portfolio that we consider important in the marketing of our products and services, including, among others, the trademarks of The Hartford name, the Stag Logo and the combination of these two trademarks. The duration of trademark registrations may be renewed indefinitely subject to country-specific use and registration requirements. We regard our trademarks as highly valuable assets in marketing our products and services and vigorously seek to protect them against infringement. In addition, we own a number of patents and patent applications relating to on-line quoting, insurance related processing, insurance telematics, proprietary interface platforms, and other matters. Patents are of varying duration depending on filing date, and will typically expire at the end of their natural term.

Human Capital Resources

The Hartford has approximately 19,200 employees as of December 31, 2025.

Management, including the CEO and Chief Human Resources Officer ("CHRO"), establishes the hiring and compensation practices for our Company. The Board is periodically updated on key workforce metrics. The Board's Audit Committee receives an annual review of the Company's key employee relations measures. The Board’s Compensation and Management Development Committee (“Compensation Committee”) is regularly updated on employee engagement, turn-over, leader capabilities, future skill development and other workforce measures. In addition, the Compensation Committee is responsible for reviewing performance and approving compensation paid to senior executives, and, among other

things, the oversight of succession and continuity planning for senior executive roles, setting the Company's executive compensation policy and administering the Company's Clawback Policy for senior executives. Our Human Resources team, led by our CHRO, supports the Compensation Committee in the execution of its responsibilities. In addition to the day-to-day support and counseling they provide to our leaders, managers and employees, the Human Resources team also monitors key indicators and devises talent strategies based on trends across our employee population including strategic workforce planning, employee engagement, employee relations matters, career mobility, talent attraction, retention, and development.

Talent Attraction, Retention and Development

Our commitment to a robust talent pipeline starts at the top. The Board of Directors engages with the Compensation Committee annually to review senior executive level talent, consider key emerging executive talent and conduct succession planning. In addition, our leadership team conducts a comprehensive annual talent review process across our organization each year.

To keep pace with the evolving needs of our customers and the expectations of employees and external candidates, we focus on a broad array of actions, including:

•Establishing comprehensive hiring strategies across executive, professional, and front-line roles to fill talent needs;

•Providing career growth and development opportunities aligned to our succession and strategic workforce plans through internal mobility, job progressions and learning programs;

•Offering extensive learning and development opportunities to sustain the skills needed for the roles we have today and those we anticipate in the future; and

•Holding leaders accountable for their progress against human capital goals that include development, engagement, mobility, succession, and retention.

For entry-level roles in the organization, we recruit at colleges and universities, and offer a range of training and development programs, including:

•The Hartford’s Leadership Development Program, which provides curriculum to enhance leadership skill sets for all participants – from first-time leaders through our executive ranks;

•The Hartford Early Career Leadership Program, which offers programs in Actuarial, Finance, Underwriting, Claims, Operations, Technology, Data and Analytics through rotational development to gain a breadth of experiences;

•The Hartford’s Apprenticeship Program, which prepares students for careers in insurance;

•HartCloud Academy which offers an immersive training program for our mid-career engineers to advance their proficiency in cloud technologies;

18

Table of Contents Index to Business

Part I - Item 1. Business

•The Hartford’s College Internship Program, which provides paid work experience and professional development opportunities for rising college seniors and graduate students supporting the Company’s early career talent pipeline; and

•The Hartford’s Tech Catalyst Program, which supports the development of early career software and data engineers through a structured ten-week onboarding and training program

The Hartford prioritizes sustaining a workforce that upholds the highest standards of ethics and trust. We are committed to creating a work environment where employees are respected, inspired to perform at their best, and are recognized for their contributions. The Hartford believes that fostering a culture of integrity and ethical behavior leads to better decisions, outcomes and experiences for both our customers and employees. We believe that creating a work environment centered on trust enables us to attract, retain and leverage top talent to meet our business goals. We are committed to ethical conduct and a bias-free workplace for all employees as we build, enhance and sustain a welcoming and supportive culture.

In 2025, we achieved top quartile employee engagement and performance enablement scores, as measured by our enterprise engagement survey using independent third party benchmarks. These results were achieved in part due to continued focus on leader effectiveness, career growth, belonging and well-being.

