Privacy of Consumer Financial Information Flashcards
What is covered/governed under the Privacy Act? (4)
GLBA and Sections 502-504
-GLBA governs the treatment of nonpublic personal information about consumers by banks
- Section 502, subject to exceptions, prohibits a bank from disclosing nonpublic personal information about a consumer to nonaffiliated third parties unless:
- -the bank satisfies various notice and opt-out requirements, and
- -the consumer has not elected to opt out of the disclosure
- Section 503 requires the bank to provide notice of its privacy policies and practices to its customers
- Section 504 authorizes the issuance of regulations to implement these provisions
The regulation establishes rules governing duties of a financial institution to provide particular notices and limitations on its disclosure of nonpublic personal information. Summarize the four main duties/limitations on banks established under the act.
- A financial institution must provide notice of its privacy policies and practices, and allow the consumer to opt out of the disclosure of the consumer’s nonpublic personal information to a nonaffiliated third party if the disclosure is outside of the exceptions in sections 13, 14, or 15 of the regulation. If the financial institution provides the consumer’s nonpublic personal information to a nonaffiliated third party under the exception in section 13, it must provide notice of its privacy policies and practices to the consumer. Under the exception in section 13, the financial institution must also enter into a contractual agreement with the third party that prohibits the third party from disclosing or using the information other than to perform services for the institution or functions on the institution’s behalf, including use under an exception in sections 14 or 15 in the ordinary course of business to carry out those services or functions. If the financial institution complies with these requirements, it is not required to provide an opt out notice.
- Regardless of whether a financial institution shares nonpublic personal information, the institution must provide notice of its privacy policies and practices to its customers.
- A financial institution generally may not disclose consumer account numbers to any nonaffiliated third party for marketing purposes.
- A financial institution must follow re disclosure and reuse limitations on any nonpublic personal information it receives from a nonaffiliated financial institution.
Generally, what information must be included in the privacy notice? (3)
In general, the privacy notice must describe a financial institution’s policies and practices with respect to collecting and disclosing nonpublic personal information about a consumer to both affiliated and nonaffiliated third parties.
Also, the notice must provide a consumer a reasonable opportunity to direct the institution generally not to share nonpublic personal information about the consumer (that is, to “opt out”) with nonaffiliated third parties other than as permitted by exceptions under the regulation (for example, sharing for everyday business purposes, such as processing transactions and maintaining customers’ accounts, and in response to properly executed governmental requests).
The privacy notice must also provide, where applicable under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (“FCRA”), a notice and an opportunity for a consumer to opt out of certain information sharing among affiliates.
What is a financial institution?
A “financial institution” is any institution the business of which is engaging in activities that are financial in nature or incidental to such financial activities, as determined by section 4(k) of the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956. Financial institutions can include banks, securities brokers and dealers, insurance underwriters and agents, finance companies, mortgage bankers, and travel agents.
What is nonpublic personal information? (3)
Nonpublic personal information” generally is any information that is not publicly available and that:
- a consumer provides to a financial institution to obtain a financial product or service from the institution;
- results from a transaction between the consumer and the institution involving a financial product or service; or
- a financial institution otherwise obtains about a consumer in connection with providing a financial product or service.
Nonpublic personal information may include individual items of information as well as lists of information. For example, nonpublic personal information may include names, addresses, phone numbers, social security numbers, income, credit score, and information obtained through Internet collection devices (i.e., cookies).
Are lists of consumer information considered nonpublic personal information?
There are special rules regarding lists. Publicly available information would be treated as nonpublic if it were included on a list of consumers derived from nonpublic personal information. For example, a list of the names and addresses of a financial institution’s depositors would be nonpublic personal information even though the same names and addresses might be published in local telephone directories, because the list is derived from the fact that a person has a deposit account with an institution, which is not publicly available information.
However, if the financial institution has a reasonable basis to believe that certain customer relationships are a matter of public record, then any list of these relationships would be considered publicly available information. For instance, a list of mortgage customers from public mortgage records would be considered publicly available information. The institution could provide a list of such customers, and include on that list any other publicly available information it has about those customers without having to provide notice or opt out.
What is a nonaffiliated third party?
A “nonaffiliated third party” is any person except a financial institution’s affiliate or a person employed jointly by a financial institution and a company that is not the institution’s affiliate. An “affiliate” of a financial institution is any company that controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with the financial institution.
What is the Opt Out Right?
The Right—Consumers must be given the right to “opt out” of, or prevent, a financial institution from disclosing nonpublic personal information about them to a nonaffiliated third party unless an exception to that right applies. The exceptions are detailed in sections 13, 14, and 15 of the regulation.
As part of the opt out right, consumers must be given a reasonable opportunity and a reasonable means to opt out. What constitutes a reasonable opportunity to opt out depends on the circumstances surrounding the consumer’s transaction, but a consumer must be provided a reasonable amount of time to exercise the opt out right.
