|
Invis Privacy Policy
At Invis Inc.
(“Invis”), we are committed to protecting the privacy and confidentiality
of the personal information of our clients (individually, the “Client”
and collectively, the “Clients”.) As financial service providers, we have
a professional obligation to maintain in confidence information we receive
within our role as a financial services provider. The purpose of this Privacy
Policy is to advise you as to why we ask for personal information, how
we use it, what safeguards we employ, and how to contact us with privacy-related
matters.
What Is Personal
Information?
In this Privacy
Policy, “Personal Information” means information that is gathered in connection
with an application, pre-approval, request for information for a mortgage(s)
or loan(s) and insurance or other product through Invis or Invis affiliate
and is provided to, or collected by, Invis and its staff or by Invis’s
agents, associates, and affiliates on Invis’s behalf (collectively, “Invis”).
Why Invis
Collects Personal Information
Invis collects
and uses Personal Information for the following purposes:
Provide mortgage
brokering services to the Client and offer products and services best suited
to their needs, including arranging and/or renewing loan(s)/mortgage(s),
informing the client of group creditor insurance and other products offered
or approved by Invis or its affiliates that may be of interest to the Client;
Checking Client
credit worthiness through credit bureau inquiry and personal information
agents who have information on a Client’s financial position.
Advising Clients
of the financial options, as well as, ongoing developments of the mortgage
market and industry;
Auditing the
services provided to our Clients;
Compliance
with all municipal, provincial, federal and other applicable laws; and
Such other
specific purposes which are communicated to the Client by a member of Invis
before collection of such Personal Information.
Except when
otherwise permitted by law, we will only use a Client’s Personal Information
for the purposes identified to the Client. When Personal Information is
to be used for a purpose not identified, we will take all reasonable steps
to ensure that new purpose is identified prior to use.
How Do We
Collect Personal Information?
The Client is
our main source of information. With the Client’s consent, we may also
obtain information directly from a third party to help us determine your
eligibility for various financial products and services. For credit matters,
for example, it is essential that we know your financial worth as well
as your credit record. We will also contact other lenders, financial institutions,
credit bureaus and employers. Your consent is therefore important because
without it, we will not be able to carry out the appropriate inquiries
and it might be difficult for us to offer you the credit product you request.
In most cases, your consent is given on the forms used for specific products
or, from time to time, on a separate form. You will notice that the declaration
of consent is clear and unambiguous.
Consent
Your provision
of Personal Information to Invis means that you agree and consent that
Invis can collect, use and disclose your Personal Information in compliance
with this Privacy Policy. Invis will not collect, use or disclose a Client’s
Personal Information without the Client’s requisite consent, except in
certain extraordinary circumstances. Such extraordinary circumstances shall
include without limitation, when legal, medical or security reasons make
it impossible or impractical to obtain consent or where it is otherwise
in the best interests of the Client.
The most common
method we use to obtain a Client’s consent is by way of the Client’s consent
as confirmed by the application. Where practicable, we may also obtain
a Client’s consent through oral communications or other written documentation.
Our Clients
may withdraw their consent by written notice to us at any time, subject
to any legal or contractual restrictions and reasonable notice. A Client’s
refusal to provide, or subsequent withdrawal of, his or her consent may
affect Invis’s ability to provide the Client with mortgage services. A
member of Invis will inform the Client of the implications of such withdrawal.
To withdraw consent, a Client should contact the Chief Privacy Officer
in writing at:
Invis Inc.
480 University
Ave., Suite 100
Toronto, Ontario,
M5V 1G2
Attn: Chief
Privacy Officer
Use and Disclosure
of Personal Information
We will use
a Client’s Personal Information to provide financial advice and services
to the Client, to administer our database, to include Clients in direct
marketing activities and for the other uses described above under the heading
“Why Invis Collects Personal Information". Under certain circumstances,
Invis will disclose a Client’s personal information to third parties. Specifically,
Personal Information may be used, shared and disclosed to, from, or with,
the members of Invis, witnesses in a litigation proceeding, experts retained
on a Client’s behalf, private investigators, agents retained on behalf
of a Client, credit reporting agencies, credit bureaus, as well as such
other third parties as are necessary to facilitate the matter for which
the Client has retained our office and provided its consent.