We have nine Employee Resource Groups (“ERG’s”) that are voluntary participation groups led by employees, open to all and dedicated to enabling people to connect and collaborate for professional and business success. These groups focus on advancing the development of our employees and strengthening our business results through education, networking, mentorship and volunteer opportunities. As of December 31, 2025, over 60% of employees were members of at least one ERG.

We persistently work to improve the employee experience in support of our continuing strategic objective to attract, retain and develop the best talent in the industry.

Pay and Benefits

Compensation and Pay Equity

We offer competitive pay and benefits to our employees, with performance-based variable compensation making up a large share of the total compensation paid to executives in the organization. Variable compensation for the majority of employees includes an annual bonus plan. Executives also receive long-term incentive awards. Annual bonus payouts are informed by whether the Company achieves core earnings (as adjusted for compensation purposes) above or below a target level that is determined from the annual operating plan set at the beginning of each year and reviewed and approved by the Compensation Committee. Long-term incentive awards include restricted stock units, performance shares and, for the most senior executives, stock options. Additional information about The Hartford’s variable compensation programs is provided in the Company’s Proxy Statement.

We use an independent third party to conduct statistical pay equity analyses for the vast majority of our U.S. employees each year – a three-step process that includes analysis before, during

and after the annual compensation planning cycle. This enables us to identify unexplained pay disparities, conduct additional research to determine reasons for these differences and take appropriate actions to address the disparities if necessary.

The Compensation Committee is updated annually on our pay equity processes and results.

The Hartford engages in a number of additional practices to ensure pay fairness, including:

•Centralized compensation function that helps maintain consistent programs and practices across the enterprise;

•Enterprise-wide framework for evaluating and aligning roles and compensation levels based on job responsibilities, market competitiveness, strategic importance of the role, and other relevant factors;

•Prohibition against asking external job applicants for current or historical compensation information;

•A practice to disclose to applicants and employees the salary ranges for most posted positions;

•Individual compensation decisions that consider each employee’s experience, proficiency, and performance;

•Training available for managers and Human Resources business partners on performance assessment and compensation planning; and

•Multiple levels of review and approval required for all compensation decisions.

We are committed to our extensive, long-standing policies and practices to help ensure fair pay across the organization, while staying attuned to external best practices and insights, and leveraging input from subject matter experts. We evaluate our performance every year, and as markets and talent pools shift over time we work to evolve our practices accordingly.

Employee Benefits and Well-Being

The Hartford offers a comprehensive benefits and well-being package that supports our employees’ physical, emotional, social and financial well-being and helps them achieve their full potential. Our extensive benefits include:

•Medical plan options;

•Dental and vision coverage options;

•401(k) plan with company non-elective and matching contributions;

•Paid time off ("PTO") with at least 25 days annually to start;

•Paid holidays;

•Flexible work schedules, including hybrid or remote work arrangements;

•Tuition reimbursement;

•Student loan repayment assistance;

•Family medical leave;

•Paid parental leave;

19

Table of Contents Index to Business

Part I - Item 1. Business

•Travel reimbursement to access medical services in other locations as needed;

•Family building support, including adoption support program;

•Organ and bone marrow donation leave policy; and

•Employee assistance program.

The Company also offers a medical advocacy program and well-being programs, weight management, fitness reimbursement and more.

Available Information

The Company’s internet address is https://www.thehartford.com. Our annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to those reports are available, without charge, on the investor relations section of our website, https://ir.thehartford.com, as soon as reasonably practicable after they are electronically filed with, or furnished to, the SEC. Reports filed with the SEC may be viewed at https://www.sec.gov. References in this report to our website address are provided only as a convenience and do not constitute, and should not be viewed as, an incorporation by reference of the information contained on, or available through, the website. Therefore, such information should not be considered part of this report.

20

Table of Contents

Part I - Item 1A. Risk Factors

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.

