| Why did I get an opt out form from my other bank and not from Alpine Bank? |
| Protecting your privacy is very important to Alpine Bank. Because we do not share your personal information with anyone, except as permitted by law, there is nothing to opt out of. |
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| What kind of information do you collect? |
| The kind of information we collect depends upon your financial needs and the products and services you request. For example, when you apply for a loan or open an account with us, we need information about your financial status – such as your place of employment, income, monthly expenses and personal assets and debts outstanding – to process your requests. In addition, in order to make your banking as convenient and efficient as possible, we maintain information about your transactions with us, your account balance, and repayment history. |
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| How do you obtain the information? |
| Much of our information comes directly from you when you fill out a loan application, account application, enroll in on-line banking, or apply for on-line products or services. We also obtain information from credit bureaus and other creditors regarding your credit and repayment history. |
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| Who has access to customer information? |
| We have strict internal policies against unauthorized use or disclosure of customer information. Customer information is accessible only to employees who need it to conduct your financial affairs. We emphasize the importance of confidentiality through our code of conduct, employee training, and privacy policy. We require the businesses with which we have a relationship to maintain the confidentiality of consumer information. We carefully select the companies we work with and have them sign a strict confidentiality agreement. |
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| Why do you need this information? |
We maintain information and data about you to maintain the security of your accounts and to protect you and the entire institution against fraud. We need clear and accurate information to be able to positively identify you and authenticate your transaction in order to prevent access to your accounts by unauthorized individuals.
We are also required by laws and regulations to gather certain information. For example, we are required by federal regulation to obtain a tax identification number (generally a social security number) for many of our accounts, including all savings, checking or investment accounts that pay interest. |
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| What do I do if I see any inaccurate information in my statements? |
| We work hard to assure that your information is current, accurate, and as complete as possible. If you see any inaccuracy in your statements or in any other communications from us, please notify us immediately at (888) 4-ALPINE (425-7463) or email us at privacyofficer@alpinebank.com. We will investigate your concerns and correct any inaccuracies in a timely manner. |
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| Are there any regulations on disclosure of account information? |
| Yes. In some cases, such as a fraud investigation or in response to a valid search warrant or subpoena, we may be required by law to provide certain information to law enforcement agencies. There are also laws and regulations that affect the sharing of information with service providers (such as check printers and data processors). |
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| Will my medical records be shared with anyone outside of Alpine Bank? |
| No. We recognize that when consumers provide medical information for a specific purpose, they do not wish it to be used for other purposes, such as making a credit decision. If a customer provides personal medical information, we will use it only for the purpose for which it is intended. |
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| Do you share information with outside (third-party) companies? |
| We do NOT share your information with anyone, except as permitted by law. We use third parties to help us process your financial transactions and to provide you with a full range of financial products and services. For example, we use third parties to print your checks and to process your account transactions. In addition, we share information with credit bureaus and others who ask for credit references in accordance with customary business practices. We also disclose information as a banking organization to regulatory agencies, bank auditors and government requests, such as subpoenas. |
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| Will third parties keep my information confidential? |
| We will not share customer information with any company that does not agree to keep your information confidential. We carefully select the third-party companies we work with and any information that is shared is always subject to a strict confidentiality agreement. |
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| If Alpine Bank doesn't share information with third parties, why did I get a solicitation from a credit card company called MBNA? |
| Our goal is to provide you with as many banking services as possible. We have contracted with another financial institution, Maryland Bank National Association, in order to provide you with credit card services. Because MBNA is another financial institution, they must comply with the same privacy regulations as Alpine Bank. To further protect your information, we require all service providers and joint marketers to sign a contract with us stating that your information will not be shared outside of their relationship with Alpine Bank. |
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| Why did I receive a solicitation from a funding corporation offering me a cash advance based on the appraised value of my home? |
| These companies are not affiliated with, associated with, or endorsed by Alpine Bank. They do, however, mention our name in their letters, which is why it looks like Alpine Bank shared information with them. These companies are getting our customer's information from public records at courthouses. They are able to pull information by looking at Deeds of Trust, which contain such information as the name of the financial institution holding the mortgage (e.g. Alpine Bank). |
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