With that sale complete, McGee enthuses, “we are focused on the Property and Casualty sector and making investments to profitably grow the business. We're pleased with the rapid progress we are making.”

With the Hartford's long-term goal of moving its Property premiums from about 10 percent of its middle-market commercial book to closer to 20 percent over time, he says, the Property team has made strides to set the foundation for this change. In 2012, new-business writings in Property were up nearly 28 percent, he notes, and the total combined ratio for that line was down more than 14 points.

That progress, he adds, is due in no small part to the work of David Carter, senior vice president and head of its commercial property practice, under whose direction the Hartford has refined its Property underwriting approach—in part through enhanced Property-underwriting tools and increased underwriting technical and sales training, as well as establishing a centralized Property team to provide technical expertise.

Which is not to say that the P&C business is a sure bet these days either, particularly when it comes to cat-exposed property. One could suggest that “100-year storms” can no longer truly be viewed that way, in terms of how underwriters must approach certain Property risks.

Still, even after a major-loss event like Superstorm Sandy, McGee says, “we continue to operate with a disciplined and consistent underwriting approach to risk for cat perils, and have not made any adjustments to our underwriting appetite and risk selection as a result of Sandy losses. In fact, the outcomes realized from Sandy have reaffirmed that our underwriting and risk-selection practices remain sound.”