For example, it would be reasonable if the financial institution allows 30 days from the date of mailing a notice or 30 days after customer acknowledgement of an electronic notice for an opt out direction to be returned. What constitutes a reasonable means to opt out may include check-off boxes, a reply form, or a toll-free telephone number. It is not reasonable to require a consumer to write his or her own letter as the only means to opt out.
What are the Opt Out Right exceptions included in section 13,14,&15 of the regulation?
Financial institutions need not comply with opt-out requirements if they limit disclosure of nonpublic personal information:
- Section 13: To a nonaffiliated third party to perform services for the financial institution or to function on its behalf, including marketing the institution’s own products or services or those offered jointly by the institution and another financial institution. The exception is permitted only if the financial institution provides an initial notice of these arrangements and by contract prohibits the third party from disclosing or using the information for other than the specified purposes. However, if the service or function is covered by the exceptions in section 14 or 15 (discussed below), the financial institution does not have to comply with the disclosure and confidentiality requirements of section 13.
- Section 14: As necessary to effect, administer, or enforce a transaction that a consumer requests or authorizes, or under certain other circumstances relating to existing relationships with customers. Disclosures under this exception could be in connection with the audit of credit information, administration of a rewards program, or provision of an account statement.
- Section 15: For specified other disclosures that a financial institution normally makes, such as to protect against or prevent actual or potential fraud; to the financial institution’s attorneys, accountants, and auditors; or to comply with applicable legal requirements, such as the disclosure of information to regulators.
What is a consumer?
is an individual, or that individual’s legal representative, who obtains or has obtained a financial product or service from a financial institution that is to be used primarily for personal, family, or household purposes.
What is a financial service?
A “financial service” includes, among other things, a financial institution’s evaluation or brokerage of information that the institution collects in connection with a request or an application from a consumer for a financial product or service.
For example, a financial service includes a lender’s evaluation of an application for a consumer loan or for opening a deposit account even if the application is ultimately rejected or withdrawn.
What are customers?
A “customer” is a consumer who has a “customer relationship” with a financial institution. A “customer relationship” is a continuing relationship between a consumer and a financial institution under which the institution provides one or more financial products or services to the consumer that are to be used primarily for personal, family, or household purposes.
• For example, a customer relationship may be established when a consumer engages in one of the following activities with a financial institution:
° maintains a deposit or investment account;
° obtains a loan;
° enters into a lease of personal property; or
° obtains financial, investment, or economic advisory
services for a fee.
Why is the distinction between consumers and customers important under the Privacy act?
Because financial institutions have additional disclosure duties with respect to customers. Under the regulation, all customers are consumers, but not all consumers are customers.
What are a banks disclosure duties with respect to a consumer vs. a customer?
Consumers who are not customers:
-are entitled to an initial privacy and opt out notice before the financial institution shares nonpublic personal information with nonaffiliated third parties outside of the exceptions in sections 13, 14, and 15.
-are entitled to an initial privacy notice before the financial institution shares nonpublic personal information with a nonaffiliated third party under the exception in section 13.
Under the exception in section 13, the financial institution must also enter into a contractual agreement with the third party that prohibits the third party from disclosing or using the information other than to perform services for the institution or functions on the institution’s behalf, including use under an exception in sections 14 or 15 in the ordinary course of business to carry out those services or functions. If a financial institution complies with these requirements, it is not required to provide an opt out notice.
Customers:
- entitled to initial and annual privacy notices regardless of the information disclosure practices of their financial institution unless an exception to the annual privacy notice requirement applies.
- When a financial institution sells the servicing rights to a loan to another financial institution, the customer relationship transfers with the servicing rights. However, any information on the borrower retained by the institution that sells the servicing rights must be accorded the protections due any consumer.
In the following examples is the person a customer or consumer?
- individual purchases a bank check from a bank where the person has no account
- individual uses the ATM of a bank where the person has no account, repeatedly.
-The individual is a consumer in both instances as isolated transactions alone with not cause a consumer to be treated as a customer.
What are the duties of financial institutions under the ACT? (3)
- For banks that intend to disclose nonpublic personal information outside of exceptions in 13, 14, 15 will have to provide opt out rights to their customers and consumers who are not customers.
- all banks must provide initial and annual notices of their privacy policy to their customers (unless an exception applies). And an initial notice to consumer who are not customers before disclosing nonpublic personal information to third parties other than under section 13-15
- All banks must abide by the reg limits on the disclosure of account number to nonaffiliated third parties and on the redisclose and reuse of nonpublic personal information received from nonaffiliated financial institutions.
Before a financial institution discloses nonpublic personal information about any of its consumers to a nonaffiliated third party, and an exception in section 14 or 15 does not apply, then the financial institution must provide to the consumer what? (3)
- an initial notice of its privacy policies and practices;
- an opt out notice (including, among other things, a reasonable means to opt out); and
- a reasonable opportunity, before the financial institution discloses the information to the nonaffiliated third party, to opt out.
