Investor Center Opens In Downtown Hartford

About 250 people assembled on the street outside of 280 Trumbull Street for the opening of the CIGNA Financial Services Investor Center in Hartford on Thursday, September 25.

The center is the first in the United States designed to bring "Main Street to Wall Street," for CIGNA Financial Services, according to a spokesperson.

The investor center at the corner of Trumbull and Church Streets offers a televised stock ticker, and computerized updates on how stocks, bonds, or mutuel funds are performing.

An investor can also talk with an investment education expert.

Will Bashan, president of CIGNA Financial Services, said the location will bring greater activity, greater services, and more workers to downtown Hartford.

"We look at Hartford as being a good place to bring our first investor center," he said.

CIGNA Financial Services offers a range of investment choices, including stocks and bonds, as well as access to more than 70 mutuel fund families, and over 4,000 individual mutuel funds, according to a press release.

CIGNA is attempting to target middle income clients with family or individual salaries of $40-$100,000.

"What we see, and what our research shows, is that there are a lot of people in the income range," said Bashan.

"These people have not attracted the attention of the major financial service firms, and that's a shame because the major financial firms have a lot to offer."

The new location is a retail site, expanding what the Company has been in business for just over a year through the internet and a 1-800 number.

Mayor Mike Peters and Governor John Rowland also were present praising the virtues of downtown Hartford in front of the crowd, with Peters fitting the first piece of a contest puzzle to be used by CIGNA, and the Governor turning on the lights at the center.

Peters recalled negotiations about two years ago when the city sought to keep the insurance company in downtown Hartford.

"This is a great good news story for Hartford," Rowland said.