Carriers Create New Insurance Online Network(TM) for Term Life Policies

    SIMSBURY, Conn., April 18 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The Hartford Financial
Services Group, Inc. (NYSE: HIG) and Protective Life Corporation (NYSE: PL),
through wholly owned subsidiaries, have formed Life Alliance, LLC, a new
online joint venture to help broker-dealers, banks and other distributors meet
their customers' term life insurance needs.
    Life Alliance, LLC created the Insurance Online Network(TM) (ION), a Web-
based platform designed to make it easier and quicker for financial
professionals to provide their clients with quotes on term life insurance from
multiple carriers, from the convenience of their own desktops.  ION also
provides financial professionals with links to the quoting insurance
companies.
    ION will be available through several broker-dealers and banks.  ION is a
free service available to distributors of financial service products, offering
a new cost-effective alternative to other "pay to play" online quote systems.
    "The choices available to consumers in today's life insurance marketplace
continue to expand.  The ION system will help put us in the forefront of this
trend," said Michael Kalen, executive vice president of The Hartford's
Individual Life Division.  "This new venture will provide a value-added
service for financial professionals and their clients in selecting term life
insurance."
    "The ION system revolutionizes how life insurance is transacted in the
financial services industry -- it is a game-changing platform," said John
Deremo, senior vice president of Protective Life Insurance Company's Life and
Annuity Division (Protective Life).  "We have placed the power of choice in
the hands of brokers -- it is just a single click away."
    ION will provide quotes on 10- and 20-year term life policies from
Hartford Life and Annuity Insurance Company and 10-, 15-, 20- and 30-year term
life policies from Protective.  Available face amounts start at $100,000.
Eventually, ION may provide quotes from participating carriers on other
product offerings such as permanent life insurance, including variable
universal life, universal life and whole life products.
    Financial professionals can use ION to generate quotes for term life
insurance from multiple carriers based on information about the client's age,
requested coverage amount, gender, risk class, and coverage period.  There are
no medical questions asked at the time a quote is requested.  Once a consumer
selects a quote, the financial professional electronically submits the
information to the carrier for underwriting and processing.
    A tele-interviewer from the selected carrier will contact the consumer to
gather medical and financial information.  An automated system will compile
all the information, transfer it to a formal life insurance application, and
forward it to an underwriter.  Online status information, from underwriting to
policy issue, is available to financial professionals via the carriers'
websites.
    "The ION system sets a new standard on how easily financial professionals
and their customers can do business with insurance carriers," The Hartford's
Kalen said.  "At The Hartford, we continually work to streamline our processes
to make it easier for more people meet their financial security needs."
    "We developed ION collaboratively to help provide financial services firms
an unparalleled level of service and ease of use unrivaled in the insurance
industry today," Protective's Deremo said.  "We believe ION will set the
standard by which other quotation systems are measured on convenience, product
selection and ease of use."
    Protective Life Corporation, parent company of Protective Life Insurance
Company, provides financial services through the production, distribution and
administration of insurance and investment products throughout the United
States.  It has annual revenues of approximately $2.0 billion and assets of
$27.2 billion.
    The Hartford is one of the nation's largest financial services and
insurance companies, with 2004 revenues of $22.7 billion.  The company is a
leading provider of investment products, life insurance and group benefits;
automobile and homeowners products; and business property-casualty insurance.
    The Hartford is The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. and its
subsidiaries, including the issuing companies of Hartford Life Insurance
Company and Hartford Life and Annuity Insurance Company.
    Term life insurance policies are issued by Hartford Life and Annuity
Insurance Company and Protective Life Insurance Company/Protective Life and
Annuity Insurance Company.
    Neither The Hartford nor Protective Life nor their agents or employees
provide tax or legal advice.  As with all matters of a tax or legal nature,
your clients should consult their own tax or legal counsel for advice.
    Some of the statements in this release may be considered forward-looking
statements as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.
The Hartford cautions investors that these forward-looking statements are not
guarantees of future performance, and actual results may differ materially.
Investors should consider the important risks and uncertainties that may cause
actual results to differ.  These important risks and uncertainties include
those discussed in The Hartford's Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, The
Hartford's 2004 Annual Report on Form 10-K and the other filings The Hartford
makes with the Securities and Exchange Commission.  The Hartford assumes no
obligation to update this release, which speaks as of the date issued.

    Contact(s):
     David Potter                       Eric Miller
     The Hartford                       Protective Life
     860-843-8993                       800-628-6390
     david.potter@hartfordlife.com      eric.miller@protective.com

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