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, Hartford Funds business, and insurance businesses are sensitive to changes in economic, political and global capital market conditions, such as the effect of a weak economy, including:

•labor supply shortages

•low labor force participation

•lower family income

•high unemployment

•changes in interest rate levels

•changes in credit spreads

•equity market disruptions

•rising inflation

•changes in foreign currency exchange rates

•a weak real estate market

•lower business investment

•lower consumer spending

In an economic downturn, these factors may adversely affect the demand for insurance and financial products, insurance loss costs, valuation and returns on the investment portfolio, and lower the Company's profitability in some cases, including adverse impacts to our net investment income and operating results.

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 stockholders’ equity. In addition, disruption in equity markets could result in net realized or unrealized losses on our equity securities carried at fair value or reduce net investment income in future periods from our non-fixed income investment portfolio, including from limited partnerships and other alternative investments. The Company could also experience higher reinsurance costs and/or more limited availability of reinsurance coverage.

Furthermore, 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. If current regional and/or global conflicts were to expand, there could be insurance losses or adverse economic impacts.

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 net realized losses on sales of equity securities, unrealized losses on equity securities held at fair value, reduce net investment income in future periods from our non-fixed income investment portfolio, including from limited partnerships and other alternative investments, or lower earnings from Hartford Funds where fee income is earned based upon the fair value of the assets under management. For additional information on equity market sensitivity, see

21

Table of Contents

Part I - Item 1A. Risk Factors

Part II, Item 7, MD&A - Enterprise Risk Management, Financial Risk - Equity Risk.

•Interest Rate Risk -Increases in interest rates or persistently high interest rates could lead to recession or economic stagnation, which could lower the demand for many of the Company's products and may result in realized or unrealized losses on existing fixed income assets in the investment portfolio. This could also impact property valuations and financing costs for mortgage loans and real estate joint ventures within limited partnerships and other alternative investments. Alternatively, a deterioration in global economic conditions could result in a lower interest rate environment, which would pressure our net investment income and could result in lower margins on certain products.

New and renewal business for our property and casualty and employee 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.

In addition, due to the long-term nature of the liabilities within our Employee Benefits operations, particularly with respect to long-term disability, and our workers' compensation operations, 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.

Our reserves for future policy benefits are sensitive to changing interest rate conditions. U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles ("U.S. GAAP") guidance requires that we update reserves for future policy benefits for changes in discount rates quarterly which could cause volatility in our stockholders' equity.

For additional information on interest rate sensitivity, see Part II, Item 7, MD&A - Enterprise Risk Management, Financial Risk - Interest Rate Risk.

•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. A greater than expected increase in inflation may impact medical services, repair costs or other claim settlement expenses, which 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. In addition, sustained inflation may result in an increase in interest rates, which would result in a reduction in the fair value of our investment portfolio.

•Changes in the Labor Market - Evolving labor market conditions, including increased competition for talent, could make it difficult to hire and retain employees and could increase compensation and benefits expense. New technologies may lead to changes in skill sets needed from the workforce, resulting in difficulty in attracting, developing and retaining employees. If insured businesses cannot hire enough qualified people to sell products and services to customers, economic activity may be depressed and lower insured exposure, hindering the Company's growth.

•Foreign Currency Exchange Rates - Changes in foreign currency exchange rates may impact our non-U.S. dollar denominated investments and foreign subsidiaries. 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 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 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 region could have an adverse effect on our investment portfolios and consequently on our business, financial condition, results of operations, or 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, automobile,

22

Table of Contents

Part I - Item 1A. Risk Factors

workers’ compensation and employee 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, wildfires, and other severe weather events. If third parties assert that climate change-related risks and damages are caused by insured businesses, or arise from alleged mismanagement at insured businesses, we may experience increased claims under general liability and management liability policies. 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.

Climate change-related risks, including risks associated with global energy transition, may also adversely impact the value of the investments that we hold, resulting in potential realized or unrealized losses on our invested assets. Our decision to invest in certain securities, loans, or other investments may also be impacted by changes in climate patterns due to:

•changes in supply/demand for traditional sources of energy (e.g., coal, oil, natural gas);

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

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

•internal investment guidelines and policies related to the global energy transition.

The effects of climate change could also lead to increased credit risk of other counterparties we transact business with, including reinsurers. Climate change effects may also lead to decreases in real estate values in various locations and for a variety of reasons, 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. Moreover, regulators may undertake actions to minimize the effects of climate change on consumers, which could affect coverage provided under insurance contracts and administrative process.

