This Privacy Statement covers the following entity: Eschelon Merchant Services referred to as “we,” “us,” and “our” throughout this statement.
We are committed to protecting our customers’ personal and financial information. In the course of providing merchant non-cash processing products and services, we need to collect and maintain certain nonpublic personal information. This Privacy Policy answers some questions about what nonpublic personal information we collect, what we do with it, and how we protect it.
We do not disclose any nonpublic personal information about our customers or former customers to any nonaffiliated third parties, except as described below.
What types of nonpublic personal information do we collect?
When you apply for, open, or maintain a merchant or partner account with us, or when you apply for a financial product or service, we collect the following types of information:
- Information you provide online and on applications or other forms, such as your name, address, Social Security number, date of birth, business history and processing history
- Information about your transactions with us, such as your processing history and banking history
- Information about you from consumer-reporting agencies and business-reporting agencies
What types of nonpublic personal information do we disclose?
We may disclose nonpublic personal information we collect, to our affiliates to best service your business or to provide enhanced products or services provided by our partners. We do not disclose nonpublic personal information about former customers to anyone, except as permitted by law or to cooperate with regulators or law enforcement authorities.
To what types of entities (other than those companies used to process or service transactions) do we disclose nonpublic personal information?
We may disclose nonpublic personal information among our affiliated companies and to other financial services providers with which we have joint marketing agreements or that offer financial products and services with us or on our behalf. By sharing this information, we can provide you with a broader range of financial products and services, improve your experience with us, and better serve your financial needs.
We may also disclose information that we collect from you such as your name, contact information, and customer relationships with us to nonaffiliated third parties that perform services, such as marketing or market research, on our behalf. For example, we may provide your name, address, phone number, and/or e-mail address to vendors who send our e-mail or regular mail.
We require that all entities with which we share your nonpublic personal information, including companies that process or service transactions for us, agree to keep your information confidential. We also prohibit them from using or disclosing your information except for the limited purpose and to the persons for whom disclosure was intended, or as otherwise permitted by law.
We will not sell your personal information to third-party marketers or any other entity for any purpose without your consent.
To what other types of entities might we disclose nonpublic personal information?
We also may disclose information about you to companies that service, maintain, or process for us your transactions and accounts. For example, we provide information to companies that prepare and mail account statements and transaction confirmations.
In addition, we disclose nonpublic personal information to nonaffiliated third parties, as permitted or required by law or to cooperate with regulators or law enforcement authorities. These parties include government/regulatory organizations, such as the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and any of the securities exchanges and states we are registered with and to parties under court order or subpoena that request this information. Disclosures for which you have provided your consent or you have directed us to make are also permitted.
How do we protect the confidentiality and security of nonpublic personal information?
We maintain physical, electronic, and procedural safeguards that meet or exceed industry standards to guard your nonpublic personal information. Our employees (for example, customer service and compliance personnel) and third party service providers have access to your nonpublic personal information only on a “need to know” basis. We conduct regular internal audits of our business practices and procedures, examining confidentiality standards and information access in order to protect your personal information.