Under certain
circumstances Invis may disclose Personal Information where:
required or
authorized by law to do so, for example if a court issues a subpoena;
a Client has
consented to the disclosure;
when mortgage
services by Invis are provided to a Client requiring us to give Personal
Information about a Client to a third party (for example, to a lender in
a real estate mortgage transaction) the Client’s consent will be implied,
unless the Client tells us otherwise;
where it is
necessary to pull a credit bureau for purposes of processing a mortgage
transaction;
if Invis engages
a third party to provide administrative or support services to us (such
as computer back-up services, shredding or archival file storage) and the
third party is bound by our Privacy Policy;
protection
of Invis’s best interests
protection
of public interests such as the denouncement of criminal activity such
as fraud or money laundering. In all such cases, authorities are contacted
and personal information may be disclosed;
if we retain
a law firm(s) to act on our behalf for any reason; or
if the information
is already publicly known.
In addition,
if you are a British Columbia Client, your Personal Information will be
provided to your Invis agent (and a copy retained by Invis for purposes
consistent with this Privacy Policy) in the event of his or her departure
from Invis, in order to meet your ongoing financial needs. If you have
any questions, or to withdraw your consent to this use, please contact
Invis’s Privacy Officer.
Limiting
collection and retention of Personal Information
Invis limits
the collection of a Client’s Personal Information to that which is necessary
for the purposes identified in this Privacy Policy as same may be amended
from time to time, or for any additional purpose identified to the Client
before the collection of the Personal Information. As well, Personal Information
is not used or disclosed for purposes other than those for which it was
originally collected, except with the consent of the Client or as otherwise
permitted by law.
Invis will retain
Personal Information only for so long as it is needed to fulfill the purposes
for which it was obtained and to meet our professional requirements as
set out our governing regulatory bodies and/or any other legal requirement,
statutory or otherwise, from time to time.
Accuracy
Invis strives
to ensure that a Client’s Personal Information is as accurate, complete,
and up-to-date as is necessary for the purposes for which it is used.
Safeguards
Invis endeavours
to maintain adequate safeguards to protect against loss, theft, unauthorized
access, disclosure, copying, use or modification of Clients’ Personal Information
in the care of the Invis. Invis uses various methods to safeguard personal
information, including physical security, computer and electronic security,
destruction of information no longer needed, and contractual protections
with third party data processors.
Protection
Client lists
are never passed on to third parties other than affiliated members of Invis.
When they are hired, our employees and agents must undertake to respect
the confidential nature of client information. Only employees who need
to view your file as part of their work have access to this information.
Accountability,
Openness and Client Access
Invis is responsible
for the Personal Information under its control and has appointed a Chief
Privacy Officer to oversee our efforts to comply in all material respects
with applicable privacy legislation and the terms of this Privacy Policy.
The Chief Privacy Officer and those designated by the Chief Privacy Officer
address and investigate questions or concerns regarding a Client’s Personal
Information.
To reach the
Chief Privacy Officer or a member the Privacy Team, please call 416-622-6363.
Invis will provide
a Client access to their Personal Information. The Client may correct or
amend any inaccuracies in the Client’s Personal Information. Invis has
the right to refuse a request for access to Personal Information if:
The information
is protected by legal privilege;
Granting access
would reveal confidential commercial information;
The information
was collected for purposes related to the detection and prevention of fraud;
The information
was generated in the course of a formal dispute resolution process;
The information
would likely reveal personal information about another individual;
The request
is vexation or frivolous;
To protect
our firm’s rights and property.
Changes To
Privacy Policy
Invis will from
time to time review and revisit privacy practices and this Privacy Policy.
In the event of any material amendment, an appropriate notice will be posted
on Invis’s Web site. All updates and amendments to this Privacy Policy
can be found at www.invis.ca.
Invis Web
site
Our Web site
may contain links to other sites, which are not governed by this Privacy
Policy. On our Web site, like most other commercial Web sites, we may monitor
traffic patterns, site usage and related site information in order to optimize
our web service. We may provide aggregated information to third parties,
but these statistics do not include any identifiable personal information.
Communicating
With Invis
We recognize
that convenience and quick access to advice must be balanced with security
needs. We use many different means to communicate with clients, some of
which are more convenient such as e-mail. Our emails are sent with industry
standard 128 bit encryption. Such encryption however does not guarantee
privacy and security as encrypted messages can nonetheless be subject to
interception and translation. If you do not wish us to communicate with
you by e-mail, please speak with the consultant/broker/agent handling your
matter about alternative arrangements.
Questions
If you have
questions or comments regarding the management of your personal information,
contact:
Chief Privacy
Officer
Invis Inc.
480 University
Ave., Suite 100
Toronto, Ontario,
M5V 1G2
Attn: Chief
Privacy Officer
416.622.6363 |