We value your privacy! Any information you give to the Southern Cross Financial Group (SCFG), including any of the associated trading companies, will be held with the utmost care and in the strictest confidence in accordance with the Privacy Principles contained in the Privacy Act 1993. A more detailed explanation about how we safeguard your personal information is described below. If you have any questions at all about our privacy policy, please email us.
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Privacy & Legal Policies
Privacy Policy
What information do we collect and hold?
Personal information: We may collect and hold personal information:
- Provided by you when you register with us as an investor or a borrower;
- From third parties, such as identity verification service providers; and
- Through your transaction activities with SCFG.
Use of personal information: You agree that we may use this information to assist us in conducting our financial services business, including (without limitation):
- To deliver information and services to you;
- For internal research purposes;
- To verify your identification;
- Communicating with third party service providers who assist SCFG with functions such as fraud prevention and technology services;
- To meet legal and regulatory requirements (including, without limitation, our obligations under the Financial Markets Conduct Act 2013; Financial Advisers Act 2008; Financial Service Providers (Registration and Dispute Resolution) Act 2008; and Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Act 2009); and
- For any other use that you authorise.
We may also use your personal information to promote and market related products and services to you
Collection of information: We will usually collect information directly from you however we may collect information from other sources where you have authorised us to do so or where it is unreasonable or impractical to collect the information directly from you.
Failure to provide personal information: You may choose not to provide personal information to us, however this may result in you being unable to register with us as an investor or borrower, or to receive our services.
How do we use and disclose information?
Use of personal information: We may use the personal information for the purposes set out above.
Promotional and marketing communications/Unsubscribe: We strive to only send e-mails to those who want to receive it. If you would not like to receive future e-mails from us, please use the ‘unsubscribe’ link located at the bottom of our email communications.
Disclosure of personal information: SCFG does not sell, rent, loan, trade, or lease for monetary gain any personal information collected by our website, including contact forms, download requests or email lists. We may however disclose personal information to third parties:
- To verify information provided to us (e.g. in your investor or borrower application);
- If we are required or authorised by law or a regulatory body to disclose the information;
- Where it is necessary to facilitate any sale of our business or part thereof;
- To promote and market related products and services to you; or
- If authorised by you.
We may also disclose your information to related companies.
Where necessary and as indicated on the Loans Form we work with only Registered Financial Advisors who assist our borrowers which supports our policy of Responsible Lending Practices.
Right of access and correction
Right of Access: You can access and request the correction of any of your personal information at any time. You may also request that we delete your personal information, however this may impact on your ability to remain an investor or borrower with SCFG.
Exceptions: Your right to access and correct your information is subject to the exceptions contained in the Privacy Act 1993.
Storage and security of information
Security measures: We take reasonable measures to protect all personal information and to ensure your information may only be accessed by authorised persons.
Information collected by our website (cookies): SCFG does collect information about how people are using our website in order to improve the value of our website and the materials available on the website.
You are able to configure your web browser to accept or reject all cookies, or to notify you when a cookie is sent (please refer to your browser instructions to learn more about this). If you disable the use of cookies on your web browser or remove or reject specific cookies from our website, then your experience of using our website may be impacted.
Email lists: Individuals join our mailing lists and are added to our email database using the forms provided on this website. We do not sell, rent, loan, trade, or lease the addresses on our lists to anyone. In addition, we configure our email software to refuse to divulge the email addresses of our list subscribers to anyone but authorised SCFG staff, including other list subscribers.
Deletion of information: If we no longer need to hold your personal information for the purposes for which it was collected, and no applicable law requires us to retain that information, we will take reasonable steps to securely destroy and dispose of your information.
Anti-Money Laundering Act - AML/CFT
From 1 July 2013, the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Act came into effect in New Zealand. This was a big change. Southern Cross Financial Group along with all New Zealand banks and financial institutions need to do more to meet its requirements and help protect New Zealand from laundered illegal money.
How could this affect you?
We need to collect more information from you and anyone who acts on your behalf. Even if you have been with us for years, we may need to ask you for extra identity documents and information.
They will be required when you:
- Open a new account – both borrowers and investors
- Your personal details change
- You wish to authorise someone else to access your information
- You wish to transfer large sums into or out of your account
Businesses, trusts or other organisations will need to provide information on the organisation and anyone who acts on its behalf.
Sometimes this may mean that we will have to do this before we can undertake a transaction.
This is something affecting ALL banks and financial organisations in New Zealand and we are no different. We hope you understand but if you have any questions please feel free to contact us by e-mail, or phone 0508 2468 37
Questions and complaints
Privacy Officer: If you wish to contact us in relation to our Privacy Policy, your personal information or to make a complaint about our compliance with the Privacy Principles, please contact our Privacy Officer:
Email: [email protected]
Address: 16 Selwyn Road, Cockle Bay, Auckland (PO Box 38-010, Howick, Auckland)
Phone: 09 535 2239
Privacy Commissioner: If you are not happy with our response to your query or complaint, you may contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner at www.privacy.org.nz.
