Policy Notice

We ask that you read this privacy policy carefully because it contains important information about your personal details. This privacy policy describes the types of personal information that we will process. It also covers the reason for why we need to process it. Synergi Finance ensures that we collect and use your personal data in accordance with General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR).

Introduction

Synergi Finance is the trading name of Synergi Partner Finance Ltd (Company Number 10330823), as well as Synergi Property Finance Ltd (Company Number 14404720). Synergi Finance is an independent commercial finance brokerage. We are based at 18 Innovation Drive, Green Park Road, Newport, Brough, East Riding of Yorkshire, HU15 2FW. Synergi Partner Finance Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA Registration Number 805271). Whereas Synergi Property Finance Ltd is an Appointed Representative of the White Rose Finance Group Ltd (Company Number 05425872), which is also authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA Registration Number 630772). We take your privacy seriously. In this document, you can learn more information about your privacy rights. We will describe how we gather, use, and share your personal data. This will include information we collect directly from you, from a third party, or which we already hold.

What is the purpose of this document?

Synergi Partner Finance Ltd and Synergi Property Finance Ltd will be collectively referred to as “Synergi Finance”, “Synergi”, “we”, “us”, or “our” in this privacy notice. Synergi is the controller. We are therefore responsible for your personal data. This means that we are responsible for deciding how we hold and use information about you. We are required to notify you of the information contained in this privacy notice under data protection legislation. It is important that you read this privacy notice along with any other privacy, or fair processing, notices. We may provide these on specific occasions when we are collecting or processing personal data about you. This is so that you are fully aware of how and why we are using your data. It is also important that the personal data we hold about you is accurate and current. Please keep us informed if your personal information changes during your relationship with us.

The data we collect about you

Personal data, or personal information, covers any information about an individual which can be used to identify them. It does not include data where the identity has been removed (anonymous data). We may collect, use, store, and transfer different kinds of personal data about you, which we have grouped together. Some examples are as follows:

Identity Data

This includes first name, maiden name, last name, marital status, title, date of birth, gender, passport (copy), driving licence (copy), and utility bills (copy).

Contact Data

This includes residential address, billing address, email address, and telephone number(s).

Financial Data

This includes bank details, details of your income, outgoings, and net worth statements.

Transaction Data

This includes details about payments to and from you. As well as other details of products and services you have purchased from us.

Marketing and Communications Data

This includes your preferences for receiving marketing from us or third parties. It also covers your communication preferences.

If you fail to provide personal data

In some instances, where you do not provide your personal data, we will not be able to carry out a current or intended contract. This is due to the legal terms of various contracts, which ask for personal data to be provided upon request. In this case, we may have to cancel the services you have with us. However, we will notify you if this is the case at the time.

How do we collect your personal data?

We use different methods to collect data from or about you including:

* Direct interactions – You may give us your identity, contact, and financial data by filling in forms or by corresponding with us by post, phone, email, or otherwise.

* Third parties (or publicly available sources) – We may receive your personal data from a third party or public source. These could be from the providers of business information, such as Credit Safe, Experian, or Companies House. These could be based inside or outside of the EU.

* Introducers and other businesses with whom we have a trading relationship.

How we use your personal data

We will process your personal information for the following reasons:

* To find the best source of finance, based on your circumstances.

* For undertaking credit checks to find the most suitable finance product.

* To confirm your affordability for the financial requirement that we are seeking finance for.

* For complying with our anti-money laundering and ‘know-your-client’ requirements.

* And to meet our regulatory responsibilities.

Credit reference agencies

In order to process your application, we will perform credit and identity checks on you. This may be with one or more credit reference agencies (CRAs). We may also make periodic searches at CRAs to manage your account with us.

To do this, we will supply your personal information to CRAs, and they will give us information about you. This will include information from your credit application. And will also cover your financial situation and financial history. CRAs will supply to us public (including the electoral register) and shared credit, financial situation, and financial history information. As well as this, they will share fraud prevention information.