These emerging regulatory initiatives, or other climate-related policies we adopt, may result in non-renewal of business or reduced appetite for underwriting or investing in certain industry sectors.

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.

For additional discussion about climate change related risks, see the Risk Factor, “We are vulnerable to losses from catastrophes, both natural and man-made.”

Insurance Industry and Product Related Risks

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

We establish property and casualty and employee benefits loss reserves to cover our estimated liability for the payment of all unpaid losses and loss adjustment 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 actuarial projections and on our assessment of currently available data, as well as estimates of claims severity and frequency, legal theories of liability, available benefit offsets, 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.

In property and casualty, 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 A&E 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.

23

Table of Contents

Part I - Item 1A. Risk Factors

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. Catastrophes may also include some major international events designated by Lloyd's of London.

The geographic distribution of our business subjects us to various catastrophe exposures across different regions of the United States. 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.

Insufficient incorporation of climatic trends into widely used catastrophe models and internal tools to assess risk from natural catastrophe perils could lead to ineffective evaluation and management of catastrophe risk. For a further discussion of climate-related risks, see the above-referenced Risk Factor,“Changing climate and weather patterns may 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 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 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 and/or cause a reduction in demand for our products. 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.

Cyber risk exposure exists through stand-alone cyber policies as well as cyber coverage endorsements on some property, general liability, management liability and directors and officers policies. Increasing frequency of cyber attacks and the evolving nature of cyber risk taking place across the globe may potentially lead to increased insured losses across the industry and for the businesses we insure. Our insureds may be increasingly exposed to cyber-related attacks with insured losses to property (including data and systems), breach of data, ransom payments and business interruption. Geopolitical crises or hostile actions taken by nation states or terrorist organizations may heighten the risk of cyber-attacks on companies we insure and on our own operations.

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.

24

Table of Contents

Part I - Item 1A. Risk Factors

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 employee 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 insurance consumer at the expense of the insurer, which may not allow us to reach targeted levels of profitability. Moreover, regulators may seek to prohibit or constrain the use of certain underwriting and rating factors, which may affect our ability to price risks. 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, which could lead to lower than anticipated profitability. 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 or liquidity.”

Additionally, the property and casualty and employee 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 employee 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 business, financial condition, results of operations or liquidity.

Competitive activity, use of emerging technologies, or other 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, employee benefits providers and providers of mutual funds and exchange traded funds. 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, technological advancements and innovation are occurring in distribution, underwriting, claims and operations at a rapid pace that may continue to accelerate. Insurers are using or may begin using certain emerging technologies, such as machine learning, predictive analytics, "big data" analysis or other artificial intelligence functions to, among other things, improve pricing accuracy, be more targeted in marketing, strengthen customer relationships and provide more customized loss prevention services. Nontraditional competitors could enter the insurance market and further accelerate these trends. If competitors are able to use these emerging technologies more effectively and/or efficiently, it may provide them a competitive advantage. Because of the highly competitive nature of the industries The Hartford competes in, there can be no assurance that the Company will continue to compete effectively with our industry rivals, or that competitive pressure will not have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations or liquidity.

Our business could be affected by other 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. Increased use of advanced analytics (e.g., artificial intelligence) and automation in the workplace could potentially affect the demand for workers' compensation and employee benefits products over time. 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

25

Table of Contents

Part I - Item 1A. Risk Factors

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 ETFs 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 Insurance 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 or 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, reduction and further delays in government social programs such as Social Security Disability, attorney representation rates, legal system abuse, climate change, prescription drug use and addiction, exposures to new substances or those substances previously considered to be safe and found to have latent exposure, along with the use of social media to proliferate messaging around such issues, have 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 extend coverage beyond our underwriting intent, potentially increase jury awards, and/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 or 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 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 or 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

26

Table of Contents

Part I - Item 1A. Risk Factors

requirements for these entities are prescribed by the applicable insurance regulators and the National Association of Insurance Commissioners ("NAIC"). The minimum capital we must hold is based on risk-based capital (“RBC”) formulas for both property and casualty and life companies. The RBC formula for property and casualty companies establishes capital requirements relating to underwriting, asset, credit, catastrophe, operational and off-balance sheet risks. The RBC formula for life companies is applicable to our employee benefits business and establishes capital requirements relating to insurance, business, asset, credit, interest rate and off-balance sheet risks.

