8-K

                                  UNITED STATES
                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                              Washington, DC 20549

                                    FORM 8-K

                                 CURRENT REPORT
     Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934


Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported):   October 13, 2003

                                 ---------------

                   THE HARTFORD FINANCIAL SERVICES GROUP, INC.
                   -------------------------------------------
             (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

            Delaware                       001-13958             13-3317783
- -------------------------------       -------------------    -------------------
(State or other jurisdiction             (Commission           (IRS Employer
        of Incorporation)                 File Number)       Identification No.)


            The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc.
            Hartford Plaza
            Hartford, Connecticut                                   06115-1900
            -------------------------------------------           --------------
            (Address of principal executive offices)                (Zip Code)


Registrant's telephone number, including area code:    (860) 547-5000
                                                   ------------------------

Item 12. Results of Operations and Financial Condition.

On October 13, 2003, The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. issued a press
release announcing its estimated earnings per diluted share for the quarter
ended September 30, 2003. A copy of the press release is furnished herewith as
Exhibit 99.1 and is incorporated herein by reference.

As provided in General Instruction B.6 of Form 8-K, the information and exhibit
contained in this Form 8-K shall not be deemed to be "filed" for purposes of
Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, nor shall they be
deemed to be incorporated by reference in any filing under the Securities Act of
1933, as amended, except as shall be expressly set forth by specific reference
in such a filing.

                                    SIGNATURE

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the
registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the
undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

                                   THE HARTFORD FINANCIAL SERVICES GROUP, INC.


Date:  October 14, 2003            By:   /s/ NEAL S. WOLIN
                                   -------------------------------------------
                                   Name:    Neal S. Wolin
                                   Title:   Executive Vice President and
                                            General Counsel

EX-99.1

                                                                    EXHIBIT 99.1

                         [HARTFORD LOGO]                            News Release

                                             Hartford Plaza o Hartford, CT 06115
Date:         Oct. 13, 2003
For Release:  Upon Receipt
Contact:      Media                           Investors
              Joyce Willis                    Hans Miller
              860/547-4951                    860/547-2751
              jwillis@thehartford.com         hmiller@thehartford.com

              Joshua King                     Mike Lesperance
              860/547-2293                    860/547-6781
              joshua.king@thehartford.com     michael.lesperance@thehartford.com

               The Hartford Announces Third Quarter EPS Estimates
Revised 2003 Full Year Outlook Reflects Improved Fundamentals, Added Litigation
                      Reserves and Hurricane Isabel Claims

      HARTFORD, Conn. - The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE: HIG)
today announced that it currently estimates its third quarter 2003 earnings per
diluted share will be between $1.15 and $1.18, including additional reserves for
the cost of resolving its previously disclosed dispute with Bancorp Services,
LLC, and the cost of claims resulting from Hurricane Isabel.

      The additional reserve of approximately $40 million (after-tax), or $0.14
per diluted share, for the third quarter, reflects the company's current best
estimate of the cost of resolving the Bancorp dispute. The company also
currently estimates claim costs related to Hurricane Isabel to be $26 million
(after-tax), or $0.09 per diluted share, for the third quarter.

      The third quarter 2003 earnings estimate assumes that the company will
have no net realized capital gains or losses in the quarter. While the company
may incur

net realized capital gains or losses in the quarter, any such gains or losses
are not expected to be material.

      The Hartford also adjusted its full year 2003 operating income per share
guidance to $5.10 to $5.25 per diluted share. This estimate excludes the effect
of net realized capital gains or losses, the first quarter asbestos charge and
the third quarter Bancorp expense. Due to the Bancorp expense and improving
performance in The Hartford's life operations, the company's full year 2003
operating income per diluted share guidance is as follows:

      Projected Full Year 2003 Guidance



                                                                 EPS Range
                                                           --------------------
                                                              Low        High
                                                              ---        ----
                                                                
Diluted Operating Income Per Share - Previous Guidance     $   4.95   $   5.20
Diluted Operating Income Per Share - New Guidance [1]      $   5.10   $   5.25
(Comparative Basis)

Estimated Bancorp Reserve Addition [2]                        (0.15)     (0.15)

1st Quarter Asbestos Reserve Addition [3]                     (6.24)     (6.24)
            Elimination of Antidilutive Impact                 0.03       0.03
Net Realized Capital Gains [4]                                 0.49       0.49
Estimated Net Loss Per Share [4]                           $  (0.77)  $  (0.62)



[1] The full year estimate reflects diluted weighted average shares of 274.1
million.

