The power to fuse data and analytics from The Hartford, one ofthe country's leading writers of workers' compensation policies, and Aetna, oneof the country's leading health and disability insurance providers,largely drove a $1.45 billion deal between the two companies thatwas announced today.

The deal is expected to be completed within a matter ofweeks.

"To combine The Hartford end of our group business with Aetna'slife and disability will make us the second largest player in thebusiness," Mike Concannon, Group Benefits head for The Hartford,said during an interview from The Hardford's Connecticutheadquarters. "It excites us to bring that together, and we lookforward to what we can do."

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Part of what The Hartford will do is accelerate its technology strategy with helpfrom Aetna's core operating systems and technologypersonnel. "At the end of the day, we really think we'regoing to be able to differentiate in terms of the outcomes that we deliver for customers,"Concannon said.

He added that in the short term, customers of both companies aswell as benefits brokers should see very little change in productofferings.

"I think the potential here, when we think about enhancing someof our products and services, is we're able to use our data andanalytics to be better for customers," Concannon said. "I thinkthere's longer-term potential for us to perhaps to thinkdifferently about some of our products."

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Part of that long-term potential involves ramping up penetrationamong mid-size companies. "We both view that as a growthopportunity," he said.

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A prepared statement from The Hartford said the acquisition willmake it the county's second largest group life and disabilityinsurer, with approximately $5 billion in expected earnedpremium.

"The combination of these two businesses strengthens ourposition as a leader in the large employer market and increases ourpresence among midsize employer clients," TheHartford's Chairman and CEO Christopher Swift said in apress release. "It also creates new opportunities to distributeadditional products to a customer base of more than 20 millionpeople who will be insured by the combined business."

Aetna President Karen S. Lynch added that the acquisition shouldresult in improvements for customers on both sides of the merger."Our transaction with The Hartford will benefit both ourshareholders and customers, allowing us to have a stronger focus onour strategy of creating a personalized approach to improvingmember health," she said in a press release.

Ultimately, Aetna's digital assets were a big draw for TheHartford.

"Our claims organization continues to use data and advancedanalytics across workers' compensation and disability to drivebetter outcomes for customers in both business lines, TheHartford's President Doug Elliot said in a press release. "As thenation's second largest workers' compensation insurer, and now, thesecond largest group disability insurer, this transaction increasesour competitive differentiation and potential for future productofferings for absence management."

Read additional coverage of this newsin our sister publication, ThinkAdvisor.