Last Updated: December 20, 2024
OVERVIEW
This website is operated by Best Rate. Throughout the site, the terms "we", "us" and "our" refer to Best Rate. Best Rate offers this website, including all information, tools and services available from this site to you, the user, conditioned upon your acceptance of all terms, conditions, policies and notices stated here.
By visiting our site and/or using our services, you engage in our "Service" and agree to be bound by this Privacy Policy. This Privacy Policy applies to all users of the site, including without limitation users who are browsers, customers, and/or contributors of content.
Please read this Privacy Policy carefully before accessing or using our website. By accessing or using any part of the site, you agree to be bound by this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree to all the terms and conditions of this policy, then you may not access the website or use any services.
We reserve the right to modify this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you by email or through our website if the changes are material. In some cases, you will be given the choice to accept the changes made to the policy. If you do not accept the terms of the updated Privacy Policy, please do not use the Services.
SECTION 1 - INFORMATION WE COLLECT
When you submit a form on our website, we collect information that you provide to us, including:
- Contact information (name, email address, phone number)
- Property and financial information relevant to your loan inquiry
- IP address and browser information
- UTM parameters from marketing campaigns
Usage Data: This may include information such as your electronic device's Internet Protocol address (IP address), browser version, browser type, the pages of our website that you visit, the time and date of your visit, unique device identifiers, the time you spent on those pages, and other diagnostic data.
Device Information: This includes details such as the device model, the operating system type and version, unique identifiers for the device, information on the mobile network operator, and storage capacity or version of the device's operating system.
Location Data: This includes your IP address, which provides an approximate location (not exact), as well as details about your time zone or your mobile service provider.
SECTION 2 - HOW WE USE YOUR INFORMATION
We use the information you provide to:
- Connect you with qualified lending partners who can assist with your loan needs
- Schedule calls and appointments with lenders
- Verify your identity and prevent fraud
- Improve our services and user experience
- Comply with legal obligations
Legal Basis for Processing
Depending on the features of the Services you engage with, we may process your personal data under one or more of the following legal grounds:
Legitimate Interests: We may utilize your personal data when it aligns with our legitimate interests aimed at improving the management of our Services. Examples include:
- Identifying and resolving software issues
- Distinguishing real user interactions with the Services from automated bots
- Monitoring the website's performance and reliability
- Conducting security assessments to safeguard the Services
- Analyzing aggregated usage patterns
Contractual Obligations: We might process your personal data to meet our contractual commitments, such as managing your form submissions and handling administrative tasks related to connecting you with lending partners.
Your Consent: You may allow us to process your data for the purpose of delivering the Services, including sharing your information with lending partners.
Legal Compliance: We may be required to process certain personal data to adhere to relevant laws and regulations, including lending regulations, consumer protection laws, and data protection requirements.
When using legitimate interests as a legal ground, we first assess our genuine interest in managing and running our business. We also evaluate the potential effects on your rights to ensure that we only use the minimum amount of your data for the purpose at issue and that our interests do not take precedence over yours.
SECTION 3 - SHARING YOUR INFORMATION
By submitting a form, you consent to us sharing your information with one or more of our lending partners listed on our Partners page. These partners are carefully vetted and licensed lenders who can assist you with your loan needs.
We may also share your information:
- With service providers who help us operate our business (such as hosting providers, analytics services, and communication platforms)
- When required by law or to protect our rights
- In connection with a business transfer or merger
Principles of Processing
No Sale of Personal Data: We are committed to protecting your personal information and will not sell or rent it for financial gain. Your personal data will only be shared in accordance with the terms outlined in this Privacy Policy. We may share your information with our service providers who assist us in delivering our Services as detailed in this policy.
Data Minimization and Purpose Limitation: We will only handle personal data in a manner that aligns with the purposes for which it was collected or authorized by you. Additionally, we will not gather, access, use or disclose any more personal information than is necessary for those stated purposes.
SECTION 4 - COMMUNICATION CONSENT
By submitting a form, you agree to receive:
- Phone calls from us and our lending partners at the phone number you provide
- Text messages (SMS) for verification and communication purposes
- Email communications related to your inquiry
Opt-Out Options: You are always able to opt out of receiving certain kinds of emails by clicking the unsubscribe link in an email of the kind from which you wish to unsubscribe. Opting out of certain kinds of emails or notifications will not end your receiving service-related emails that are necessary to your use of the Services. You may also opt out of receiving text messages by replying "STOP" to any message.
You can opt-out at any time by contacting us at privacy@best-rate.org or using the opt-out instructions provided in our communications.
TCPA Consent: By providing your phone number, you expressly consent to receive automated calls, text messages, and pre-recorded messages from us and our partners. Message and data rates may apply. You are not required to consent as a condition of using our service.