Countries in which our international insurance subsidiaries are incorporated or deemed commercially domiciled are subject to minimum capital requirements as defined by the applicable regulatory regime, including a phased program of changes to the prudential and solvency regime in the U.K. following the U.K.'s departure from the European Union. In addition, our Lloyd’s member company must 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, some of which are outside the Company's control, including:

•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;

•the value of certain fixed maturities, equity securities, and limited partnership and other alternative investments in our investment portfolio;

•changes in interest rates;

•admissibility of deferred tax assets;

•changes to the regulatory capital formulas; and

•regulatory changes to 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 U. S. 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 and 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 ("OTC") 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 or liquidity. Additionally, if the underlying assets supporting the structured securities we invest in default on their payment obligations, our securities may 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 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 or 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 liquidity in a particular quarterly or annual period.

27

Table of Contents

Part I - Item 1A. Risk Factors

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 its insurance subsidiaries, HIG has no significant business operations of its own. Therefore, HIG relies on dividends from our insurance company subsidiaries and other subsidiaries as the principal source of cash flow to meet its obligations. Subsidiary dividends fund payments on its debt securities and the payment of dividends to stockholders on its 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 its 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 its 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 and 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 support, among other things, underwriting, pricing, capital allocation, reserving, investments, reinsurance, and catastrophe risk management. Both proprietary and third party models used incorporate numerous assumptions and forecasts about the future level and variability of interest rates, inflation, credit spreads, equity markets, currency exchange

rates, loss frequency and severity, and capital requirements, 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 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 or liquidity.

Similarly, management’s decision on whether to record an allowance for credit losses ("ACL") 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 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 investments 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

28

Table of Contents

Part I - Item 1A. Risk Factors

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, other information security incident or technology failure.

We use technology to process, store, retrieve, evaluate and analyze customer and company data and information. Our information technology ("IT") and telecommunications systems, in turn, interface with and rely upon third-party systems. We, and our customers, service provides, and other third parties, as applicable, must be able to access these 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. Our business may be disrupted by failures to effectively maintain or update existing technologies, implement new technology, automate business processes or use emerging technologies (e.g. artificial intelligence). 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 code, unauthorized access, cyber-attacks (such as ransomware and denial of service), 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, 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 proprietary 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. Use of artificial intelligence by us or by such third parties could also result in inadvertent disclosure of our 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 are becoming increasingly more onerous. A misuse or mishandling of confidential or proprietary information, including through artificial intelligence technology, 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-attacks and 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 or liquidity. These risks could increase and become more complex as third parties incorporate new technologies, including artificial intelligence. Our increased use of open source software, cloud technology and software as a service can make it more difficult to identify and remedy such situations due to the disparate location of code utilized in our operations. 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 agreement in the negotiation of contracts or renewals with certain third-party providers, or if such third-party providers experience disruptions in their processes or with relied upon vendors, or if they 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

29

Table of Contents

Part I - Item 1A. Risk Factors

and safeguard the security of our data in the event of a disaster, cyber breach, other information security incident or technology failure.”

Our ability to execute on capital management plans 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. An equity repurchase plan approved by the Board of Directors can 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. 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 or liquidity and could impact our ability to execute our capital management plans.

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 by 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, or we may be required to contribute capital to a subsidiary, either of which could 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. 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 or 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 develop, retain and motivate our existing employees. The loss of 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 or 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 be costly, divert significant resources and may not prove successful. 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 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 or financial condition.

30

Table of Contents

Part I - Item 1A. Risk Factors

Regulatory and Legal Risks

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

We are subject to extensive laws, regulations and executive orders that are complex, subject to change and often conflict in their approach or intended outcomes. Compliance with these laws, regulations and executive orders 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, federal and state legislative efforts on Paid Family and Medical Leave, artificial intelligence, data privacy and cyber security, risk-based pricing, and sustainability practices could have unanticipated consequences for the Company and its businesses. It is unclear whether and to what extent Congress, the current Administration or individual states will continue to pursue these types of proposals, and how those changes might impact the Company, its business, financial conditions, results of operations or 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 PRA and the FCA in the U.K, the Bermuda Monetary Authority in Bermuda and the Insurance Authority in Hong Kong. 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 affect the profitability of our businesses. For example, the NAIC and state insurance regulators periodically reexamine 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 adequacy, including risk-based capital ratios.

