Our privacy policy

We at Coldwell Banker Home Loans (referred to as "Coldwell Banker Home Loans", "we", "us", or "our") recognize the importance of protecting the privacy of certain information collected about our customers and prospective customers (referred to as "Customers", "you" or "your"). This privacy statement discloses what information we gather, how we use it, and how we share it with others. It is our intention to give you an understanding about how we collect your information and the use we make of it in the course of our business.

We generally gather two types of information about Customers: personally identifiable data that Customers provide through optional, voluntary use and registration on our sites; and data we gather through aggregated tracking, mainly by tallying page views throughout our sites.

How does Coldwell Banker Home Loans collect information?

Optional registration

We collect information by specifically requesting it from you. Generally this occurs when you register at a site or request information or a service. Usually, our sites and our service partners use your information to operate the sites and to deliver value-added services to you. Our sites also use your information to inform you about other products or services available from us.

The information we collect about you may come from any or all of the following sources:

• Information from you based on completed applications, other forms and other communications with us (this information may include your name, address, social security number, assets, liabilities and income);
• As a result of your transactions with us, with our affiliates (businesses within the Coldwell Banker Home Loans family of companies as described below), and with other businesses (this information may include your loan approval amount, loan balance, payment history and other loan account information);
• From providers of services to us, such as appraisers, appraisal management companies, real estate agents and brokers, and insurance agencies (this information may include the appraised value, purchase price and other details about the property securing your loan); AND
• From consumer reports (this information may include your credit and employment history, credit score and other credit information).

Aggregated usage tracking

Aggregated usage tracking is conducted through the use of Internet Protocol (IP) addresses and cookies, as described below. Such information enables us to tailor our content to fit Customers' needs better and to help our advertisers understand our audience.

Use of Internet Protocol (IP) addresses

An IP address is a unique number that is automatically assigned to your computer whenever you're surfing the Internet so that your computer can be identified by the main computers, known as "Web servers", that "serve up" or display Web pages.

Coldwell Banker Home Loans collects IP addresses for the purposes of system administration, to report aggregated information to our advertisers, and to audit the use of our site. When Customers request pages from Coldwell Banker Home Loans, our servers log the Customers' IP addresses. We do not normally link IP addresses to anything personally identifiable, which means that a Customer's session will be logged, but the Customer will remain anonymous to us. We can and will use IP addresses to identify a Customer when we feel it is necessary to enforce compliance with our site terms of use or terms of service or to protect our service, site, customers or others.

Use of cookies

What are cookies? Cookies are small pieces of information that a Web site sends to your computer for record-keeping purposes; this information is stored in a file on your computer. Cookies make Web-surfing easier for you by saving your preferences so that we can use the saved information to facilitate your use of our Web site when you return to the site. Our use of cookies does not tell us your individual identity. We never save passwords, social security numbers or credit card information in cookies. The use of cookies is an industry standard, and as such, you'll find that most major Web sites use them. Cookies are used to recognize you when you visit our site more than once so that information doesn't have to be repeatedly gathered. We do not store any of your personal information with cookies.

You can delete your cookie file at any time. Most browsers are initially set up to accept cookies. You can reset your browser to refuse all cookies or indicate when a cookie is being sent. However, note that the site will not function properly if you refuse cookies. For example, without cookies, you will not be able to set personalized preferences, and/or may have difficulty completing marketing transactions.

You may occasionally get cookies from our partners. Coldwell Banker Home Loans does not control these cookies. The use of cookies sent by third-party servers is standard in the Internet industry.

With whom does Coldwell Banker Home Loans share my information?

As a visitor and user of our Web site, you may be asked to provide nonpublic personal information such as your name, address, assets, income, social security number, credit information, e-mail address and other personal information. As a visitor and user of our Web site and during your loan application process, you are considered a "consumer" under applicable federal law. During your relationship with us as a consumer, we will not share any of your nonpublic personal information with anyone outside of our company except 1) at your direction and with your consent; or 2) as required or permitted by applicable law.

When you close your loan with us, you will become our "customer". As a customer, we are required to provide you with disclosures about our information sharing practices and an opportunity to opt-out of certain sharing practices. At your loan closing and at least once annually during the term of your customer relationship with us, you will receive our complete customer privacy policy which includes an opportunity for you to opt-out of having your nonpublic personal information shared outside of our company (other than as permitted by law). If you are a resident of California or Vermont, we will not share your nonpublic information outside of our company unless you affirmatively opt-in to such information sharing.

We may share any or all of the information we collect about you as permitted by law. For example, we are permitted to share information about you with companies that assist us in processing or servicing your loan (such as appraisers or title companies), government entities in response to a subpoena or other regulatory requirement, secondary market loan investors and consumer reporting agencies.

