Hartford Sells Off Individual Annuity Operations

Hartford Financial Services Group Inc said on Thursday it will sell its individual annuity operations to Forethought, a Houston-based financial services company.

April 26, 2012

* Terms not disclosed

* Deal includes operations but not book of business

* Hartford in middle of a restructuring

(Adds details on transaction)

April 26 - Hartford Financial Services Group Inc said on Thursday it will sell its individual annuity operations to Forethought, a Houston-based financial services company.

Terms were not disclosed, though Hartford said the deal was not material to its results. The majority of the employees in the annuity business will be offered jobs with Forethought, Hartford said in a statement.

The sale includes product management, distribution and marketing operations but does not include Hartford's existing book of annuities already sold.

Hartford said in late March it would shut down its annuity business and sell its life insurance, retirement plan and broker-dealer operations as part of a restructuring to focus on its property insurance business.

Hartford shares fell 0.5 percent to $20.64 in afternoon trading. (Reporting By Ben Berkowitz; Editing by Gerald E. McCormick)