Privacy Policy

Online Privacy Policy Summary:

This Online Privacy Policy (“Online Policy) applies to this website and applies to the collection, use and disclosure of information collected from visitors or users of this site.  This Online Policy also applies to text messages.  For clients, this Online Policy should be read together with the Right to Financial Privacy Notice.  This Online Policy and Privacy Notice describe how Equity Trust Company may share personal information gathered from you.  Please read this Online Policy carefully to get a clear understanding of how we collect, use, protect or otherwise handle your Personally Identifiable Information as it pertains to this website.

What personal information do we collect from the people that visit our website?

When using this website to research, review your account or effect a transaction, you may be asked to enter your name, email address, mailing address, phone number or other details to help you with your experience.  In addition, some information about your IP address, web browser, and computer system are automatically transmitted to our web servers as an integral part of the operation of the internet.  Thus, we may collect and/or track your home server domain names and information on what pages of our website visitors access.

When do we collect information?

We collect information from you when you use this website, such as when you review your account, effect a transaction, fill out a form, subscribe to a newsletter, respond to a survey, use Live Chat or enter information on the website.

How do we use your information?

We may use the information we collect from you when you sign up for our newsletter, respond to a survey or marketing communication, use our Online Account Management Portal (“Online Portal”) to access account information, or use certain other site features.  We will use the information:

• To personalize your experience and to allow us to deliver the type of service you are most interested.
• To improve our website in order to better serve you.
• To allow us to better service you in responding to your customer service requests.
• To administer a contest, promotion, survey or other site feature.
• To quickly process your transactions.
• To ask for ratings and reviews of services or products
• To follow up after correspondence (live chat, email or phone inquiries)

We reserve the right to disseminate aggregate data, which is in no way individually identifiable.

How do we protect your information?

Protecting your personal information is of utmost importance to us.  Therefore, we have undertaken several actions to protect your information, including, but not limited to the following:

• We have implemented vulnerability scanning and/or scanning to governing standards;
• An external PCI compliant payment gateway handles all credit card transaction;
• We undertake regular Malware Scanning;
• As a customer, your personal information is contained behind secured networks and is only accessible by a limited number of persons who have special access rights to such systems, and are required to keep the information confidential;
• All sensitive/credit information you supply is encrypted via 356-bit Secure Socket Layer (SSL) technology, which reduces the risk of having your financial information deciphered by any unauthorized users;
• We implement a variety of security measures when a user enters, submits or accesses their information on our Online Portal to maintain the safety of the user’s personal information; and
• All transactions are processed through a gateway provider and are not stored or processed on our servers.

Do we use ‘cookies’?

Yes.  Cookies are small text files that a site or its service provider transfers to your computer’s hard drive through your internet browser (if you allow) that enables the site’s or service provider’s systems to recognize your browser and capture and remember certain information.  They are also used to help us understand your preferences based on previous or current site activity, which enables us to provide you with improved and personalized online services. We also use cookies to help us compile aggregate data about site traffic and site interaction so that we can offer better site experiences and tools in the future. We may also use trusted third-party services and action tags that track this information on our behalf.  These tags and services assist us with enhancing our ability to meet user needs.  You can choose to have your computer warn you each time a cookie is being sent, or you can choose to turn off all cookies.  You can do this through your browser settings.  Since each browser is a little different, look at your browser’s Help Menu to learn the correct way to modify your cookies.

If users disable cookies in their browser:

If you disable cookies on your web browser, some of the features that make your site experience more efficient may not function properly.

Third-party disclosure:

We do not sell, trade, or otherwise transfer to unaffiliated parties your Personally Identifiable Information unless it is permitted by law and (1) is consistent with our Privacy Notice; (2) to comply with applicable laws; (3) to respond to governmental inquiries or requests; (4) to comply with a valid legal process; (5) to protect our rights, privacy, safety or property; (6) to permit us to pursue available remedies or limit damages that we may sustain; and (7) to enforce our rights resulting from inappropriate use of our sites. However, non-personally identifiable visitor information may be provided to other parties for marketing, advertising, or other uses.

