Desjardins General Insurance Group: Water damage is no fun at all!

Lévis, Québec, June 17, 2005 – This is the theme chosen by Desjardins General Insurance for a major operation it has launched aimed at preventing water damage to homes and apartments. This operation, which will continue until June 2006, includes some practical prevention tools that will be sent to Desjardins General Insurance customers along with their home insurance policies.

“Of course nobody likes water damage,” said Mr. Jean Vaillancourt, General Manager – Quebec Operations at Desjardins General Insurance (DGI). Whether it’s because of a leaky roof, a broken pipe in a dishwasher or washing machine, or problems with a water heater, water damage is inconvenient and destructive. And in many cases, it can be prevented if the proper precautions are taken. That’s what the “Water damage is no fun at all” campaign is all about.

Water damage is one of the most common reasons for claims at Desjardins General Insurance. In 2004, water damage accounted for 40% of the compensation paid to DGI property insurance customers.

“We took a close look at the situation and what caused this type of claim. We concluded that the best thing would be to tell our customers how to protect themselves. If our campaign can help prevent water damage, we think that we’ll all come out ahead, both individually and collectively. Since we know that you can’t change a habit overnight, we’re relying on the gradual approach,” Mr. Vaillancourt explained.

The prevention tools include a brochure with a “Water Wise” questionnaire to help customers rate their habits and actions in order to prevent water damage. There are also two reminders in addition to the brochure: an electrostatic sticker mentioning the importance of turning off the taps after running the washing machine, and an insert with a season-by-season prevention checklist.

“We hope that our customers will find these tools useful, and that taking some simple precautions will make a difference in the long run,” Mr. Vaillancourt concluded.

The prevention tools can be viewed in the Insurance News section of Desjardins General Insurance’s website at www.desjardinsgeneralinsurance.com.

About Desjardins Insurance

A subsidiary of Desjardins Group, Desjardins General Insurance is one of the largest and most successful insurance companies in Canada, meeting the home and auto insurance needs of Canadians for over 60 years. Today, Desjardins Insurance has more than 3,700 employees serving customers across the country.

For more information on ajusto, visit www.ajusto.com/.

SOURCE: Desjardins Insurance