Travelers Canada car claim after the Definity sale: what changed

What closed on January 2, 2026, and what it means for a policyholder

On January 2, 2026, Definity Financial completed its acquisition of the Canadian personal lines of Travelers, along with most of the commercial side. The surety business was left out of the deal. For a household with a car policy, the change is about who services it: Travelers Canada’s site now says home, auto, business, specialty and title policies are serviced by Definity Insurance Company.

Policyholders were told their coverage would carry on without disruption and that there were no immediate changes to policy terms, billing or renewals. Your policy was not cancelled, and you do not need to buy a new one because of the sale. What may change over time is the paperwork, the names on emails, and eventually the processes behind them, which is why this page exists.

Some longer-standing customers first bought the policy under The Dominion name, before it became Travelers Canada. If your oldest documents say Dominion, they still lead to the same policy, which Definity now services.

A crash on a Travelers policy is still reported on the Travelers claim line

Use the Travelers claim line printed on your documents. Travelers Canada’s site says auto claims are still reported there, at any hour, so do not hunt for a Definity number you have never been given. Before the sale, Travelers’ claim FAQ described a round-the-clock emergency claim service that aimed to contact you within four business hours of a new claim and assign an adjuster; ask on the call whether that still describes how your file will be handled.

What comes before that call is Ontario law, and the sale did not touch it. Injuries mean 911 from where the crash happened. No injuries, but a driver who left or damage that may top the reporting threshold across both cars, means a trip to a Collision Reporting Centre, ideally the same day or the next. A change of ownership between companies does not give you any extra time to notify the insurance company.

DCPD works as it always has. When you were not at fault and the other vehicle was identified and insured by an Ontario-licensed company, your own Travelers policy, now serviced by Definity, pays for your car. The other driver’s insurance company does not pay for your repair.

• Policy number exactly as it appears on your Travelers documents.
• Date, time and place, such as the 404 ramp at Sheppard or a Don Mills lot.
• Details from the other driver: name, plate, licence number and the company insuring the car.
• The report number from the reporting centre, when you filed there.
• The shop you want the car inspected at.

The recommended-facility estimate and the shop you pick

Travelers’ claim FAQ described the usual route this way: take the car to a recommended repair facility for an estimate, with no extra estimate needed there; get help arranging a rental if your policy covers one; and receive payment directly, through the recommended facility, or by a co-payable cheque. A co-payable cheque is made out to you and the shop together, so both of you endorse it.

Ask the adjuster early which of those three payment routes applies to your file, because it decides whether money passes through your hands at all. Paid to you directly, the repair invoice is still yours to settle with the shop. Co-payable, it needs both signatures at pick-up, so bring the cheque with you.

A recommended facility is one option. Ontario lets you choose your own shop, and that right did not change with the sale. Tell the adjuster where you want the car, and the estimate goes to them from that shop for review. Crash Consultant is not a Travelers or Definity recommended facility; when a Travelers claim comes here, our estimator writes it up, sends the photos to whichever adjuster is assigned, and handles any supplement once the car is apart.

What has not been settled yet, and the questions to ask your adjuster

Do not assume every Travelers process has already moved over to Definity’s, or that none has. The clearest example is the repair guarantee. Work at Definity’s own Repair Partners comes with a Definity warranty covering body, parts and paint, but nothing published so far confirms that it applies to claims on Travelers policies. Before choosing a shop because of a guarantee, ask the adjuster which network and which guarantee apply to your claim, and get the answer in an email.

Rental terms deserve the same question. A replacement car comes either from the not-at-fault side of the claim or from an OPCF 20 endorsement on your policy, and any daily limit is set by the policy wording. Ask which rental company will be used and when the rental starts, especially if the car is drivable while parts are ordered.

And read your renewal letter when it arrives. Changes to your terms are set out in your own policy documents, so rely on those over news coverage of the sale.

While the changeover runs, keep a short log of every representative you speak with: the name, the date and what they told you. When two answers differ, the written record is what settles it.