How Small Business Mortgages (SBM) uses your personal information

When we refer to SBM, we mean Small Business Mortgages.

Information we hold

SBM holds the following details about you:

• personal information, such as your name, address and date of birth
• details of your accounts, the products you hold with SBM and if you have told us, which products you have with other providers
• details of when you contact us and when we contact you

Confidentiality

Sometimes you may wish to make an informal request to see part of your information because you want to check specific details on your account(s). We will be happy to discuss these requests with you but, as you will appreciate, there is a need for us to protect your confidentiality.

One of the ways we protect your confidentiality is to check that anyone asking for personal information has the right to receive it. Sometimes we may ask you to prove your identity or provide a written authority before making information available.

Central customer database

Your details are held on a central customer database and are used to help update and improve our records.

Use of your details:

Checking identity

Mortgage providers are required by law to check the identity of our new customers. This makes it more difficult for criminals to use the financial system and to use false names and addresses, or the identities of innocent people. Checking identity is an important way of fighting money laundering and other criminal activities.

To meet this requirement providers may access databases held by a credit reference agency in order to validate your name and address. This involves checking the details you provide against those held on a number of databases to confirm your identity. If we are unable to validate your name and address details electronically, we may ask you to provide certain documents to confirm your name and address.

In addition to this, as part of our ongoing requirement to verify the identity of existing customers, you may be asked to provide certain documents to confirm your name and/or address even though you may not be applying for new products or services.

Marketing

When you purchase a new product through one of our providers, you will have the opportunity to tell us if you do not wish to receive marketing information. From time to time we may invite you to review that decision, but you can write or call us at any time to ask for your name to be removed from any mailing list.

Sharing your details:

With lenders

SBM will only disclose your personal information to other people or organisations if we have obtained your information voluntarily or in exceptional circumstances where we are required or permitted to do so by law.

SBM does not share or give any information to external companies for their own marketing purposes. Sometimes SBM uses external companies to carry out work on our behalf, but our contract with them will not allow them to use your information for anything else

Occasionally SBM may provide products or services in conjunction with another company. When this happens, we will inform you of the identity of the other organisation and how your information will be used by us and by them.

Risk Assessment:

Credit checking and fraud prevention:

When you apply for a new account or facility, we may use the information you give us to assess any business risk by taking a credit reference on you, or underwriting your application.

Underwriting

Underwriting is the responsibility of the selected mortgage provider.

Access to your details:

Correction of details

You have the right to have any inaccurate information corrected. Details of where to apply are listed below.

How to request your details

Under the UK Data Protection Act 1998, you have the right to see and receive a copy of any personal information anyone may hold on you. You should contact the data protection officer for the lending company and request these details. The company may charge a nominal administration fee for doing this.

You can request any details that SBM holds on you by applying to the data protection officer at PI Marketing Limited.