SECTION 5 - DATA SECURITY
We take the protection of your personal data seriously and implement technical and organizational measures to protect it from misuse, loss, theft, unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, and destruction. These measures are designed based on the nature of the personal data we process and the risks associated with handling sensitive information. Our security measures include:
- We conduct systematic vulnerability scans and penetration testing to identify and address potential security risks
- We implement data integrity protections to prevent unauthorized modifications to your personal data
- Our employees are granted different levels of access based on their roles and only access the minimum amount of your personal data necessary to fulfill limited and necessary purposes required for the operation of the Services
- We impose strict responsibility measures on our employees for any disclosure, unauthorized access, destruction, alteration, or misuse of your personal data
- We periodically conduct data protection impact assessments to ensure that our Services align with privacy best practices and legal standards
User Responsibility: To enhance the security of your account and information, we recommend that you:
- Protect your passwords and do not share them with others
- Use strong, unique passwords
- Be cautious when providing personal information online
No security system is flawless. Therefore, we cannot guarantee the absolute security of the Services or rule out interception of your data while it is in the process of being transmitted to us.
Security Breaches: If we learn of a security systems breach, we may attempt to notify you via email or post a notice and will take reasonable steps to remedy the breach as specified in applicable law and this Privacy Policy. If we learn of a potential data breach, together with other actions that are referred to in this Privacy Policy, we will take actions to remedy the breach as appropriate under the circumstances, which may include logging you out from all devices, resetting passwords, and performing other reasonably necessary activities.
SECTION 6 - YOUR RIGHTS
We value your privacy and are committed to safeguarding your personal information. Depending on your location, you may have certain rights regarding your personal information, including:
Right to Access: You have the right to request what personal data we process about you, to access all your personal data and to receive a copy of it, including in a structured and portable form.
Right to Rectification: You have the right to request the correction of inaccurate or incomplete personal data that we hold.
Right to Erasure: You have the right to request the erasure of your personal data at any time. Erasing personal data may affect your experience using certain features of the Services that rely on historical data.
Right to Restrict Processing: You have the right to request that we restrict the processing of your personal data.
Right to Data Portability: You have the right to request your personal data in a portable form, which enables you, for instance, to reuse your data for your individual purposes or different services.
Right to Object to Processing: You have the right to object to the processing of your personal data, at any time.
Right to Withdraw Consent: If you have provided consent for the processing of your personal data, you have the right to withdraw that consent at any time.
Right to Opt-Out: You have the right to opt-out of certain communications, including marketing communications from us and our lending partners.
How to Exercise Your Privacy Rights
To exercise your privacy rights, please email us at privacy@best-rate.org. We will respond to your request within the time frame required by applicable law (typically within 30 days). Please note that certain rights may be subject to legal exceptions or restrictions. If your request cannot be fulfilled for any reason, we will explain the reason in our response.
Please note that if we receive a request that is either unclear or lacking sufficient detail, we may contact you for additional information to process your request. In some cases, if a request is manifestly unfounded, excessive, or repetitive, we may refuse to fulfill it or charge a reasonable fee to process the request, as permitted by applicable law.
To process your request, we may require you to verify your identity. Typically, this will involve confirming that the request is made from the email address or phone number associated with your submission. If you have not submitted a form with us, we may ask for further information to verify your identity and ensure that we are responding appropriately to your request.
Depending on the jurisdiction, you may have the right to file a complaint with your local data protection authority if you believe we have not fully complied with applicable data protection laws.
SECTION 7 - COOKIES AND TRACKING
We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to improve your experience on our website, analyze usage patterns, and deliver personalized content. To gather this information, we may utilize cookies and similar technologies.
Usage Information: This encompasses data regarding your interactions with the Services, such as how often you use them, the specific areas and features you access, and your engagement with certain functionalities.
You can control cookies through your browser settings. However, disabling cookies may affect your ability to use certain features of our website.
SECTION 8 - DATA RETENTION
We gather, access, use and disclose only the minimum amount of data needed to fulfill one of the purposes specified in this Privacy Policy and we retain personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, in alignment with our legitimate business needs and applicable legal requirements. However, in some cases, we may need to store personal information for extended periods to comply with obligations related to legal, tax, or regulatory requirements established by governing authorities.
When determining the appropriate retention period, we evaluate various factors, including the volume, nature, and sensitivity of the data, the potential risks associated with unauthorized access or disclosure, and whether the intended purposes can be achieved through alternative means. Additionally, we consider legal, regulatory, tax, accounting, and other obligations that may require extended data retention.
SECTION 9 - CHILDREN'S PRIVACY
Our services are not intended for individuals under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect, use, or process personal data from children without verifiable parental consent. If we learn that we have unintentionally collected personal data from a child, we will take immediate steps to delete the information.
SECTION 10 - CHANGES TO THIS POLICY
We reserve the right to modify this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you by email or through our website if the changes are material. In some cases, you will be given the choice to accept the changes made to the policy. If you do not accept the terms of the updated Privacy Policy, please do not use the Services.
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any material changes by posting the new policy on this page and updating the "Last Updated" date.
SECTION 11 - CONTACT US
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or wish to exercise your rights, please contact us at:
Email: privacy@best-rate.org