Protecting Your Privacy is Important to Us!
Effective 4/1/06
In just a few short years, the Internet has revolutionized the way we do
business. It allows us to interact with you personally across time and space to
offer information and additional value, to listen to your opinions and to
provide a host of insurance, banking and financial services that you can access
from the convenience of your home or office. At the same time, it also brings
legitimate concerns about privacy and security.
At RBC Insurance, safeguarding your confidentiality and protecting your personal
and financial information is fundamental to the way we do business. In fact, it
is one of our highest priorities and remains the cornerstone of our commitment
to you. We are dedicated to meeting or exceeding the privacy standards
established by federal and state regulations and industry bodies. All of our
information handling practices comply with federal and state laws including the
Gramm-Leach-Bliley and Fair Credit Reporting Acts, which are designed to protect
the privacy of American consumers.
However you choose to provide information to us, we use rigorous security
safeguards to ensure your personal and financial information is protected. We
are also are committed to informing our customers about our privacy policies and
information handling practices. On an annual basis, these policies will be
outlined in a disclosure notice that describes what information is collected,
how it is used and shared, how it is protected, and what choices you have with
respect to sharing your personal information.
You are invited to visit this privacy site periodically to review our privacy
policies and the steps we have taken to ensure the appropriate handling of your
personal and financial information. Since these policies and practices may
change from time to time, we ask that you make note of the Effective Date at the
top of the page when visiting the site.
What is an RBC Company?
RBC is comprised of Royal Bank of Canada and its subsidiaries. Worldwide, RBC
serves more than 10 million personal, business, and public sector clients with a
comprehensive portfolio of financial products and services. RBC also has a large
retail banking network in Canada, the Caribbean and an increasing presence in
the United States.
RBC provides corporate and investment banking, trade finance, correspondent
banking, treasury and securities custody services to business customers
internationally. Our Global Private Banking business, which serves individuals
and families through a worldwide network of offices, has been rated among the
best anywhere.
RBC has long been active in the United States, providing corporate and
investment banking services, global private banking and other financial services
to companies and individuals. Recently, we have enhanced our presence in the
American market through a series of selected acquisitions, alliances and
investments. Our goal is to be among the leading North American financial
institutions. Moving forward, we will be announcing further investments designed
to create a powerful and integrated financial services network to serve
individuals and businesses across North America.
RBC includes the following U.S. organizations:
Business Men's Assurance Company of America (BMA)
Liberty Life Insurance Company
The Liberty Marketing Corporation
RBC Centura Bank
RBC Dain Rauscher Corporation
Royal Bank of Canada's offices in the United States
What Information is collected?
We gather and use personal information to provide you with the insurance
products and related services you have requested, or to offer you additional
products and services. Most of the information we collect is voluntarily
provided directly from you. For example, we may collect personal information
from applications or other forms completed by you, and from your transactions
with us. We may also collect information from consumer reporting agencies.
When you request products or services, we will ask you to provide only the
information that enables us to complete your request, to provide better service
or to offer you products and services we believe you might be interested in.
The types of information we may ask for depends on
the nature of your request. Information that is essential for fulfilling most
insurance requests and applications typically includes your name, mailing
address, e-mail address, phone number(s), and Social Security Number. In the
case of insurance products and services, we may also collect medical and health
information from you (for example, information related to your past or present
physical health or condition) or from others (for example, your health care
provider) to determine your eligibility for the insurance. However, we will only
collect such medical and health information with your consent.
When you visit our Web site we do not collect any information that could
identify you personally unless you choose to provide it to us. You are welcome
to browse our Web site at any time anonymously and privately without revealing
any personal or financial information about yourself.
All the information you provide to us is securely maintained and kept
strictly confidential.
Types of Information We Collect
At Liberty Life Insurance Company, we collect personal information and
anonymous/non-personal information.
Personal Information
Personal information is information that refers to you specifically. The type of
personal information we usually collect and maintain in your customer file may
include your:
Personal Customers
Name
Mailing Address
E-mail Address
Telephone Number
Social Security Number
Date of Birth
Place of Employment
Annual Income
Credit History
Transaction History
Health Information
For business customers, information may include:
The choice to provide us with personal information is always yours. In
dealings involving insurance and related financial services, however, your
decision to withhold particular details may limit or prevent us from providing
the products or services you have asked for. It may also make it more difficult
for us to advise you or suggest appropriate alternatives.
Different activities will call for various levels of information. If we are
unable to accommodate your request based on the information that has been
provided, we may ask for additional details in order to identify other ways we
can be of assistance. Occasionally we may also maintain a file containing
contact history that is used for customer inquiry purposes.
To view examples demonstrating common customer activities and examples of
information required to fulfill the request, please click here .
Anonymous/Non-Personal Information
We routinely collect anonymous/non-personal information.
Anonymous/non-personal information is information that cannot be associated with
or traced back to a specific individual or business entity. For example, our Web
servers collect some anonymous/non-personal information automatically when you
visit our Web site. Gathered electronically, this information might include the
pages you visited, the type of Web browser you are using, the level of
encryption your browser supports and your Internet Protocol Address. The
anonymous/non-personal information we collect may be used for research and
analytical purposes. For example, we are able to determine how many times our
online privacy policy has been visited but we do not know any specific
information about those visitors.
To help us better understand our markets, we may also gather information for
analytical purposes by conducting anonymous customer surveys.
