They offer full-service branches across Canada, including Vancouver, Calgary, Winnipeg, Toronto, Montreal and Halifax.

Established in May 1953 as Merit Insurance Company, a subsidiary of Industrial Acceptance Corporation (IAC) and based in Montreal, the company originally focused primarily on personal lines of insurance.

By the end of the 1960s, Merit Insurance had grown to employ almost one hundred staff with branch offices in several cities across Canada.

In 1984, The Sovereign changed its strategic direction and began to emphasize commercial lines of insurance, distributing its products solely through independent brokers across Canada.

The 1980s would bring more changes to The Sovereign, when it was acquired by The Co-operators in April 1987, becoming a member of the co-operatively-owned group of insurance and financial services companies.