Lawmakers and regulators at the federal, state and international levels are enacting laws and promulgating regulations and guidance related to climate change, with conflicting policies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction possible, which may impose additional costs on the Company, or expose us to new or additional risks. The Company could be subject to these enactments both as a public company generally and specifically as an insurer.

As a public company, we continue to monitor the development of various climate disclosure regimes. Such developments have stalled at the federal level, with the SEC having withdrawn its defense of its 2024 comprehensive climate rules, but have continued to expand in certain state and international jurisdictions. We may be subject to these reporting regimes based on the particulars of our corporate footprint. Other regulators may impose additional reporting requirements affecting our operations, such as disclosure related to greenhouse gas emissions (GHGe) and other climate-related information, thereby increasing our operating expenses and litigation risk.

As an insurer, insurance affordability and availability trends are under scrutiny by federal and state lawmakers and state insurance regulators with new laws and regulations potentially impacting exposure mix, growth, and reinsurance strategies. For example, regulators could impose new disclosure requirements regarding underwriting or investment in certain industry sectors or take other actions such as implementing a temporary moratorium on cancellation of policies within catastrophe prone areas. The Federal Insurance Office continues to analyze the potential for climate change to affect insurance and reinsurance coverage, which could result in increased data collection and reporting.

There has also been increased regulatory scrutiny of the use of emerging technologies related to artificial intelligence, including machine learning, predictive analytics and other “big data" techniques, and the potential for unfair discrimination or unintended bias arising from such use. We may be subject to new regulations that could materially adversely affect our operations or ability to write business profitably in one or more jurisdictions. The NAIC adopted a Model Bulletin on the Use of Artificial Intelligence Systems by Insurers. About 25 states have adopted some form of the Model Bulletin. State insurance regulators may adopt their own guidelines for insurers independent of the NAIC guidance. We cannot predict what, if any, legislative or regulatory actions may be taken regarding these or other emerging technologies, but any inquiries and/or limitations could have a material impact on our business, business processes, financial condition, and results of operations.

In addition, changes in laws, regulations or executive orders, particularly relating to privacy and data security, 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

31

Table of Contents

Part I - Item 1A. Risk Factors

increased statutory capital and reserve requirements. Moreover, should the Company be classified as an Internationally Active Insurance Group, it would be subject to additional requirements including the requirement to report its group capital ratio to state regulators under the NAIC Aggregation Method. 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, regulations and executive orders 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, regulations and executive orders is costly, time consuming and personnel intensive, and may have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations or liquidity.

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 insurance company, litigation is a routine part of The Hartford’s business - both in defending and indemnifying our insureds and in litigating insurance coverage and benefits 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. Such changes also can be legislative or regulatory, including changes in federal or state laws and regulations relating to the liability of insurers or policyholders, such as state laws expanding “bad faith” liability and state “reviver” statutes, extending statutes of limitations for certain sexual molestation and sexual abuse claims. Such changes could also come in the form of executive orders. Changes in the legal environment could result in changes in business practices, additional litigation, or unexpected losses, including increased frequency and severity of claims. Also, the emergence of new targets and new and expanding theories of liability for claims involving issues like global climate change, risks from products and substances alleged to cause damage, physical and mental health crises, new technologies, evolving legal system trends such as legal system abuse, attorney representation rates, and increased third-party litigation funding, and other socioeconomic and political dynamics could result in additional litigation exposure and unexpected losses. 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 or liquidity.

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

Changes in federal, state or foreign tax laws and tax rates, regulations, or related executive orders could have a material adverse effect on our profitability or financial condition by increasing the Company's overall tax and compliance burdens. 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 a risk that, in the context of 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.

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.

32

Table of Contents

Part I - Item 1A. Risk Factors

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 or 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.

Item 1C.

Cybersecurity