Coldwell Banker Home Loans may also disclose account information in special cases when we have reason to believe that disclosing this information is necessary to identify, contact or bring legal action against someone who may be violating the terms of use or terms of service of Coldwell Banker Home Loans, or may be causing injury to or interference (either intentionally or unintentionally) with any rights or property of Coldwell Banker Home Loans, other Coldwell Banker Home Loans Customers, or anyone else. Under these circumstances, we may disclose or access account information when the law requires it or permits it.

Former Customers of Coldwell Banker Home Loans

In the event you cease to be a customer of ours for any reason, we will maintain and disclose your information consistent with the privacy policies and practices that apply to our then-current customers. Please note, however, you will no longer receive annual Privacy Pledges once you cease being a customer of ours.

What happens when you link to a third-party site?

You should be aware that when you are on sites for Coldwell Banker Home Loans you could hyperlink or be directed to other sites that are beyond our control and/or outside our service. For example, if you "click" on a banner advertisement, the "click" may transfer you off the Coldwell Banker Home Loans site. These other sites may include sites of advertisers, sponsors and partners that may use the logo of Coldwell Banker Home Loans as part of a co-branding agreement. These other sites may send their own cookies to Customers, collect data, or solicit information.

Coldwell Banker Home Loans does not control such sites, and, therefore, is not responsible for their contents or the hyperlinks or advertising they choose to place on such sites. The inclusion of hyperlinks to these sites by Coldwell Banker Home Loans does not imply any endorsement of the material on such sites or any association with their operators. The policy of Coldwell Banker Home Loans does not extend to anything that is inherent in the operation of the Internet, which is beyond the control of Coldwell Banker Home Loans.

Please keep in mind that whenever you give out information online (for example, via message boards or chat) that information can be collected and used by people you don't know. While Coldwell Banker Home Loans strives to protect their Customers' information and privacy, we cannot guarantee the security of any information you disclose online, and you disclose such information at your own risk.

Is my Information secure from others using the Coldwell Banker Home Loans site?

The security of all information associated with our Customers is an important concern to us, so Coldwell Banker Home Loans employs industry best practices and complies with federal regulations in regard to web based services and confidentiality of customer data. Our controls include strong user authentication and encryption via 128 bit SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) protocols on all pages/sites where any Personally Identifiable Information is provided or displayed. Coldwell Banker Home Loans has developed a "Default Deny" network security strategy utilizing multiple layers of security including routers, multiple firewalls, a DMZ (Demilitarized Zone) hosting all web services with all data maintained safely on secured internal networks that is dynamically retrieved only through authorized proxy services. We exercise care in providing secure transmission of your information from your computer to our servers. We restrict access to information about you to those employees or others who need to know that information to provide information, products or services to you. Unfortunately, no data transmission over the Internet can be guaranteed to be 100% secure. As a result, while we strive to protect your information, Coldwell Banker Home Loans can't ensure or warrant the security of any information you transmit to us or from our online products or services, and you do so at your own risk.

Notify a credit agency about your concerns

If you are or think you have been a victim of identity theft, contact the three major credit bureaus listed below to place a fraud alert on your credit file. You also can order a credit report to identify any unauthorized activity.

Equifax 1.800.525.6285
Experian 1.888.397.3742
Trans Union 1.800.680.7289

Phishing

One of the most important ways that you can protect and safeguard yourself online is to recognize and report "phishing" scams.

Tips to minimize your risk of being a victim of phishing:

As a reminder, we will never send you an e-mail that asks for your username and password, nor one that asks you to send us personal or sensitive information via e-mail.

If you receive a suspicious e-mail, simply delete it. Do not click on the link in the e-mail or even reply to it.

• Be suspicious of any messages that stress immediate action. A legitimate bank or business normally will not request personal information from you over an unsecured Web site or through e-mail. Messages that threaten to suspend or terminate your account if you do not reply quickly should be treated as highly suspicious. If you have doubts, call the business' customer service number to question the e-mail and the status of your account.
• Keep your computer software up to date. You install and keep updated anti-virus and firewall software programs to help keep your computer virus and ad-ware free.
• Type in the URL of the Web page you need yourself. Phishing scams rely on users to click on the links embedded in their fake e-mail to take you to fake Web sites. It's much safer to type the Web address directly into your browser yourself to ensure that you are visiting the legitimate site.
• Keep your password private. You shouldn't write down sensitive personal information such as your password or Social Security number. Try to change the passwords you use online frequently.

