In the mutual insurance game in Canada, Unica has a comparatively short history. Its deepest roots go back to 1941 in Quebec when the provincial government granted legal existence to the Mutuelle des employes civils, a society pursuing economical benefits for its members. In 1947, the group wrote its first life insurance policies, expanding into group insurance in 1954. In 1976, the group’s first subsidiary, La Capitale General Insurance, started operations. Completely separate from this, York Fire and Casualty Company opened its doors in 1955 in Ontario. With head offices in Mississauga, La Capitale acquired York in 2008, quickly overhauling the Ontario insurer, and, in 2011, rebranded the company as Unica Insurance Incorporated. Pushing its 100 percent Canadian ownership, Unica boasts a people-centric philosophy for both its clients and broker network.

Unica is just one of the arms of La Capitale General Insurance, which has been on a buying spree, expanding through acquisition. As one of the largest property and casualty insurers in Quebec, the company collects premiums in excess of $700 million annually in the province, while employing about 1,200 people. The company has a wholly-owned brokerage subsidiary, aiding the distribution of its products. Recent mergers include Penncorp Life Insurance, Promutuel Vie, and SecuriGlobe, one of the leading distributors of travel insurance in Canada.

Unica personal car insurance policies do not cover ridesharing for drivers using Uber or other services. The main policy sections that you need to pay attention to are the declarations page, insuring agreement, exclusions, and statutory conditions. It is important to read through these sections before you sign the insurance agreement to know all important facts about this legal contract.

Unica Car Insurance Market Share Review

2012-2013 Market Share Review

Unica Insurance did not file for rate changes in 2010 and 2011. Their market share was 1.95% in the 2nd quarter of 2012. They did not file for rate change approvals in the 1st, 3rd, and 4th quarters of 2012. This declined to 0.65% in the 1st quarter of 2013. There was a marginal decline of 0.53% in the 3rd quarter of 2013. Unica did not file for rate change approvals in the 2nd and 4th quarters of 2013.

2014-2016 Market Share Review

Their market share was stable at 0.53% in the 1st quarter of 2014. This marginally increased to 0.61% in the 4th quarter of 2015. There were no rate change approvals in the 1st, 3rd, and 2nd quarters of 2015. The market share increased marginally to 0.65% in the 3rd quarter of 2016. They did not file for rate changes in the 1st and 2nd quarters of 2016 and there is no data for the last quarter of 2016.

Unica Car Insurance Rate Changes Review

2012 – 2014 Rate Change Review

Unica Insurance had no rate changes approved by FSCO in 2010 and 2011. Their rate change approvals decreased by 1.97% in the 2nd quarter of 2012. They did not file for rate changes in the 1st, 3rd, and 4th quarters of 2012. This further decreased by 3% in the 1st quarter of 2013. There was a marginal decrease in the rates approved by FSCO by 0.85% in the 3rd quarter of 2013. There were no rate changes approved in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th quarters of 2014.

2015 – 2016 Rate Change Review

They did not file for rate changes in the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd quarters of 2015. Around 21 insurance companies filed for rate change approvals in the 4th quarter of 2015. They represented 51.23% of the insurance market. In the same quarter, the rate change approved marginally increased by 0.61%. There is no data for the 4th quarter of 2016. Their rate change approved decreased by 2% in the 3rd quarter of 2016. In that quarter, about 50 insurance companies filed for rate changes. They were representing 83.36% of the industry.

Unica’s Auto Insurance

As well as that under the LivEasy product banner, Unica offers car insurance to the Ontario market through its network of brokers. Unica has no direct distribution method for its products. Coverage includes personal passenger vehicles, collectible and vintage cars, trailers, and motor homes. It offers a typical range of premium discounts. For example, a motorist can earn 10 percent off their car insurance bill by installing four winter tires seasonally.

Unica endorsed the Insurance Brokers Association of Ontario’s fleetadvisor^® telematics program for commercial auto insurance in 2015. The program offers immediate insurance savings as well as a way to monitor fleet performance, offering information to reduce fleet risk and administration costs while improving the overall health of fleet vehicles. The IBAO commended Unica for its support of this technology, and for its strong support of insurance broker channels.

Unica Auto Insurance Discounts

Unica Insurance offers savings and discounts to car insurance policyholders based on certain criteria. Safe driving habits, bundling of different insurance products, good driving records, etc. may qualify you for a discount on car insurance policies. When you insure many products or many vehicles with Unica then you may get multiline or multi-vehicle discounts. If you bundle home and car insurance policies then you may get a 12.5% discount. If you install 4 winter tires during the winter season every year then you may qualify for a 10% discount. You may get a 15% discount when you insure all your cars with Unica Insurance.

