The Hartford
One of the most venerable insurance companies in the country, The Hartford was founded in Hartford, Connecticut in 1810 and has its main offices there to this day. The city and the company, with its magnificent stag logo, are so inextricably bound together that Hartford has become known as “the insurance capital of the world” and the stag has come to mean “insurance” to generations of Americans. Hartford employees refer to the stag as “Larry”, after the real animal used in company television commercials until the early 2000s. Lawrence has since been replaced by a computer-generated image.
Started as a fire insurance company, the Hartford survived some of the most damaging conflagrations of the last two centuries, including the great Chicago fire of 1871 and the San Francisco earthquake in 1906. The company also became part of national history by issuing policies to such figures as Robert E. Lee, Abraham Lincoln and Babe Ruth who bought a “sickness policy” on the day he was traded to the Yankees from the Red Sox.
Since its inception, The Hartford has continued to expand. In 1913, they became the Hartford Accident and Indemnity Company, providing a complete range of coverage, including accident, automobile liability, personal damage, income interruption and more. Then, in 1959 they became a Life Insurance company by acquiring The Columbian National Life Insurance Company of Boston, Massachusetts and is currently considered one of the most stable companies in the financial world, employing more than 31,000 men and women worldwide.
Due to its excellent reputation, the AARP selected The Hartford as the sole provider for its members, who receive significant savings and benefits on their automobile policies. A variety of discounts are offered, including a defensive driver credit, a credit for under-21 (25 in Georgia) drivers who successfully complete a training course, an air bags discount and an anti-theft device discount on comprehensive coverage.
The Hartford is among the few companies that offer a disappearing deductible (reduction for every accident-free year), a lifetime repair guarantee, a no-drop promise and recover care. They enjoy a well-earned reputation for rapid and fair response to claims and are among the most respected companies in the US. Hartford auto insurance is available everywhere except Massachusetts, North Carolina, New Hampshire and New Jersey.
