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At US Metro Bank, we recognize, respect and protect the personal privacy rights of all our customers. We realize that our customers entrust us with personal information, and it is our overall standard to maintain our customers’ trust and confidence. We are committed to providing a high level of security and privacy regarding the collection and use of our customers’ personal information, as well as personal information of all consumers who visit our Bank or website.
Our Commitment To You
- We are committed to the security of our customers’ information.
- We collect and retain information about you only for specific business purposes, and we will inform you why we are collecting and retaining this information.
- We are committed to bringing you the services you need.
- We use your information responsibly in order to provide you with convenient financial services.
- We respond in a timely manner to your requests to change or correct information.
- We require the companies we do business with to abide by the same standards of privacy that apply to us to maintain strict confidentiality of information.
We maintain security standards and procedures designed to protect customer information. We will continue to test and update technology to improve the protection of our information about you. We want you to know that you can depend on us to protect the privacy and security of your information, and to provide you with the responsive, accurate and professional service you expect and deserve.
Our Purpose
Our purpose is to provide you with all the services you will need. We are committed to
providing you with responsive, accurate, personalized service, and keeping you informed about new services that may be of immediate interest to you, or new benefits that can help you derive the greatest value from your US Metro Bank relationship.
Collection of Information
We collect nonpublic information about you from the following sources:
- From you, forms, via the Internet, by telephone or otherwise. Examples of this nonpublic information include your name, address, social security number, credit history and other financial information.
- From transactions with us, or with others. Examples include your payment histories, account balances, ATM, debit or credit card usage and other transaction records.
- From credit reporting agencies, such as information relating to your creditworthiness, your credit score and credit usage.
- From third parties to verify information you have given us.
Uses of Shared Information
We may disclose nonpublic information about you as necessary to effect, administer, or enforce transactions that you have requested or authorized, or in connection with servicing or processing a financial product or service you have requested or authorized, or to maintain or service your accounts with us, or as otherwise described below. We normally disclose nonpublic information
about you:
- When it is necessary or helpful in completing a transaction;
- To verify the existence and condition of your account for a third party, such as a merchant, another financial institution or a credit reporting agency;
- To an account verification service, in addition to a credit reporting agency, if we close your account due to unsatisfactory handling, fraud, attempted fraud or criminal activity;
- To comply with a law, regulation, legal process or court order which applies to us;
- In response to an inquiry about sufficient funds to cover a check you have written;
- When you authorize us to;
- To other companies, financial institutions and networks which may be involved in processing your transactions;
- To local, state or federal authorities, if we believe a crime may have been committed;
- To paying agencies after the death or incapacity of a recipient or beneficiary or recurring direct deposit payments;
- To third parties who perform services or functions on our behalf to facilitate the delivery of information related to your accounts or to other financial services that may be of interest to you;
- In response to requests by regulatory agencies or requests by the Bank’ affiliated companies, such as independent auditors, consultants or attorneys.
Information Confidentiality and Security Practices
US Metro Bank is committed to preventing others from unauthorized access to our customers?information, and we design technology to maintain procedures for this purpose. We take several steps to protect the customer information we have about you, including the following:
- We update and test our technology on a regular basis in order to improve the protection of customer information.
- We require outside companies and independent contractors to whom we provide customer information for servicing or processing purposes to enter into a confidentiality agreement that restricts the use of the information for those purposes and prohibits their independent use of the information.
- Each of our employees has responsibility for maintaining the confidentiality of customer information. Our policy is to prohibit employees from accessing your personal information unless there is a business reason to do so. We train our employees to recognize the importance of customer confidentiality. Employees sign a privacy policy as part of our Personnel Policies. Employees who violate these standards are subject to disciplinary measures.
- We maintain policies about the proper physical security of workplaces and records. Our physical, electronic and procedural safeguards comply with federal regulations regarding the protection of customer information.
Information Integrity Measures
At US Metro Bank, we work hard to ensure that the customer information we maintain is complete and accurate. We have procedures and processes for updating our customer information as well as removing old information. We protect the integrity of our customer information through measures such as maintaining backup copies of account data in the event of power outages or other business interruptions,
using computer virus detection and eradication software on systems containing customer data, and employing other technical means (known as firewalls) to protect against unauthorized computer entry into systems containing customer information.
Disclosure of NonPublic Personal Information to Non-Affiliated Third Parties
As a US Metro Bank customer, you have choices about how your customer information may be shared. We do not share this information with outside companies for the purpose of selling their products and services to you.
- We may disclose nonpublic information about you or our former customers to nonaffiliated third parties as permitted or required by law. For example, we may disclose nonpublic information about you in response to a subpoena.
- We may also share information with other non-affiliated third parties, such as third parties that assist us with processing and printing of checks. These other nonaffiliated third parties also include credit reporting agencies to whom we report information about your transaction with us.
- We may also share limited customer information under special agreements with outside financial service providers in order to offer you financial products that we typically do not offer ourselves. Some of this information helps to ensure that you will receive those communications that are most likely to match your needs or situation. Example of these companies would be financial service providers such as credit card issuers or processors. We require these companies to contractually agree to keep the information that we provide them confidential, and to use the information only to provide the service we have asked them to perform.
In accordance with the Fair Credit Reporting Act, whether or not you have opted out, we may share identifying information such as your name, address and facts about your transactions and
experiences with us such as your payment history and other transactions on your account with affiliated companies. If we decide to change this policy, we will notify you in advance and give you the opportunity to opt-out of the sharing of your information.
Information About or Privacy Policy
This disclosure is available in our banking offices and will be provided to you annually as long as you maintain an ongoing relationship with us. The examples contained within this policy are illustrations and they are not intended to be exclusive. We reserve the right to make changes to
this policy at any time. We will notify you if we do so. If you decide to close your account(s) or become an inactive customer, we will continue to adhere to the privacy policies and practices described in this notice. If you have questions or comments, you can contact us at:
Ways to Limit Marketing Materials From Outside Sources
There are outside agencies and companies including national consumer credit reporting agencies, which are in the business of compiling mailing lists for purchase by marketers. To remove your name from direct mail or telemarketing lists of members of the Direct Marketing Association, send a written request with your name, address and Social Security number (only if it was included in the mailing you received) to the Direct Marketing Association. The Direct Marketing Association is responsible for notifying its members that you want your name removed from the lists they sell. Your name and address remains in their consumer exclusion files for five years.
For advertising received by mail:
Mail Preference Service
c/o Direct Marketing Association
P.O. Box 9008
Farmingdale, NY 11735-9008
For advertising received via telephone:
Telephone Preference Service
c/o Direct Marketing Association
P.O. Box 9014
Farmingdale, NY 11735-9008
Help For Victims of Identity Theft
If you suspect that someone has had unauthorized access to your account with us, or access to your personal identifying information such as your Social Security Number or credit card information, please notify us immediately so we can take action to protect you. In addition, you
should also report the crime to your local law enforcement agency and to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). You may contact the FTC by phone at their toll free number 1-877-IDTHEFT (1-877-438-4338). You may also enter information about your complaint into a secure FTC online database at http://www.consumer.gov/idtheft.
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