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Privacy & Security
Protecting Your PrivacyWe recognize the importance of keeping information about you secure and confidential. It’s important for you to know that unlike many financial institutions, we do not sell or share any consumer’s nonpublic personal information with outside marketers. You also need to know that we carefully manage information to give you better service and more convenience. This document describes LCEF’s policy with respect to nonpublic personal information about consumers which means personally identifiable information about a consumer or a consumer’s current or former relationship with LCEF (“Consumer Information”). This policy is provided to you as required by the Federal Law. Making the Security of Information a PriorityKeeping financial information secure is important. We value your trust and handle information about you with care. At LCEF, we:
Collecting InformationWe collect and use various types of information to service your investment and loan accounts. This also enables us to help you learn more about investment and other products and services that may be of interest to you. We collect Consumer Information from the following sources:
Disclosure of Certain InformationAlthough we do not share Consumer Information with outside marketers, we do share information in certain circumstances in order to provide you with our products and services with greater convenience and more choices, and also as permitted by law. However, we do limit who receives Consumer Information and what type of information is shared. Sharing information with companies that work for usWe may disclose the Consumer Information we collect, as described above, to companies that perform marketing services on our behalf or to other financial institutions with whom we have joint marketing agreements. We may also disclose Consumer Information to third-party service providers as necessary to process, service and provide access to your investment and loan accounts with LCEF in a manner that promotes a good customer experience. The companies that work on our behalf are contractually obligated to keep the Consumer Information we provide to them confidential and to use the Consumer Information only to provide the services we’ve asked them to perform for you and us. Disclosing information in other situationsWe may also disclose Consumer Information to credit bureaus and similar organizations, and otherwise when permitted by law. For example, this may include:
Making Sure Information is AccurateKeeping your account information accurate and up to date is very important. We provide you with access to your investment or loan account information through various means such as account statements and online through MyAccount. If you have questions or feel that we have not handled information about you properly, you may always contact us through our Investment Service Center. Keeping Up to Date with Our Privacy StatementLCEF will provide notice of our privacy statement annually, as long as you maintain an ongoing relationship with us. This policy may change from time to time, but you can always review our current policy on this Web site, or contact us for a copy at 1-800-843-5233. Commitment to Privacy and SecurityWhether you are a current customer or just visiting us online, Lutheran Church Extension Fund-Missouri Synod (LCEF) safeguards the information you provide us. LCEF safeguards information according to established security standards and procedures, and we periodically assess new technology for protecting information. Our employees are trained to understand and comply with these information security standards and procedures. Protecting information properly is a shared responsibility! LCEF Network and Online SystemsComputer Virus ProtectionLCEF uses sophisticated tools to detect and prevent computer viruses from entering its computer network systems. FirewallsA “firewall” is a system that blocks unauthorized interactive access from individuals or other networks. Every system that interacts with the Internet is at risk of attack from hackers. Firewalls are one way LCEF protects its systems that interact with the Internet. MonitoringLCEF places a strong emphasis with our employees on protecting information properly, ensuring that all vital information for our customers, clients and associates remains secure and confidential. LCEF utilizes sophisticated technology to detect and respond to unauthorized activity. The World Wide WebInternet SecurityIn a very short period of time, the Internet has changed the landscape of the world’s economy. When you log on to the World Wide Web, you have truly opened the universe of information and communications to you. With all the benefits derived from using the Internet for business and personal use, there are some inherent risks. Sending sensitive information such as your social security number, credit card information, or other personal data over the Internet can be dangerous if you cannot validate the reputation of the company you are doing business with and communicate over a “secure” means of transmission. Before sending private information on the Internet, make sure you are using a “secured” connection. LCEF offers secure e-mail through the MyAccount service. Secured TransmissionsLCEF uses Secure Socket Layer (SSL) encryption for customer online transactions. “Encryption” is a communications process that scrambles private information to prevent unauthorized access as information is being transmitted between your browser and LCEF. Protecting Your Security OnlineKeeping financial and personal information secure is important. We value your trust and handle personal information with care. Secure TransmissionsTo ensure information remains confidential, LCEF uses encryption technology such as Secure Socket Layer (SSL) on its Web site to transmit information between you and LCEF. If you use LCEF’s MyAccount Internet financial service, you may send LCEF a secure e-mail through the Secure Mail feature on this site. Conversely, LCEF can respond securely to such e-mails, providing MyAccount users with information about certain online investment products and services. Remember: E-mail transmissions through general or public e-mail are not secure. Therefore, any responses from LCEF back to your unsecured e-mail address will not include confidential account information. Gathering and Using Information OnlineLCEF collects and uses the information you provide us online to respond to your needs, to service your investment and loan accounts, and to provide you information about other products and services. CookiesA "cookie” is a small piece of information that some Web sites send to your computer, which is stored in a file on your hard drive. There are two types of cookies: "persistent” cookies and "session” cookies. Persistent cookies remain on your computer after you have finished browsing. The next time you visit that particular Web site, the site will search your hard drive for any previous cookies sent to it. Typically, Web sites do this to determine what type of transactions you have previously performed. Session cookies are automatically deleted when you leave a Web site. Typically, Web sites use session cookies to keep track of your requests during your visit. For example, a shopping site might issue you a unique cookie ID and use that to identify which shopping basket (kept on the server) to store your selections in. LCEF does not use persistent cookies. Session cookies are used to identify the section of the site that you are viewing so that we may present you with the appropriate information. LCEF also uses session cookies to identify your session when you are logged into a secure or password-protected area. Usernames and passwords are NEVER stored in LCEF cookies. Your Web browser can be set to inform you when cookies are sent or prevent them from being sent. Online SurveysAt times, we may conduct online surveys to help us better serve you. The information you provide us on surveys may be used for Internet marketing purposes. Based on the information you provide us, we may also inform you of other investment and loan products and services from LCEF. You are not required to complete online surveys. Linking to Other SitesWe may provide links to other sites. If you choose to link to these other Web sites, we are not responsible for the privacy or security of these sites, including the accuracy, completeness, reliability or suitability of their information. If you are asked to provide information on one of these sites, we strongly urge you first to study carefully their Privacy Policies. Taking Individual Responsibility for Protecting Personal InformationWhile LCEF works to protect your privacy, you also play a role in protecting personal information. To help safeguard information, we suggest the following:
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