Exhibit 99

                                                          MEDIA CONTACT:
                                                          Dennis Milewski
                                                           (860) 722-5567

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

                       HSB GROUP, INC. ELECTS NEW DIRECTOR

HARTFORD, Conn., July 23, 1998 -- HSB Group, Inc. announced today that Henrietta
Holsman Fore, chairman and chief executive officer of The Holsman Companies, was
elected a new director for a two-year term.

Fore became  chairman and chief  executive  officer of The Holsman  Companies in
1993.  Holsman is an investment and management company engaging in international
joint ventures with U.S. corporations, manufacturing, real estate management and
development, and construction.

Fore is also president and chairman of the board of Stockton Products.  Stockton
manufactures metal products for residential and commercial construction.

During the early 1990s,  Fore held two  presidential  appointments  as assistant
administrator at the U.S. Agency for  International  Development.  She served as
assistant  administrator for Private Enterprise and assistant  administrator for
Asia where she directed a $1.1 billion annual foreign assistance program.

From 1990 to 1991,  Fore served as founding  chairman of the United  States-Asia
Environmental  Partnership,  a  coalition  of  American  and  Asian  businesses,
government  and  community   organizations   that  are  focused  on  energy  and
environmental needs in Asia.

Fore is a director of Dexter  Corporation and a trustee of National Public Radio
Foundation.  She is a  senior  associate  with  the  Center  for  Strategic  and
International  Studies in  Washington,  D.C. and a Crown Fellow  Mentor with the
Aspen Institute.
                                     -more-






HSB Group,  Inc.  (NYSE:  HSB) is a global  provider of  insurance  products and
engineering  management consulting services.  HSB Group is the parent company of
The Hartford Steam Boiler Inspection and Insurance  Company,  founded in 1866 to
provide loss  prevention  service and insurance to  businesses,  industries  and
institutions. For more information about HSB, visit its web site at www.hsb.com.

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