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SIGNATURE NICHOLAS B. MASON
TITLE SECRETARY
<TABLE> <S> <C>
<PAGE>
<ARTICLE> 6
<LEGEND>
THIS SCHEDULE CONTAINS SUMMARY FINANCIAL INFORMATION EXTRACTED FROM THE AUDITED
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AS OF AND FOR THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 1996 AND IS
QUALIFIED IN ITS ENTIRETY BY REFERENCE TO SUCH FINANCIAL STATEMENTS.
</LEGEND>
<MULTIPLIER> 1,000
<S> <C>
<PERIOD-TYPE> YEAR
<FISCAL-YEAR-END> DEC-31-1996
<PERIOD-START> JAN-01-1996
<PERIOD-END> DEC-31-1996
<INVESTMENTS-AT-COST> 15,217
<INVESTMENTS-AT-VALUE> 17,025
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<OVERDISTRIBUTION-GAINS> 0
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<SHARES-REINVESTED> 4,832
<NET-CHANGE-IN-ASSETS> 3,885
<ACCUMULATED-NII-PRIOR> (118)
<ACCUMULATED-GAINS-PRIOR> 386
<OVERDISTRIB-NII-PRIOR> 0
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<PER-SHARE-GAIN-APPREC> 5.19
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<AVG-DEBT-PER-SHARE> 0
</TABLE>
<PAGE>
[LETTERHEAD OF COOPERS & LYBRAND APPEARS HERE]
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT ACCOUNTANTS
---------------------------------
To the Shareholders and Board of Directors of
the Hartford Mutual Investment Fund, Inc.:
In planning and performing our audit of the financial statements and financial
highlights of the Hartford Mutual Investment Fund, Inc. for the year ended
December 31, 1996, we considered its internal control structure, including
procedures for safeguarding securities, in order to determine our auditing
procedures for the purpose of expressing our opinion on the financial statements
and financial highlights and to comply with the requirements of Form N-SAR, not
to provide assurance on the internal control structure.
The management of the Hartford Mutual Investment Fund, Inc. is responsible for
establishing and maintaining an internal control structure. In fulfilling this
responsibility, estimates and judgments by management are required to assess the
expected benefits and related costs of internal control structure policies and
procedures. Two of the objectives of an internal control structure are to
provide management with reasonable, but not absolute, assurance that assets are
safeguarded against loss from unauthorized use or disposition and that
transactions are executed in accordance with management's authorization and
recorded properly to permit preparation of financial statements in conformity
with generally accepted accounting principles.
Because of inherent limitations in any internal control structure, errors or
irregularities may occur and not be detected. Also, projection of any evaluation
of the structure to future periods is subject to the risk that it may become
inadequate because of changes in conditions or that the effectiveness of the
design and operation may deteriorate.
Our consideration of the internal control structure would not necessarily
disclose all matters in the internal control structure that might be material
weaknesses under standards established by the American Institute of Certified
Public Accountants. A material weakness is a condition in which the design or
operation of the specific internal control structure elements does not reduce to
a relatively low level the risk that errors or irregularities in amounts that
would be material in relation to the financial statements and financial
highlights being audited may occur and not be detected within a timely period by
employees in the normal course of performing their assigned functions. However,
we noted no matters involving the internal control structure, including
procedures for safeguarding securities, that we consider to be material
weaknesses, as defined above, as of December 31, 1996.
This report is intended solely for the information and use of management of the
Hartford Mutual Investment Fund, Inc.
/s/ COOPER & LYBRAND L.L.P.
Hartford, Connecticut
February 24, 1997