Before a financial institution discloses nonpublic personal information about a consumer to a nonaffiliated third party under the exception in section 13, the financial institution must do what? (2)
- provide the consumer with an initial notice of its privacy policies and practices.
- enter into a contractual agreement with the third party that prohibits the third party from disclosing or using the info other than to perform services for the institution or functions on the institution’s behalf, including use under exceptions 14 and 15.
If a bank complies with these requirements it is not required to provide an opt out notice.
When would an institution need to provide a revised initial privacy notice to consumers?
Before the institution begins to share a new category of nonpublic personal information or shares information with a new category of nonaffiliated third party in a manner that was not described in the previous notice.
A financial institution need not comply with the initial and opt out notice requirements for consumer who are not customers if the institution limits disclosure of non public personal information in the exceptions in sections ____ and ____.
14 and 15
What are the notice duties to customers? (4)
In addition to the notice duties that apply to consumers (initial notice an opt out as applicable), regardless of whether the bank discloses or intends to disclose nonpublic personal information, they must provide notice to its customer of its privacy privacy policies and practices at various times.
Including:
• A financial institution must provide an initial notice of its privacy policies and practices to each customer, not later than the time a customer relationship is established. Section 4(e) of the regulation describes the exceptional cases in which delivery of the notice is allowed subsequent to the establishment of the customer relationship.
- A financial institution must provide an annual notice at least once in any period of 12 consecutive months during the continuation of the customer relationship unless an exception to the annual privacy notice requirement applies.
- Generally, new privacy notices are not required for each new product or service. However, a financial institution must provide a new notice to an existing customer when the customer obtains a new financial product or service from the institution, if the initial or annual notice most recently provided to the customer was not accurate with respect to the new financial product or service.
- When a financial institution does not disclose nonpublic personal information (other than as permitted under section 14 and section 15 exceptions) and does not reserve the right to do so, the institution has the option of providing a simplified notice.
What are the notice delivery rules for the initial notice to consumers?
customers?
Privacy notices must be provided so that each recipient can reasonably be expected to receive actual notice in writing, or if the consumer agrees, electronically. To meet this standard, a financial institution could, for example:
(1) hand-deliver a printed copy of the notice to its consumers,
(2) mail a printed copy of the notice to a consumer’s last known address, or
(3) for the consumer who conducts transactions electronically, post the notice on the institution’s web site and require the consumer to acknowledge receipt of the notice as a necessary step to completing the transaction.
For customers only, a financial institution must provide the initial notice so that a customer can retain or subsequently access the notice. A written notice satisfies this requirement. For customers who obtain financial products or services electronically, and agree to receive their notices on the institution’s web site, the institution may provide the current version of its privacy notice on its web site.
In what situations is a bank not required to provide its customers an annual privacy notice? (2)
A financial institution is not required to provide an annual privacy notice to its customers if it:
(1) solely shares nonpublic personal information in accordance with the provisions of GLBA sections 502(b)(2) (corresponding to Regulation P section 1016.13) or 502(e) (corresponding to Regulation P sections 1016.14 and .15) or regulations prescribed under GLBA section 504(b); and
(2) has not changed its policies and practices with regard to disclosing nonpublic personal information since its most recent disclosure to its customers that was made in accordance with GLBA section 503.
An institution that at any time fails to comply with either of the criteria is not eligible for the exception and is required to provide an annual privacy notice to its customers.
For institutions that are required to provide an annual privacy notice to customers, what conditions must they meet to provide the annual notice through an alternative delivery method rather than in writing? (3)
If they meet the conditions for an alternative notice, how must they provide that notice? (3)
A financial institution may use an alternative delivery method for providing annual privacy notices to customers through posting the annual notices on their web sites if:
(1) no opt out rights are triggered by the financial institution’s information sharing practices under GLBA or under FCRA section 603, and opt out notices required by FCRA section 624 and Subpart C of Regulation V have previously been provided, if applicable, or the annual privacy notice is not the only notice provided to satisfy those requirements;
(2) certain information included in the annual privacy notice has not changed since the previous notice; and
(3) the financial institution uses the model form provided in the regulation as its annual privacy notice.
In order to use this alternative delivery method, an institution must:
(1) insert a clear and conspicuous statement at least once per year on an account statement, coupon book, or a notice or disclosure the institution issues under any provision of law that informs customers that the annual privacy notice is available on the institution’s web site, that the institution will mail the notice to customers who request it by calling a specific telephone number, and that the notice has not changed;
(2) continuously post the current privacy notice in a clear and conspicuous manner on a page on its web site, on which the only content is the privacy notice, without requiring the customer to provide any information such as a login name or password or agree to any conditions to access the web site; and
(3) mail its current privacy notice to those customers who request it by telephone within ten calendar days of the request.