Third-party links:

Occasionally, at our discretion, we may include links to other third party internet sites.  By maintaining a link to these sites, we are not promoting or endorsing these third parties and we are not liable for any failure of products or services offered or advertised on such third party sites.

Google:

We may use Google Analytics or other third-party cookies to track and report website traffic and to remarket to you.  Any data collected will be used in accordance with other provisions of our privacy policy and third party’s privacy policies.  You can set preferences for how Google advertises to you by using the Google Ad Settings page or opt-out by using the Google Analytics Opt Out Browser add on.

How does our site handle Do Not Track signals?

We honor Do Not Track signals and Do Not Track, plant cookies, or use advertising when a Do Not Track (DNT) browser mechanism is in place. To opt-out of personalized advertising please visit https://optout.networkadvertising.org/.

Children’s Information Under COPPA (Children Online Privacy Protection Act)

We comply with the practices established under the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA),  which delineates requirements for protecting children’s privacy and safety online.  We do not knowingly collect or retain personally identifiable information from children and do not market to children under the age of 13 years old.

CAN SPAM Act: The CAN-SPAM Act is a law that sets the rules for commercial email, establishes requirements for commercial messages, gives recipients the right to have emails stopped from being sent to them, and spells out tough penalties for violations.
We collect your email address in order to:

• Send information, respond to inquiries, and/or other requests or questions;
• Process orders and to send information and updates pertaining to orders;
• Send you additional information related to your product and/or service; and
• Market to our mailing list or continue to send emails to our clients after the original transaction has occurred.

To be in accordance with CANSPAM, we agree to the following:

• Not use false or misleading subjects or email addresses;
• Identify the message as an advertisement in some reasonable way;
• Include the physical address of our business or site headquarters;
• Monitor third party email marketing services for compliance, if one is used;
• Honor opt-out/unsubscribe requests quickly;
• Allow users to unsubscribe by using the link at the bottom of each email.

If at any time you would like to unsubscribe from receiving future emails, you can email us at [email protected] or follow the instructions at the bottom of each email and we will promptly remove you from all correspondence.

Recurring Marketing Text Message Program Privacy Policy:

This explains how we collect and use information about you in relation to the Recurring Marketing Text Message Program. We collect information you provide when using the Program, such as but not limited to your name, phone number and email address and your interest in products/services. We use this information to delivery, maintain, and support the Program. We may also use this information to personalize your experience in the Program.

We respect your privacy. We may share your information with our program partners, message content providers, phone companies, and vendors who assist us in the delivery of mobile messages for the Program.  EXCEPT AS SET FORTH IN THIS SECTION, WE DO NOT SELL, RENT, LOAN, TRADE, LEASE OR OTHERWISE TRANSFER FOR PROFIT ANY PHONE NUMBERS OR INFORMATION COLLECTED THROUGH PROGRAMS TO ANY THIRD PARTY. Nonetheless, we reserve the right to disclose any information as necessary to satisfy any law, regulation or governmental request, to avoid liability, or to protect our rights or property. When you complete forms online or otherwise provide us information in connection with a Program, you agree to provide accurate, complete, and true information. You agree not to use a false or misleading name or a name that you are not authorized to use. If in our sole discretion, we believe that any such information is untrue, inaccurate, or incomplete, or you have opted into a Program for an ulterior purpose, we may refuse you access to the Program and pursue any appropriate legal remedies. This Privacy Policy is strictly limited to the Program and has no effect on any other privacy policy(ies) that may govern the relationship between you and Equity Trust in other contexts.

If signing up for text messages as an Equity Trust customer to receive marketing messages, please see our Privacy Notice: https://www.trustetc.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Equity-Trust-Company-Financial-Privacy-Notice-GLBA-FCRA-12.2022-FINAL.pdf.

Changes to this Online Policy:

We may add to, delete, or change the terms of this policy from time to time by posting a notice of the change at this website.  If required by law, we will send you a notice of the change.  Your continued use of our website or any website service following notification will constitute your agreement to the revised policy.

Contacting Us

If there are any questions regarding this Online Privacy Policy, you may contact us using the information below.

www.trustetc.com

1 Equity Way
Westlake, Ohio 44145
United States
Email:  [email protected]