Stability and dependability are two qualities every financial institution must have. Your caisse is not only secure, but is probably one of the most secure financial institutions in North America or in the world. That is why the major rating agencies give Desjardins Group some of their highest credit ratings.

First of all, there is the fact that your caisse is a cooperative. As such, it belongs to its members, i.e. to you and all the other members of the caisse. The people that you elect to its Board of Directors are responsible for managing caisse business in the interests of the members. They must apply sound and prudent management practices, and adhere to a set of ethical rules and administrative standards. A part of their work is to see to it that the caisse has all the necessary insurance for fire, theft, fraud and any other possible danger. In addition to the Board of Directors, the General Meeting elects a Board of Supervision which acts on behalf of the members to verify proper application of all rules and standards. Finally, as part of a vast cooperative network, the caisse can rely on the many other Desjardins institutions for support in meeting member needs both competitively and securely.

The law requires the Fédération des caisses Desjardins du Québec to regularly inspect and annually audit the caisses, in order to protect member assets and support the caisse officers in the execution of their functions. This is the responsibility of the Desjardins Bureau for Financial Monitoring and Enforcement, which evaluates whether the caisses are managing their business according to sound and prudent management practices, while respecting the laws, standards and ethical rules in effect. In addition, the Bureau audits the financial standards of the caisses and issues an opinion in accordance with recognized auditing standards.

Each caisse has a reserve that receives a portion of the surplus earnings for each year. The reserve constitutes one form of guarantee for depositors. Also, each caisse, being a member of the Fédération des caisses Desjardins du Québec, is also a member of the Fonds de sécurité Desjardins. The caisse benefits from additional protection from this structure.

Learn more about the Fonds de sécurité Desjardins.

The Quebec government does in fact have this responsibility, which is carried out by the Autorité des marchés financiers. The main purpose of the Autorité is to ensure that financial institutions and other players in the sector follow the appropriate regulations respecting solvency, in accordance with the relevant legal requirements, which are intended to protect the interests of financial services users.Find out more by visiting the Autorité des marchés financiers site.

In Quebec: Desjardins caisses are registered with Autorité des marchés financiers in conformity with the terms of the Deposit Insurance Act. To learn more, see the Autorité des marchés financiers website.

In Ontario: Deposits are insured with the Deposit Insurance Corporation of Ontario. To learn more about deposit insurance, request a brochure at your caisse populaire, call DICO at 1-800-268-6653 or go to the Deposit Insurance Corporation of Ontario website.