We will use this information to:

* Assess your creditworthiness – This will let us decide whether you, your financial associate(s), or your business can afford the product.

* Verify the accuracy of the data you have provided to us.

* Prevent criminal activity, fraud, and money laundering.

* Manage your account(s).

* Trace and recover debts.

* Ensure any offers provided to you are appropriate to your circumstances.

We will continue to exchange information about you with CRAs while you have a relationship with us. And we will inform the CRAs about your settled accounts. If you borrow, and do not repay in full and on time, CRAs will record the outstanding debt. This information may be supplied to other organisations by CRAs. When CRAs receive a search from us, they will place a search footprint on your credit file. This may be seen by other lenders. If you are making a joint application or tell us that you have a financial associate or business partner, we will link your records together. Therefore you should make sure that you discuss this with them, and share this information with them, before lodging the application.

CRAs will also link your records together. And these links will remain on yours and their files until such time as you, or your partner, successfully file for a disassociation with the CRAs to break that link. The identities of the CRAs, their role as fraud prevention agencies, the data they hold, the ways in which they use or share personal information, data retention periods, and your data protection rights with the CRAs, are explained in more detail in any of these three links.

Each link will take you to the same CRAIN document:

* Equifax

* Experian

* TransUnion

Identity verification and fraud prevention checks

Your personal information will be shared with fraud prevention agencies. These agencies will use your data to prevent fraud, money-laundering, and to verify your identity. You will be refused certain services, finance, or employment if fraud is detected. Further details of how your information will be used by us and these fraud prevention agencies, as well as your data protection rights, can be found by visiting this website.

Please contact info@synergi-finance.co.uk for further information on how your details are used. We will also tell you how we maintain the security of your information, in addition to your rights to access, alter, and change information we hold on you.

Automated decision making

Synergi will pass your data to funders, which may use automated decision-making for your application for finance. We will only collect the minimum amount of data needed and have a clear retention policy for the profiles we create.

You have the right not to be subject to a decision based solely on automated processing, including profiling, which produces legal effects concerning you, or any significant effects. You can request human intervention and challenge a decision made this way by contacting info@synergi-finance.co.uk.

Why might we share your information with third parties?

We will share your personal information with third parties when we are required by law. This includes when it is necessary to administer our contractual relationship with you. Or where we have another legitimate interest in doing so. “Third parties” include third-party service providers, including contractors and designated agents, as well as other entities within our group. The following third-party service providers process personal information about you for the purposes listed:

* The most suitable funders on our panel – A full list is available by contacting info@synergi-finance.co.uk.

* Our IT hosting and maintenance – This information is located on servers within the European Union.

* Credit reference agencies – For the purposes of determining your financial status.

* Regulatory bodies (such as the FCA) – For the purposes of meeting our regulatory obligations.

* Other members of our group – In the event that they need to process your application.

* Fraud prevention agencies – In the event that they are required to do so.

* And finally, third party product providers – Where you have given us your prior consent to do so.

How long we keep your information

We are required to keep your basic personal data for a minimum of six years under FCA regulations. Such data includes name, address, contact details, and date of birth. After this time, it will be destroyed. The information that we use for marketing will be kept with us. This is until you notify us that you no longer wish to receive this information.

International transfers

We do not transfer your personal data outside the European Economic Area (EEA).

What are your rights?

If at any point you believe our information is incorrect, you can request to see this information and even have it corrected or deleted. Providing you with this information is free of charge. Although charges may apply for excessive requests.

If you wish to raise a complaint on how we have handled your personal data, you can contact our Data Protection Officer who will investigate the matter. Where relevant, you have the right to withdraw consent and can object at any time. This means that we cannot process your data without your consent. More information about your rights can be found on the Information Commissioners website (https://ico.org.uk/). You can complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) if you are not satisfied with our response. Or you can complain if you believe that we are processing your personal data not in accordance with the law.

Our Data Protection Officer is Robert Partridge. You can contact him at rob@synergi-finance.co.uk.