[2] Calculated using diluted weighted average shares of 274.1 million for the
full year. The EPS impact of the estimated Bancorp reserve addition in the 3rd
quarter of $0.14 is based on diluted weighted average shares of 284.8 million.

[3] The asbestos reserve addition had an EPS impact of $6.66 in the first
quarter. The first quarter EPS calculation reflected basic weighted average
shares of 255.4 million. The full year estimate reflects basic weighted average
shares of 272.5 million.

[4] Included in net income but not in operating income is $133 million
(after-tax) of net realized capital gains reported through June 30, 2003.
Realized gains are not expected to be material in the third quarter and are not
estimated for the fourth quarter.

      The Hartford uses the non-GAAP financial measure operating income as an
important measure of the company's operating performance. For the 2003 earnings
guidance presented in this release, operating income is net income, before the
after-tax effect of net realized capital gains and losses, the first quarter
asbestos reserve addition and the third quarter Bancorp reserve addition. The
company believes this operating income measure provides to investors a valuable
measure of the performance of the company's ongoing businesses because it
excludes the effect of realized capital gains and losses, which tend to be
highly variable, it excludes the effect of the first quarter asbestos charge,
which relates solely to legacy businesses, and it excludes the third quarter
Bancorp expense, which is unrelated to ongoing operations. Net income is the
most directly comparable GAAP measure to operating income. A quantitative
reconciliation, to the extent calculable at this time, of The Hartford's 2003
net income earnings guidance to the 2003 operating income earnings guidance is
set forth above.

      The Hartford is one of the nation's largest investment and insurance
companies, with 2002 revenues of $16.4 billion. The company is a leading
provider of investment products, life insurance and group benefits; automobile
and homeowners products; and business property and casualty insurance.


            The Hartford's Internet address is www.thehartford.com.

                                       ###

Some of the statements in this release should be considered forward-looking
statements as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.
These include statements about our estimates of the ultimate expense of the
Bancorp dispute and our future results of operations. 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 the difficulty in predicting our
potential exposure for asbestos and environmental claims and related litigation,
in particular, significant uncertainty with regard to the outcome of our current
dispute with Mac Arthur Company and its subsidiary, Western MacArthur Company;
the uncertain nature of damage theories and loss amounts and the development of
additional facts related to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack; the
uncertain effect on us of the Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of
2003, in particular the reduction in tax rates on long-term capital gains and
most dividend distributions; the response of reinsurance companies under
reinsurance contracts, the impact

of increasing reinsurance rates and the availability and adequacy of reinsurance
to protect us against losses; the inability to effectively mitigate the impact
of equity market volatility on our financial position and results of operations
arising from obligations under annuity product guarantees; the possibility of
more unfavorable loss experience than anticipated; the possibility of general
economic and business conditions that are less favorable than anticipated; the
incidence and severity of catastrophes, both natural and man-made; the effect of
changes in interest rates, the stock markets or other financial markets;
stronger than anticipated competitive activity; unfavorable legislative,
regulatory or judicial developments; our ability to distribute our products
through distribution channels, both current and future; the uncertain effects of
emerging claim and coverage issues; the effect of assessments and other
surcharges for guaranty funds and second-injury funds and other mandatory
pooling arrangements; a downgrade in our claims-paying, financial strength or
credit ratings; the ability of our subsidiaries to pay dividends to us; and
others discussed in our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, our 2002 Annual Report
on Form 10-K 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.

                                      # # #