? An 89.8 combined ratio in ongoing operations, which includes $9 million in positive total reserve development and premium adjustments. The reserve development includes positive changes related to Sept. 11, 2001 losses and other prior-year losses.

? Strong personal-lines performance, with an 87.4 combined ratio.

? Ongoing p-c (business insurance, specialty commercial and personal lines) earned premiums, which rose by 8 percent to $2.2 billion, and net written premiums, which rose 11 percent to $2.4 billion compared with one year ago.

? Business insurance written premiums which rose above $1.1 billion?an increase of 15 percent from one year ago?with new business totaling $290 million, an 11 percent rise over the 2003 first quarter.

? Total personal-lines new business of $136 million, a 43 percent rise from a year ago.

? Net investment income for the p-c units rose 11 percent to $311 million, helped by strong cash flow and the company's capital-raising in May 2003.

"I am very pleased by the results we are posting today," said Hartford Chairman and Chief Executive Ramani Ayer, commenting on the results. Mr. Ayer said his company saw higher operating income in both property-casualty and life operations. These results bode well for the year 2004, "in which we work toward continued profitable growth."

Mr. Ayer noted that Hartford saw roughly equal bottom-line contributions from its property-casualty and life operations during the first quarter, with $297 million in p-c operating income while life operating income came in at $256 million. "We're proud to point out that these are record numbers for both operations," he said.

Mr. Ayer added that beyond the bottom line, the Hartford's p-c operations this quarter showed encouraging combined ratios and healthy advances in business insurance and personal lines new business.