Desjardins Group

Back in 1900, Canadian journalist Gabriel-Alphonse Desjardins founded the Caisses Populaires Desjardins (Desjardins Group). First headquartered in Levis, the group grew to become the largest association of credit unions in North America. Today, Desjardins Group has headquarters in Montreal and is headed by Mr. Monique Leroux, President and Chief Executive Officer, who is leading a team of over forty thousand devoted officials. They serve more than 6 billion clients in Canada and around the world. The group maintains a network of 536 local branches and has more than twenty subsidiaries. Desjardins’ products range from chequing accounts, insurance services and stock brokerage to asset-based lending and consumer financing, among others.

Being the sixth largest provider of financial services in Canada, Desjardins Group offers the full range of banking and financial services to corporate and individual clients. The group’s lending solutions include a wide range of visa credit cards such as preferential-rate credit cards for students and travellers, credit cards without annual fee, gold prestige cards and credit cards with various reward programs. Other financial services are personal loans and lines of credit, including low-fee credit lines for students and young people, auto loans and flexible leasing solutions, along with different mortgage plans and loans based on registered retirement savings plans.

To their individual clients, Desjardins Group also offers a wide range of chequing and savings accounts, including specially-tailored savings accounts and banking programs for children, students and senior citizens, and online and telephone banking service. In addition, Desjardins’ PIN-protected, special access card enables its holder to access his chequing and savings account information through ATM, telephone and internet and withdraw money from over one million ATMs across the globe.

Desjardins Group has also developed convenient personal investment and savings tools and solutions such as fixed-rate and market-linked guaranteed investments, tax-free savings accounts, investment and mutual funds, various retirement savings plans and personal asset management services, while its insurance products encompass home and auto insurance, travel and accident insurance, as well as life, health and disability insurance options.

No matter if you are self-employed, a professional, small business owner, or a farmer, you can always rely on Desjardins’ business banking and financing solutions. These include various business lending and financing options such as commercial term loans and mortgages, short-term financing solutions, agricultural financing and financial programs in support of the small business and the self-employed, along with a wide variety of business credit cards. Desjardins Group also offers business banking and chequing accounts with day-to-day transactions and cash management options, various business insurance products such as property and public liability insurance, life, health and travel insurance for business people, group and credit insurance, and even special insurance packages for the organizers of golf tournaments. Property insurance comes in the form of basic (coverage against theft, fire, and other unexpected events), all-risk, and optional which covers water damages, escape of fuel oil, and damages to above ground pools. Auto insurance cover damages to the vehicle for which the customer is responsible (for instance, hitting an object or rolling over). The comprehensive insurance package covers non-collision accidents caused by: earthquakes, floods, explosions, riots, vandalism, falling objects and such thrown in the air, fires, windstorms, hair, and lightings.

In addition to these financial products, the business banking unit of Desjardins offers human resources and payroll services for small and medium-sized businesses, international business financing and payment instruments, various group savings plans and business start-up financing solutions, along with flexible and convenient business investment tools. These include build-up savings accounts, guaranteed fixed-rate investments, online brokerage, and various long and medium-term investment solutions.