Business Connections of Harford’s Board of Directors Could Add to Credibility of Earnings Prediction

While much of the financial sector still struggles beneath the weight of the subprime mortgage crisis, the Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc (HIG) announced that the company expects strong earnings in 2008.

More specifically, Hartford asserts that it expects core earnings per diluted share to be in the range of $9.80 to $10.20.

“The Hartford is entering 2008 from a position of great strength,” said CEO/Chairman Ramani Ayer in a company press release.

Mr. Ayer added the following explanation the company’s core strengths and why it can grow shareholder value and dividends:

“The Hartford is well positioned for the opportunities of a dynamic, very competitive marketplace; we are operating in profitable businesses where we have the products, distribution and brand recognition necessary for success.”

NewsVisual created an IntellectSpace Knowledge Map that shows the current business and institutional connections of the members of Hartford’s Board of Directors in order to determine how knowledgeable they are about business issues.

Director Robert W. Selander would undoubtedly have his finger on the pulse of the latest consumer-spending patterns since he is the President/CEO of MasterCard, Inc, not to mention his expertise on the status of available credit, which acts as a barometer for near-term economic performance.

But two of the board members are faculty members at prestigious universities, where they would have access to economic research studies: Director Ramon de Oliveira is an Adjunct Professor of Finance at Columbia University; while Director Gall J. McGovern is a Professor of Marketing at Harvard Business School.

Furthermore, Director H. Patrick Swygert is not only the President of Howard University, but he is also a member of the Board of Directors of Fannie Mae and United Technologies Corporation, which must provide him with a wealth of current data pertaining to the current state of the economy.

Several other Hartford Directors also serve on the boards of other companies, which provide them with insights into the status of several other sectors of the economy. They include the following:  Director Charles B. Strauss serves on the boards of Aegis Group, Plc and The Hersey Co; Director Michael G. Morris is the President/CEO/Chairman of the American Electric Power Company, Inc and serves also on the board of Cincinnati Bell, Inc; and Director Trevor Fetter is the President/CEO of Tenet Healthcare Corp as well as being on its board and that of Broadlane, Inc.

(Note: the information contained and presented in Knowledge Maps is public information from the Securities and Exchange Commission of the United States of America).

Click here or copy this link into your Internet Explorer browser for an interactive version of this IntellectSpace Knowledge Map: http://nv.intellectspace.com/ispace/GuestMonitor.aspx?id=ae3a7100-35f8-451f-9b57-9c3e3c2f9e57