HARTFORD, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

The Hartford has named Ray Sprague executive vice president, Personal Lines, effective immediately. Sprague will report to Doug Elliot, president of The Hartford.

"Ray is a proven leader with broad and deep property and casualty experience," said Elliot. "In his short time as acting head of Personal Lines, his passion for building talented teams, improving execution and driving profitable growth has already had a positive impact on the business."

Most recently, Sprague was acting leader of Personal Lines and head of Strategy and Business Development for The Hartford. In that role, he was responsible for the company's enterprise strategy to drive profitable growth, working closely with the businesses to identify new product and distribution opportunities and other growth initiatives. The Hartford intends to fill Sprague's strategy role in the near future.

Sprague joined The Hartford in 1985 and has held leadership positions of increasing responsibility including oversight for the company's industry-leading Small Commercial business. Sprague graduated from the University of Rhode Island with a B.S. degree in finance and insurance. He is a Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter.

The Hartford's Personal Lines segment provides automobile, homeowners and personal umbrella coverages to individuals across the United States, and includes The AARP® Automobile and Homeowners Insurance Program.

About The Hartford

With more than 200 years of expertise, The Hartford (NYSE: HIG) is a leader in property and casualty insurance, group benefits and mutual funds. The company is widely recognized for its service excellence, sustainability practices, trust and integrity. More information on the company and its financial performance is available at www.thehartford.com. Join us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TheHartford. Follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/TheHartford.

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Some of the statements in this release may be considered forward-looking statements as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. We caution investors that these forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, and actual results may differ materially. Investors should consider the important risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ. These important risks and uncertainties include those discussed in our 2014 Annual Report on Form 10-K, subsequent Quarterly Reports on Forms 10-Q, and the other filings we make with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We assume no obligation to update this release, which speaks as of the date issued.

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