Basis of Presentation and Accounting Policies

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2011

Basis of Presentation and Accounting Policies [Abstract]

Basis of Presentation and Accounting Policies

1. Basis of Presentation and Accounting Policies

Basis of Presentation

The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. is a holding company for insurance and financial services subsidiaries that provide investment products and life and property and casualty insurance to both individual and business customers in the United States (collectively, “The Hartford” or the “Company”). Also, The Hartford continues to administer business previously sold in Japan and the U.K.

The Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements have been prepared on the basis of accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”), which differ materially from the accounting practices prescribed by various insurance regulatory authorities.

The accompanying Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements and Notes as of June 30, 2011, and for the three and six months ended June 30, 2011 and 2010 are unaudited. These financial statements reflect all adjustments (consisting only of normal accruals) which are, in the opinion of management, necessary for the fair presentation of the financial position, results of operations and cash flows for the interim periods. These Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements and Notes should be read in conjunction with the Consolidated Financial Statements and Notes thereto included in The Hartford’s 2010 Form 10-K Annual Report. The results of operations for the interim periods should not be considered indicative of the results to be expected for the full year.

Consolidation

The Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements include the accounts of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc., companies in which the Company directly or indirectly has a controlling financial interest and those variable interest entities (“VIEs”) in which the Company is required to consolidate. Entities in which the Company has significant influence over the operating and financing decisions but are not required to consolidate are reported using the equity method. Material intercompany transactions and balances between The Hartford and its subsidiaries and affiliates have been eliminated. For further discussions on variable interest entities see Note 5 of the Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.

Discontinued Operations

The Company is presenting the operations of certain businesses that meet the criteria for reporting as discontinued operations. Amounts for prior periods have been retrospectively reclassified. See Note 12 of the Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements for information on the specific subsidiaries and related impacts.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements, in conformity with U.S. GAAP, requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

The most significant estimates include those used in determining property and casualty insurance product reserves, net of reinsurance; estimated gross profits used in the valuation and amortization of assets and liabilities associated with variable annuity and other universal life-type contracts; evaluation of other-than-temporary impairments on available-for-sale securities and valuation allowances on investments; living benefits required to be fair valued; goodwill impairment; valuation of investments and derivative instruments; pension and other postretirement benefit obligations; valuation allowance on deferred tax assets; and contingencies relating to corporate litigation and regulatory matters. Certain of these estimates are particularly sensitive to market conditions, and deterioration and/or volatility in the worldwide debt or equity markets could have a material impact on the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.

Significant Accounting Policies

For a description of significant accounting policies, see Note 1 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in The Hartford’s 2010 Form 10-K Annual Report, which should be read in conjunction with these accompanying Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.

Income Taxes

A reconciliation of the tax provision at the U.S. Federal statutory rate to the provision for income taxes is as follows:

	Three Months Ended						Six Months Ended
	June 30,						June 30,
	2011			2010			2011			2010
Tax expense (benefit) at U.S. Federal statutory rate	$	(58	)	$	50		$	85		$	238
Tax-exempt interest		(38	)		(38	)		(75	)		(78	)
Dividends-received deduction		(90	)		(40	)		(127	)		(81	)
Valuation allowance		(89	)		—			(91	)		86
Other		6			(3	)		(3	)		20
Income tax expense (benefit)	$	(269	)	$	(31	)	$	(211	)	$	185

The separate account dividends-received deduction (“DRD”) is estimated for the current year using information from the prior year-end, adjusted for current year equity market performance and other appropriate factors, including estimated levels of corporate dividend payments and level of policy owner equity account balances. The actual current year DRD can vary from estimates based on, but not limited to, changes in eligible dividends received by the mutual funds, amounts of distribution from these mutual funds, amounts of short-term capital gains at the mutual fund level and the Company’s taxable income before the DRD. The Company evaluates its DRD computations on a quarterly basis.

The Company’s unrecognized tax benefits were unchanged during the six months ended June 30, 2011, remaining at $48 as of June 30, 2011. This entire amount, if it were recognized, would affect the effective tax rate for the applicable periods.

The Company’s federal income tax returns are routinely audited by the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”). Audits have been concluded for all years through 2006. The audit of the years 2007 - 2009 commenced during 2010 and is expected to conclude by the end of 2012. In addition, in the second quarter of 2011 the Company recorded a tax benefit of $52 as a result of a resolution of a tax matter with the IRS for the computation of DRD for years 1998, 2000 and 2001.

The Company has recorded a deferred tax asset valuation allowance that is adequate to reduce the total deferred tax asset to an amount that will more likely than not be realized. The deferred tax asset valuation allowance was $82, relating mostly to foreign net operating losses, as of June 30, 2011 and was $173 as of December 31, 2010. In assessing the need for a valuation allowance, management considered future reversals of existing taxable temporary differences, future taxable income exclusive of reversing temporary differences and carryforwards, and taxable income in prior carry back years, as well as tax planning strategies that include holding a portion of debt securities with market value losses until recovery, selling appreciated securities to offset capital losses, business considerations such as asset-liability matching, and sales of certain corporate assets. Such tax planning strategies are viewed by management as prudent and feasible and will be implemented if necessary to realize the deferred tax asset. Based on the availability of additional tax planning strategies identified in the second quarter of 2011, the Company released $86, or 100% of the valuation allowance associated with investment realized capital losses during the three months ended June 30, 2011. Future economic conditions and debt market volatility, including increases in interest rates, can adversely impact the Company’s tax planning strategies and in particular the Company’s ability to utilize tax benefits on previously recognized realized capital losses.

Included in the Company’s June 30, 2011 deferred tax asset of $3.4 billion is $3.0 billion relating to items treated as ordinary for federal income tax purposes, and $356 for items classified as capital in nature. The $356 of capital items is comprised of $618 of gross deferred tax assets related to realized capital losses and $262 of gross deferred tax liabilities related to unrealized capital gains.

Also, for the six months ended June 30, 2010, the Company incurred a charge of $19 related to a decrease in deferred tax assets as a result of federal legislation that will reduce the tax deduction available to the Company related to retiree health care costs beginning in 2013.