In case you don’t have had any convictions for the last 3 years then you may get a 10% discount. Continuous insurance with a prior insurance company for more than 4 years with no faulty claims can qualify you for a 2.5% to 5% discount. When you have continuous insurance with Unica for at least 3 years then you may get a 2.5% to 5% discount. Protect your car by installing an anti-theft device to get a 5% to 15% discount.

Unica Insurance and its LivEasy Program

Targeting active professionals, the LivEasy program includes a suite of home and auto insurance products that comprehensively and flexibly cover the needs of this target group’s assets. The LivEasy suite includes coverage for product classes that may be hard to find with more conventional insurers. Coverage includes secondary residences, cottages, vintage car collections, snowmobiles, and ATVs. This shows that Unica is targeting higher-end clients looking for a one-stop solution for their personal insurance needs.

Optional Coverage You May Consider Buying With Unica

Unica provides a standard car insurance policy with coverage mandatory in Ontario. The standard coverage includes DC-PD, liability, uninsured motorist, and statutory accident benefits. There is also optional coverage that you may purchase from Unica Insurance to get better protection in case there is damage or loss to your car.

Unica Car Insurance Cancellation Policy

If you wish to cancel your Unica car insurance policy then you may contact your broker. To locate your nearest broker use the online form. You may also call 905.677.9777 or 1800.676.0967 to inform us about your cancellation request. To send your car insurance cancellation request in writing you may mail it to 7150 Derrycrest Drive, Mississauga, Ontario, L5W 0E5. In case you wish to fax your cancellation request then you may fax it to 1800.676.6967. They will calculate your refund if any based on your car insurance policy and the months remaining till the end of the term. They may deduct a cancellation fee for handling costs and issue a refund to you.

Making Unica Car Insurance Claim

You may contact your insurance broker or agent to report a car insurance claim. Your broker will forward your request and your claim will be assigned to a claims specialist in Unica Insurance. There is also an option to call 1866.864.1113 to submit your car insurance claim. This is an emergency claims support number that is available all time on all days of the week. The claims specialist will help you with the claims documentation and assessment. The claims process for car insurance is mentioned below.

1. After you inform your broker they will inform the claims department to open your claims file. A claims representative will revert to you in 4 hours.
2. The claims specialist will get information about your loss to assess the fault and extent of the damage.
3. They will also give assistance with details of the body shop and car rental as per your eligibility. You may have to spend 20 minutes time getting this support.
4. If anyone had an injury then you need to inform Unica Insurance about it for appropriate action.
5. Your chosen repair shop will assess your vehicle and they will provide the estimate and digital photos to the Unica loss appraiser.
6. A Unica representative will authorize the estimate and you can authorize the repair shop to start repairing your car. If you have to pay a deductible then you have to pay it to the repair shop after they repair your car.
7. If you chose a repair shop from the Direct Repair Program list then Unica will directly pay that repair shop. In case your repair shop is not a part of the list then Unica will issue a co-payable cheque to both of you. You may sign it after your car is repaired as per your satisfaction.

How Can I Get Unica Car Insurance Quote

To get a car insurance quote you may contact an insurance broker on the website. You may search using your postal code. Or you may call 905.677.9777 or 1800.676.0967 and ask for a car insurance quote.

Contact Methods For Unica Insurance

Mail: The mailing address to write to Unica Insurance is 7150 Derrycrest Drive, Mississauga, Ontario, L5W 0E5.

Call: You may call Unica Insurance on 905.677.9777 or 1800.676.0967.

Fax: The fax number to send your documents is 1800.676.6967.

Billing: To reach the billing department you may fax documents to 1877.526.3633.

Broker: You may search for your nearest broker location using the website tool.

Complaints resolution: In case you are not satisfied with a Unica representative about the process of claims of policy handling then you may escalate the matter. You may contact the Manager or a team leader and inform them about your concern. If they are also not able to resolve your complaint then you can escalate it to the Ombudsman.

The Ombudsperson for Unica is La-Toya Hanchard and you could reach her on 905-696-1220. The mailing address to write to her is 7150 Derrycrest Drive, Mississauga, ON L5W 0E5. The fax number to fax any documents is 905-795-0887.

Disclaimer

We are not affiliated and make no representations or warranties, recommendations, or endorsements of Unica Insurance. This article is our review of Unica Insurance for information purposes only.  The logos, trademarks, and copyrights mentioned in this article belong to Unica Insurance.