What Information do we collect?

We collect most personal information directly from you, whether in person, on the phone, electronically or if you deal with us in some other way.

When we refer to personal information, we mean information or an opinion from which your identity is reasonably apparent. Typically, this will refer to:

Credit related information - information which is used to assess your eligibility to be provided with finance and may include any finance that you have outstanding, your repayment history in respect of those loans, and any defaults. Usually, credit information is exchanged between credit and finance providers and credit reporting bodies.

Identification Information - this may include your name, date of birth, address, account details, occupation, and any other information we may need to identify you. If we collect government identifiers, such as your tax file number, we do not use or disclose this information other than required by law. We will never use a government identifier in order to identify you.

Financial information - information required for making credit-related decisions, such as credit reports from credit reporting bodies (CRBs), bank account information, employment status, income and expenses, assets and liabilities and credit and loan repayment history. We may also collect the ages and number of your dependants and cohabitants as part of any finance application.

Sensitive Information - the personal information we collect may also include sensitive information — such as information about your religion, ethnicity, health, or criminal record. The Privacy Act protects your sensitive information and we will generally only collect this information from you if it is reasonably necessary and with your consent.

Why we collect your information

We collect your personal information for the purposes of assessing your application for finance and managing that finance. This allows us to:

• verify your identity;
• assist you in obtaining approval or the provision of a product or service;
• provide the products and services you require and assist in managing these over time;
• contact you, for example if we need to tell you something important;
• conduct appropriate checks for credit-worthiness and for fraud;
• manage our risks and help identify and investigate illegal activity;
• research and develop our products or services provided;
• help us manage our relationship with you, including, for example, dealing with any feedback, disputes or enquiries or;
• conduct and improve our businesses and improve your customer experience;
• comply with our legal obligations and assist government and law enforcement agencies or regulators;
• provide you with current information about finance, offers you may find of interest, changes to our organisation, or new products or services being offered by us or any company with whom we are associated (see below for more details);

How we collect your personal information.

We may collect personal information in a number of ways, including:

• directly from you, such as when you provide information, in application forms or when you submit your personal details through our website;
• from your joint applicants, co-applicants or guarantors;
• when you visit our website;
• from third parties such as social media platforms, marketing websites, related companies, or CRBs;
• from your representatives, e.g. solicitors, accountants, conveyancers, builders, agents;
• from referral partners, who refer your business to us or;
• when legally required to do so -- for example, in the provision of specific credit services.

How we disclose your personal information

We may use and share your information with other organisations for any purpose described above.

We may share your information with:

• your representative or any person acting on your behalf (for example, lawyers, settlement agents, accountants or real estate agents); and
• your referees, like your employer, to confirm details about you.

We may share your information with third parties in relation to services we provide to you or goods or services in which we reasonably consider you may be interested. Those third parties may include:

• the Broker Group through whom we may submit loan or lease applications to lenders or lessors on the Broker Group’s panel. You can view our Broker Group’s privacy notice at www.choiceaggregationservices.com.au/privacy. It sets out how that Broker Group manages your personal information and where you can find its privacy policy;
• referrers that referred your business to us;
• financial services suppliers with whom we have arrangements;
• valuers;
• lenders, lessors, lender’s mortgage insurers and other loan or lease intermediaries;
• organisations, like fraud reporting agencies, that may identify, investigate and/or prevent fraud, suspected fraud, crimes, suspected crimes, or other misconduct;
• government or regulatory bodies as required or authorised by law. In some instances, these bodies may share the information with relevant foreign authorities;
• guarantors and prospective guarantors of your loan or lease;
• service providers, agents, contractors and advisers that assist us to conduct our business for purposes including, without limitation, storing or analysing information;
• any organisation that wishes to take an interest in our business or assets; and
• any third party to which you consent to us sharing your information.

You can let us know at any time if you no longer wish to receive direct marketing offers from us. We will process your request as soon as practicable.

What happens if you don’t provide information

If you don’t provide your information to us, it may not be possible to:

• assist in finding a loan or lease relevant to your circumstances;
• verify your identity or protect against fraud; or
• let you know about products or services that might be suitable for your financial needs.

Sharing outside of Australia

We may use overseas organisations to help conduct our business. As a result, we may need to share some of your information (including credit information) with such organisations outside Australia. The countries in which those organisations are located are:

• None Available

We may store your information in cloud or other types of networked or electronic storage. As electronic or networked storage can be accessed from various countries via an internet connection, it’s not always practicable to know in which country your information may be held. If your information is stored in this way, disclosures may occur in countries other than those listed.

Overseas organisations may be required to disclose information we share with them under a foreign law. In those instances, we will not be responsible for that disclosure.

Information about other people

If you give information to us about another person (like your co-applicant) in relation to the services we provide, you will let that other person know that:

• we have collected their information to provide those services or for any other purpose set out in this privacy notice;
• we may exchange this information with other organisations set out in this privacy notice;
• we handle their personal information in the way set out in our Privacy Policy and this privacy notice and they can:
• access or request a copy of that privacy policy or this privacy notice; or
• access the information we hold about that other person by using our contact details above;
• we may not be able to provide those services to you unless we obtain their information.