The FTC publishes a valuable guideline on its Website advising consumers on how not to get hooked by phishing scams. The FTC suggests these tips to help you avoid getting hooked by a phishing scam:

• If you get an e-mail or pop-up message that asks for personal or financial information, do not reply. And don't click on the link in the message, either. Legitimate companies don't ask for this information via e-mail. If you are concerned about your account, contact the organization mentioned in the e-mail using a telephone number you know to be genuine, or open a new Internet browser session and type in the company's correct Web address yourself. In any case, don't cut and paste the link from the message into your Internet browser — phishers can make links look like they go to one place, but that actually send you to a different site.
• Use anti-virus software and a firewall, and keep them up to date. Some phishing e-mails contain software that can harm your computer or track your activities on the Internet without your knowledge.

Anti-virus software and a firewall can protect you from inadvertently accepting such unwanted files. Anti-virus software scans incoming communications for troublesome files. Look for anti-virus software that recognizes current viruses as well as older ones; that can effectively reverse the damage; and that updates automatically.

A firewall helps make you invisible on the Internet and blocks all communications from unauthorized sources. It's especially important to run a firewall if you have a broadband connection. Operating systems (like Windows or Linux) or browsers (like Internet Explorer or Netscape) also may offer free software "patches" to close holes in the system that hackers or phishers could exploit.

• Don't e-mail personal or financial information. E-mail is not a secure method of transmitting personal information. If you initiate a transaction and want to provide your personal or financial information through an organization's Web site, look for indicators that the site is secure, like a lock icon on the browser's status bar or a URL for a Web site that begins "https:" (the "s" stands for "secure"). Unfortunately, no indicator is foolproof; some phishers have forged security icons.
• Review credit card and bank account statements as soon as you receive them to check for unauthorized charges. If your statement is late by more than a couple of days, call your credit card company or bank to confirm your billing address and account balances.
• Be cautious about opening any attachment or downloading any files from e-mails you receive, regardless of who sent them. These files can contain viruses or other software that can weaken your computer's security.
• Forward spam that is phishing for information to spam@uce.gov and to the company, bank, or organization impersonated in the phishing email. Most organizations have information on their Web sites about where to report problems.

Security Tips for Your Personal Computer

One of the most common ways that a thief can get personal information about you to commit identity theft is from your home computer. The following tips show you ways to minimize the risk of your personal information being accessed from your home computer.

Passwords and User IDs

For each computer or online service you use, you should have a unique user ID and password. Make sure it's something you can remember without writing it down. If possible, try to use a different username and password for each of your online accounts. Do not share the usernames or passwords with anyone.

You should avoid doing any of the following items when creating passwords for your online accounts:

• Using your name, nickname or initials
• Making your password the same as your user ID
• Using names of family members or friends that can be easily associated with you
• Using any consecutive keys on the keyboard, (e.g. QWERTY or FGHIJKL or 123456)
• Using all the same or repeating characters (e.g. CCCCCC or 999999)
• Using your telephone number, employee number or Social Security number
• Using dates that are easily associated with you such as your birth date
• Using names of family members or pets

Tips for creating strong passwords:

• Longer passwords are better than shorter ones (7 characters or more in length)
• Passwords should contain characters from at least 3 of the following categories:
  • Upper case letters (A, B, C, ... Y, Z)
  • Lower case letters (a, b, c, ... y, z)
  • Numbers (0, 1, 2, 3, ... 9)
  • Non-alphanumeric or special characters (e.g. punctuation marks or symbols)
• Passwords should be uniquely chosen for each and every site with you have an account.

Install anti-virus software on your machine and keep it up to date

Your home computer can become infected many ways: through e-mail, CDs, Web sites and downloaded programs or files. Anti-virus programs help protect your computer against most viruses, worms, Trojans and other "mal-ware" - the term used for programs that can make your computer act strange or perform poorly. Malware is bad for your computer because it is often used by thieves to perform malicious acts, such as accessing your personal data, deleting files, or using your computer to attack other computers. Having an anti-virus program installed on your machine is one thing. You should ensure that it is kept up-to-date and that is set to scan your machine at least weekly!

Only provide sensitive or private information during an encrypted session

Make sure that encryption is being used on a given Web page by looking for the icons pictured below in the lower portion of your browser (called the 'status bar'):

Which Browser Are You Using?	Secure	Not Secure
Netscape Navigator or Communicator 4.0 or later
Microsoft Internet Explorer (any version)		No Icon shown

Netscape Navigator displays an icon of a lock in the lower left corner of the browser. Netscape Communicator also displays the icon in the navigation toolbar. Microsoft Internet Explorer displays the lock icon in the lower right hand corner of the browser.

If you do not have either Microsoft Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator, you can download them from the links below: