Desjardins General Insurance (DGI) is the P&C insurance subsidiary of Desjardins General Insurance Group, itself a subsidiary of

Desjardins Group The Desjardins Group (french: Mouvement Desjardins) is a Canadian financial service cooperative and the largest federation of credit unions (french: caisses populaires) in North America. It was founded in 1900 in Lévis, Quebec by Alphonse Des ...

. The brand is sister with

Desjardins Financial Security Desjardins Financial Security (DFS) is the life and health insurance arm of Desjardins Group, the leading financial institution in Quebec and the largest cooperative financial group in Canada. DFS registered a record-breaking revenue data in 201 ...

, and both of them regroup under the banner of

Desjardins Insurance Desjardins Insurance is the insurance unit of Desjardins Group, the largest association of credit unions in Canada. Desjardins Insurance has two principal subsidiaries: Desjardins Financial Security (life, health and retirement insurance produ ...

.They now serve customers in three provinces of Canada: Quebec, Alberta and Ontario. DGI is one of the property and casualty leaders in Canada, and in 2014, Desjardins General Insurance ranked third for customer satisfaction in Quebec.

About

Their main products are

auto insurance Vehicle insurance (also known as car insurance, motor insurance, or auto insurance) is insurance for automobile, cars, trucks, motorcycles, and other road vehicles. Its primary use is to provide financial protection against physical damage or bod ...

home insurance Home insurance, also commonly called homeowner's insurance (often abbreviated in the US real estate industry as HOI), is a type of property insurance that covers a private residence. It is an insurance policy that combines various personal insura ...

and

business insurance Insurance is a means of protection from financial loss in which, in exchange for a fee, a party agrees to compensate another party in the event of a certain loss, damage, or injury. It is a form of risk management, primarily used to hedge ...

, and are available through agents in the Desjardins Caisses network, Client Care Centres, website and mobile app.

History

In 1944, Desjardins Group's first subsidiary was created under the name of "Société d'assurance des caisses populaires (SACP)", today rebranded Desjardins General Insurance. It was created to meet everybody's need, from their members to themselves: it offered in a single-contract protection against

fire Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material (the fuel) in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction Product (chemistry), products. At a certain point in the combustion reaction, called the ignition ...

hold-ups Hold-ups or stay-ups (in the United States also referred to as thigh-high stockings or simply thigh highs) are stockings with an elasticized band at the top, designed to hold the stockings up when worn, without the use of a garter belt or gart ...

burglaries Burglary, also called breaking and entering and sometimes housebreaking, is the act of entering a building or other areas without permission, with the intention of committing a criminal offence. Usually that offence is theft, robbery or murder ...

and

write-off A write-off is a reduction of the recognized value of something. In accounting, this is a recognition of the reduced or zero value of an asset. In income tax statements, this is a reduction of taxable income, as a recognition of certain expenses ...

s. In 1987, in order to save their insurance company that was having financial problems, they completely turned around their business model and launched direct insurance. Insurance was now available directly through the caisses and call networks. It is considered to be "one of the most controversial developments to hit the industry", because it affected not only the Desjardins Group, but also the traditional

brokerage A broker is a person or firm who arranges transactions between a buyer and a seller for a commission when the deal is executed. A broker who also acts as a seller or as a buyer becomes a principal party to the deal. Neither role should be confu ...

network territory. They almost had to shut down, and had to go to court to defend their rights before their model was accepted. In 2008, DGI extended their home and auto insurance services outside their usual range to include the Ontario sector. In 2014, Desjardins Group acquired the Canadian operations of

State Farm State Farm Insurance is a large group of mutual insurance companies throughout the United States with corporate headquarters in Bloomington, Illinois. Overview State Farm is the largest property and casualty insurance provider, and the la ...

to become the second-largest property and casualty insurer in Canada. Until 2018, all 1.2 million customers in Ontario, Alberta and New Brunswick were still served under the name of State Farm, but on May 1, 2018, Desjardins officially started a campaign to rebrand State Farm Canada as Desjardins Insurance Agents. The transition is to be done by December 31, 2019.

The Personal

Founded in 1974, The Personal is subsidiary of Desjardins General Insurance and a Canada property and casualty (P&C) group insurer that specializes in home insurance and auto insurance. They offer multiple services to their partners, and are specialized in offering group exclusive rates. They represent over 700 public and private organizations, professional orders and unions across Canada. "It prides itself on high customer satisfaction, with 96% of respondents saying they are satisfied after making a claim and 95% of insurance holders renewing their policies each year. The renewal rate is one of the highest in the

insurance industry Insurance is a means of protection from financial loss in which, in exchange for a fee, a party agrees to compensate another party in the event of a certain loss, damage, or injury. It is a form of risk management, primarily used to hedge ...

History

In 1974, in Canada, The Personal created the auto and home group insurance concept. The concept of group insurance was popular for life policies, but for the first time the concept was applied to cars and homes. Auto and home were then the only products offered; later The Personal broadened their range of services to include other products, such as

recreational vehicle A recreational vehicle, often abbreviated as RV, is a motor vehicle or trailer that includes living quarters designed for accommodation. Types of RVs include motorhomes, campervans, coaches, caravans (also known as travel trailers and camper ...

s, travel and pets. On May 2 of 1986, The Personal (then called ''The Security)'', was reaching an agreement with the ''Centrale de l'enseignement du Québec'' (CEQ), who were looking for a group insurance. This agreement signed the official start of the history of group P&C insurance in Quebec.

Prices and distinctions

According to a J.D. Power study about customer satisfaction with home insurance, The Personal ranked first in Quebec in 2015. The same study in 2018 for the auto insurance sector also ranked the company as first in Canada.

References

External links

Desjardins General Insurance websiteDesjardins General Insurance android mobile appThe Personal website
{{Authority control Financial services companies established in 1944 Insurance companies of Canada Companies based in Lévis, Quebec

About

History

The Personal

History

Prices and distinctions

See also

References

External links