Privacy Policy

Privacy Policy for Smartcover Finance LTD

At Smartcover Finance LTD, we understand how important your privacy is, and we are committed to safeguarding your personal information. This Privacy Policy is designed to comply with the New Zealand Privacy Act and any related codes of practice.

By completing your application via our website, you consent to the terms of this Privacy Policy, which may be updated from time to time.

1. Information We Collect

We may collect personal information about you, including:

• Your full name, email address, residential address, and phone number
• Details about your loan needs
• Employment history, income, assets, liabilities, expenses, bank account information, and other financial details
• Identification information and security details
• Your credit history, including credit accounts, loan information, repayment history, outstanding debts.
• For security for the Loan, details such as vehicle ownership, and insurance information
• Transaction history and services you’ve used with us.
• For Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism complacence, details such as your driver’s license, Photo of yourself.

2. How We Collect Your Information

We primarily collect personal information directly from you when you interact with us through our website, such as when you apply for a loan or investment, or when you reach out with a query. We also gather information automatically through tools like cookies and activity logs when you visit our website.

If you are applying for a loan, we may obtain credit information about you from authorized credit reporting agencies to verify your identity, assess your credit worthiness, and provide you with loan quotes. By applying through our website, you give us permission to access this information.

Additionally, we may collect personal details from other sources, such as:

• Current or past employers, accountants, financial advisors, or other professionals who know you
• Service providers, utility companies, and financial institutions
• Credit reporting agencies
• Publicly accessible sources (including social media)
• Government bodies, courts, or law enforcement agencies
• Other third parties you authorize

In some cases, if you provide us access to your internet banking, we may retrieve your financial information using automated systems, and you agree to ongoing access for the duration of your relationship with us, for the purposes outlined in this policy.

3. Purpose of Collecting Your Information

We collect and use your personal data for various reasons, including:

• Communicating with you
• Responding to your inquiries
• Assessing your eligibility for credit or loans
• Providing you with quotations for credit
• Verifying your identity and performing credit checks
• Managing our relationship with you
• Facilitating payments, including through direct debit
• Preventing fraud and protecting our business
• Resolving disputes
• Complying with legal obligations, including customer due diligence and anti-money laundering laws
• Conducting marketing activities, including informing you about our products and services

4. Sharing Your Information

We may disclose your personal information to the following parties, both within New Zealand and overseas, for the purposes outlined above:

• Co-borrowers or potential co-borrowers
• Credit reporting agencies
• Service providers, including debt collection agencies, professional advisors, technology companies, and market research firms
• Financial institutions, including banks and insurers
• Government regulators and law enforcement agencies
• Third parties involved in our funding and securitization processes

Some of these third parties may be based overseas (e.g., in Australia, India, the Philippines). We take steps to ensure these entities comply with privacy and security standards.

If you ask us to process payments to overseas merchants, we may share your information with the relevant financial institutions involved in those transactions. These institutions handle your data according to their own privacy practices.

We may also share your credit information with credit reporting agencies, which may store it in their databases and use it for reporting services.

5. Marketing Communications

By agreeing to this Privacy Policy, you consent to us using your personal information to send you marketing materials about our services, and potentially, products and services offered by third parties with whom we work.

6. Consequences of Not Providing Your Information

If you do not provide the requested personal information, we may be unable to process your application for a loan or other services or provide you with necessary quotations or assistance.

7. Accessing and Correcting Your Information

You have the right to request access to the personal information we hold about you. To do so, please contact us at finance@smartcover.co.nz. While we typically provide this information upon request, there may be some circumstances where we cannot provide it (for example, if the information is unavailable or inaccessible).

You may also ask us to update, correct, or delete any personal details we hold. Please reach out to us via email at finance@smartcover.co.nz to make such requests.

8. Changes to This Privacy Policy

Smartcover Finance LTD reserves the right to update or modify this Privacy Policy at any time. Any changes will be reflected on our website, and you should review this policy regularly. By continuing to use our services, you accept any updates to the policy.

9. Assignment of Rights

You may not assign or transfer any of your rights or obligations under this Privacy Policy. We, however, may assign our rights and obligations under this policy to any third party without your consent.

10. Governing Law

This Privacy Policy is governed by the laws of New Zealand. Any legal matters arising in relation to this policy will fall under the jurisdiction of New Zealand courts.

11. Definitions

• Borrower: An individual who has registered with Smartcover Finance LTD for the purpose of obtaining a loan.
• Relevant Persons: Refers to us, our subsidiaries, employees, agents, and contractors.
• Privacy Act: The New Zealand Privacy Act 2020, which governs the collection and use of personal data.

12. Interpretation

For clarity:

• Headings are for convenience and do not affect the interpretation of this policy.
• “You” refers to the individual accessing and using our services.
• “We” or “Us” refers to Smartcover Finance LTD.
• References to the singular include the plural, and vice versa.

Dated 1/11/2024