This Privacy Policy explains how we will use the information we gather in respect of your application. The Data Protection Act requires companies and individuals who process and retain information about their customers, to tell the customer how the information will be used and to what purpose it will be put. The act does not restrict itself only to information kept on a computer; it is relevant to any ordered filing system.
Use of your data
We will use your personal data to:
- Process the application you have made
- Make, or cause a search to be made at a credit reference agency, or agencies
- Offer you other products which we make available
- Exercise or defend our legal rights and/or comply with any legal requirements
- Pass to a lender(s) in accordance with your application
- Pass to another broker if we are unable to arrange finance for you
- Communicate with you in the future by phone, SMS, email, fax or post about products and services offered by the DSG Financial Services Ltd group (The Group) which may be of interest to you. If you do not wish to receive information in relation to additional products and services you can email enquiries@zenfinance.co.uk
- Pass to another broker in the future with a view to them offering you products they feel may be of interest to you.
- Permit access by regulatory bodies to ensure that we are processing information correctly and complying with regulatory requirements.
We may keep your information for several years, we have a duty to keep the personal information we hold about you up to date, accurate, secure from misuse, accidental damage or loss.
Access to your data
You have a right to see the information which we hold about you. You can ask us for a copy at any time. We will also tell you where the information was obtained.
Should you wish to obtain a copy of the information we hold about you please write to Compliance, Zen Finance, Camelot House, Bredbury Park Way, Stockport, Cheshire SK6 2SN, enclosing a payment of £10 for our administration costs. As soon as we are satisfied as to your identity, we will send you, within 40 days, a copy of all the data held concerning you. Please contact us at the same address if the data we hold about you is inaccurate.
If you wish to see the information held on a credit reference agency file, you can do so by writing to the relevant agency. The agency must respond within 7 working days. There is a small fee of £2. If your credit reference agency file contains information about other people with whom you have no financial connection or if it contains information that is incorrect you can ask for the entry to be corrected, removed, or have a note put on the file explaining why you think the information is wrong. The agency will not remove correct information.
The Data Protection Commissioner provides a useful leaflet which explains how to request changes to your credit reference file.
You can obtain a free copy of the leaflet by writing to: No Credit Leaflet, P.O. Box 99, Nelson BB9 8GS or visiting www.dataprotection.gov.net
Lending companies
Lenders to whom the application is passed will make wider use of the information than us (the broker). All lending companies will have their own privacy policies and customers should refer to these in respect of how their personal data will be used.
Credit Reference searches
The names and addresses of the main credit reference agencies are shown below. Brokers and lenders may use one or more of these agencies. Information about which credit reference agency was used is freely available.
Call Credit - Consumer Services, Call Credit Ltd, P.O. Box 491, Leeds, LS3 1WZ
www.callcredit.co.uk
Experian - P.O. Box 9000, Nottingham, NG80 7WP
www.experian.co.uk
Equifax - Credit File Advice Centre, P.O. Box 1140, Bradford, BD1 5US
www.equifax.co.uk
The credit reference agencies do not keep "blacklists", nor do they give any opinion about whether or not credit should be granted.
Credit reference agencies keep a wide range of information. This includes information from the electoral or voters’ roll, and records of most county court judgements and bankruptcies. They also retain information relating to previous and existing credit and a record of searches made against the file. Lenders share information through credit reference agencies, providing a history of how punctually payments are being made or have been made. Loan information is usually held on file for 6 years. Details of the voters roll may be held for much longer. Information about credit searches is kept for up to two years.
Other agencies
In addition to the credit reference agencies, there are agencies who specifically deal with the checking of application details to identify possible fraud. This is a protection for honest applicants, although it can sometimes lead to delays. Details of these agencies are as follows:
CIFAS
Reports on fraud and fraud avoidance are available to most lenders – these contain indicating that fraud, or attempted fraud has been notified by the lender. The information might not directly relate to you, it may relate to someone who has tried to impersonate you. Data available to members of CIFAS may also be used to help make decisions on motor, home, credit, life and other insurance proposals for you and members of your household.
CML Repossession Register
The Council of Mortgage Lenders Repossession Register is available through the main credit reference agencies. If you have had a property repossessed or have given it up voluntarily this will show on the register.
GAIN
A file may also show a "gone away" marker, indicating that a member of the "Gone Away Information Network" has reported that they cannot trace a customer who is in arrears with payments. Alternatively, the marker may indicate a new address which the gone away has been traced to.
HUNTER
Files in this register contain detailed information on applications made and loans given. It is aimed at tracing fraudsters who use different combinations of information to obtain credit dishonestly. It checks and counter checks information given on application forms.
If we use any of the above agencies we will be able to confirm their contact details.
Cookies
You should be aware that information and data may be automatically collected through the use of Cookies. "Cookies" are small text files that store basic information that a web site can use to recognise repeat site visits and as an example, recall your name if this has been previously supplied. We may use this to observe behaviour and compile aggregate data in order to improve the Site, target the advertising and assess general effectiveness of such advertising.
Cookies do not attach to Your system and damage Your files. If You do not want information collected through the use of Cookies, there is a simple procedure in most browsers that allows You to deny or accept the Cookie feature. Note, however, that "personalised" services may be affected if the cookie option is disabled.
Security and Data Retention
Security is very important to Us. Secure Socket Layer ("SSL") encryption technology is used for protection of information in transit for any sensitive transactions such as payments. Additional security procedures are in place to protect the confidentiality, integrity and availability of Your User information.
We will comply with all relevant Data Protection legislation in relation to the period for which We retain any information You disclose to us.
Updates
We may change this privacy policy from time to time and you should check these regularly. Your use of the Zen Finance site will be deemed an acceptance of the privacy policy existing at that time.
We reserve the right, at any time, to modify, alter, or update this Privacy Policy.