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                                                                 EXHIBIT 24.01

                               POWER OF ATTORNEY*

      Each person whose signature appears below does hereby make, constitute and
appoint DAVID K. ZWIENER, BRENDA FURLONG, MICHAEL S. WILDER, C.M. O'HALLORAN,
KATHERINE VINES TRUMBULL, J. RICHARD GARRETT, ROBERT PAIANO, and each of them,
with full power to act as his or her true and lawful attorneys-in-fact and
agents, in his or her name, place and stead to execute on his or her behalf, as
an officer and/or director of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (the
"Company"), one or more Registration Statements of the Company on Form S-3 (the
"Registration Statement"), and any and all amendments or supplements to the
Registration Statement (including any and all stickers and post-effective
amendments), and any and all additional registration statements relating to the
same offering of securities as those that are covered by the Registration
Statement that are filed pursuant to Rule 462(b), and to file the same with all
exhibits thereto and other documents in connection therewith, with the
Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") pursuant to the Securities Act of
1933 (the "Act"), and any applicable securities exchange or securities
self-regulatory body, and any and all other instruments which any of said
attorneys-in-fact and agents deems necessary or advisable to enable the Company
to comply with the Act, the rules, regulations and requirements of the SEC in
respect thereof, and the securities or Blue Sky laws of any State or other
governmental subdivision, giving and granting to each of said attorneys-in-fact
and agents full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and
thing whatsoever necessary or appropriate to be done in and about the premises
as fully to all intents as he or she might or could do in person, with full
power of substitution and resubstitution, hereby ratifying and confirming all
that his or her said attorneys-in-fact and agents or substitutes may or shall
lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.

      IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned has hereunto subscribed this power of
attorney this 9th day of November, 2000.

/s/ RAMANI AYER                             /s/ DINA DUBLON
RAMANI AYER                                 DINA DUBLON

/s/ LOWNDES A. SMITH                        /s/ RONALD R. FRAHM
LOWNDES A. SMITH                            RONALD R. FRAHM

/s/ DAVID K. ZWIENER                        /s/ PAUL G. KIRK, JR.
DAVID K. ZWIENER                            PAUL G. KIRK, JR.

/s/ JOHN N. GIAMALIS                        /s/ ROBERT W. SELANDER
JOHN N. GIAMALIS                            ROBERT W. SELANDER

/s/ BETTE B. ANDERSON                       /s/ H. PATRICK SWYGERT
BETTE B. ANDERSON                           H. PATRICK SWYGERT

/s/ RAND V. ARASKOG                         /s/ GORDON I. ULMER
RAND V. ARASKOG                             GORDON I. ULMER