Squirrel Group – Privacy Policy
Last updated 19 November 2018
We aim to protect your personal information and to comply with the privacy act 1933
By providing us with your personal information, by completing one of our online forms or by using our services, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this privacy policy and consent to our use of your personal information in accordance with the terms set out in this policy (as amended from time to time).
This privacy policy covers the following topics:
1. Personal information collection and use
2. Disclosure of information
3. How we protect your information
4. Accessing your information
5. How long we hold your information for
6. Changes to this policy
7. How to get in touch with us
Personal information collection and use
We collect and use personal information provided by you through your use of the Website and when you apply for and access our products and services. If you choose not to provide personal information to us on request, this may mean we are unable to provide services to you, or it may affect the quality of those services.
We may collect personal information about you through third party service providers, where you have agreed to the release of such personal information to us.
We will not otherwise collect any personal information about you unless we have your permission, or you knowingly gave us the information.
The type of personal information that we collect will depend on the purpose for which it is collected, but may include:
1. Contact information, such as your name, address, phone number, email address.
2. Documentation required to verify your identity, such as a passport or drivers licence number.
3. Financial information, such as your statement of position, IRD number, tax status, income sources and value.
4. Security information, such as your residential property, vehicle details and personal assets
5. Employment information, such as your current employer, position, and work history.
6. Bureau information, such as credit history, anti-money laundering and financial terrorism information
We may use your personal information in the following ways:
1. To confirm your identity, contact details, employment, and tax status.
2. We collect financial information (incomes, expenses, debts) to help us assess your creditworthiness to borrow using
the Platform or otherwise to provide you with our services.
3. If you are a borrower we may use your personal information to check a third party credit report.
4. Communication between you and us related to our products and services.
5. To verify your identity or to run a credit check or other checks for the purpose of registering you as a borrower or investor.
6. For the purpose of informing you about our other products and services from time to time (subject to your consent).
7. To assist us in developing and improving our services.
8. To enforce our rights where necessary, in accordance with any contract or other terms and conditions to which you are subject.
9. If you provide content to us (such as comments or reviews), to publish that content on our Website.
10. To perform statistical analysis of customer behaviour and use of our Website.
11. To comply with our legal obligations, including customer due diligence requirements under the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Act 2012.
Disclosure of personal information
We may disclose information about you and/or your partner or co-borrower (including your identity) to a third party for the following purposes:
1. Carrying out credit and identity checks.
2. Providing our services to you.
3. Enabling a third party (mortgage lender) to provide services to us or to you.
4. As otherwise permitted or required by law.
These third parties may include:
1. Any company we deem necessary to use in order to provide you with a mortgage or other service as you require.
2. If you are referred to us for a mortgage from a real estate agent we will confirm to the agent whether or not you are a realistic buyer if required to do so
We generally hold your information in New Zealand. However, certain personal information may be transferred and/or
stored outside of New Zealand by our third party service providers. Where personal information is transferred outside of
New Zealand we will ensure that such third party is subject to comparable privacy laws to New Zealand or is required to
protect the personal information in a way that is comparable to New Zealand’s privacy laws.
How we protect your information
Any information captured online is stored on our secure server and in a secured database. IT professionals manage both of these on our behalf. Physical (“hardcopy”) information is stored onsite and our building has a monitored alarm. Please be advised, however, that while we strive to do everything reasonably possible to protect your personal information and privacy, we cannot guarantee or warrant the security of any information you disclose or transmit to us and we are not responsible for the theft, destruction, or inadvertent disclosure of your personal information where our security measures have been breached. Any transmission of personal information is conducted at your own risk.
Cookies
Information may also be collected through the use of cookies to record your visit to the Website. All information collected via cookies will be held by us. This information will not be made available to any third party in a manner that enables you to be identified. If you do not wish to allow cookies you may change your browser settings to disable cookies. However, if you disable cookies some parts of the Website may not function properly.
Accessing your information
You may request access to the personal information we hold about you by emailing us at money@squirrel.co.nz.
You may also request us to correct the personal information we hold about you by emailing us at clientservices@squirrel.co.nz If we are not willing to correct errors that you have identified in your personal information, you may request that we take reasonable steps to attach a statement to the personal information noting the correction request.
How long we hold your information for
We will keep your personal information only for as long as necessary to achieve the purpose we collected it for and in all cases for such periods as we are required to in order to comply with any relevant legislation or regulations.
Changes to this policy
We reserve the right to modify or amend this privacy policy from time to time for any reason. Any changes will apply from the date we post the updated privacy policy on the Website. If we make any significant changes, we will provide you with reasonable notice of such changes through the Website or via other means such as email. By using our services and/or accessing the Website after such notice period, you will be deemed to have accepted the updates to this privacy policy. If you do not agree to any change, you must immediately notify us and stop using our services and accessing our Website.
Third party websites
The Website may contain links or references to certain third party websites or material. Information collected by such third parties is governed by that third party’s privacy practices or policies. We accept no responsibility or liability for any third party practices or policies.
How to get in touch with us
If you have any questions on this privacy policy or on any personal information we have collected, you can contact us at PO Box 911254, Victoria Street West, Auckland 1042, or at clientservices@squirrel.co.nz or by calling us on 0800 21 22 30.
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