Information Required to Provide Common Services
The type of information we will ask you to provide will vary according to
your activity or request:
Insurance Products and Services
We offer a wide range of insurance products and related services. To obtain
these products and services, you'll be asked to provide information such as your
name, address, date of birth, Social Security number, and telephone number. You
may also be asked for specific information about your current financial
situation or other credit related information. This may involve exchanging
information with credit agencies or verifying references you have provided us.
If you are applying for a mortgage related insurance product, you may be asked
for specific information about your mortgage loan balance or account number.
If you are applying for an underwritten insurance product or service, we will
also collect medical and health information from you (for example, information
related to your past or present physical health or condition) or from others
(for example, your health care provider) to determine your eligibility for the
insurance. However, we will only collect such medical and health information
with your consent.
Browsing Our Web Sites
You may browse our Web site anonymously and privately, even if you do not
wish to interact with us. No personal or financial information will be collected
from you unless you voluntarily provide it.
Finding an Office Near You
Our Web site can help you locate an RBC Insurance office most convenient for
you. No personal or financial information will be collected from you unless you
voluntarily provide it.
How Your Information is Used
We use three primary types of information:
We use personal/financial information to communicate with you, process
applications or to provide you with the products and services you have
requested.
We use transactional information to keep track of and report back to you
on your dealings with us.
We use anonymous/non-personal information to improve our products and
services to you.
Personal and Financial Information
We use your personal and financial information to communicate with you,
process applications and effectively provide the products and services you have
requested. The better we know you, the better we can help you achieve your
personal financial goals. By sharing information about yourself, you help us
begin identifying your personal financial service requirements –now and in the
future.
When you become our customer, we will make every effort to establish and
maintain a positive ongoing relationship that you will value and want to
maintain. To help us do this, we will use the personal information you have
provided to us to communicate with you and to safeguard your interests. For
example, we will keep you informed about your insurance policy/certificate
activities, authenticate your identity, send you important notices, and respond
to any special needs or inquiries you may have. We may also send you information
about other products and services in which we believe you would be interested.
In certain instances, sensitive customer information such as health records
may be collected for specific reasons relevant to the product or service being
provided. This customer information will not be made available to others nor
used for any other purpose. Customer health records, for instance, may not be
used to help assess loan or credit applications under any circumstances.
Transactional Information
The majority of information we retain about you is in the form of transaction
records that reflect your business dealings with us. We update and maintain this
information on an ongoing basis. If applicable, we will share this information
with you in the form of regular statements or through financial transactions.
Anonymous/Non-Personal Information
The anonymous/non-personal information gathered from the Web is used primarily
for technical, research and analytical purposes like evaluating the various
sections of our Web site. This information is not personally identifiable.
With Whom We May Share Your Information
We may share information about you with the following:
With other RBC companies that provide products and services we believe you may be interested in.
With authorized RBC employees who have a legitimate business purpose and reason for accessing customer information.
With outside service suppliers who provide specialized services on our behalf.
With other parties as required or permitted by law.
Client information is kept strictly confidential and we adhere
to standards and policies that have been designed to ensure your information
is secure and treated with the utmost care and respect.
RBC Businesses, Affiliates and Subsidiaries
To allow you to benefit from our full range of products and services, we may
share your information with other RBC businesses, affiliates and subsidiaries.
This is done only when the proposed services are available through another
member, and only in the manner we have disclosed to you. We may, for example,
send you information regarding the various investment alternatives we believe
you would be interested in.
If you would like to learn more about your choices concerning the sharing of
your information, please click here .
Our Employees
In the course of daily operations, access to private, sensitive and
confidential information is restricted to authorized employees who have a
legitimate business purpose and reason for accessing it. For example, when you
call us, visit an office, visit our headquarters, or e-mail us , our
employees will access your information to verify that you have business with us
and to assist you in fulfilling your requests.
As a condition of their employment, all of our employees are required to
abide by the privacy standards established by RBC. They are also required to
work within the principles of ethical behavior as set out in our Code of Conduct
and must follow all applicable laws and regulations. Employees are well informed
about the importance of privacy and they are required to acknowledge and sign
our code of conduct a confidentiality agreement that prohibits the disclosure of
any client information to unauthorized individuals or parties. Employees
periodically receive up-to-date literature about our privacy policy, principles
and standards, and are required to confirm their understanding and commitment to
upholding client privacy and confidentiality.
Unauthorized access to and/or disclosure of client information by our
employees is strictly prohibited. All employees are expected to maintain the
confidentiality of customer information at all times and failing to do so will
result in appropriate disciplinary measures, which may include dismissal.
Outside Service Suppliers
We sometimes contract with outside organizations to perform specialized
services such as premium billing, market research or data processing. Our
trusted service suppliers may at times be responsible for processing and
handling some of the information we receive from you. For example, we give our
premium billing agent the information that enables them to send you your premium
notice.
When we contract with suppliers to provide specialized services, we give them
only the information necessary to perform such services. We prohibit them from
storing, analyzing or using information about our customers for purposes other
than to carry out the service they have been contracted to provide. In fact, our
suppliers are bound by strict contractual obligations that have been designed to
protect the privacy and security of your information. Furthermore, as part of
our contract agreements, our suppliers and their employees are required to
protect your information in a manner that is consistent with the privacy
policies and practices that we have established.
Other Parties as Required or Permitted by Law
The type of information we are legally required to disclose most often
relates to governmental tax reporting requirements. In some instances, such as a
legal proceeding or court order, we may be required to disclose certain
information to authorities. Only the information specifically requested is
disclosed and it is our practice to validate the legitimacy of such a request.
There are some situations where we are legally permitted to disclose your
personal information to members and non-members of RBC. This includes companies
that help us protect the confidentiality of your insurance records, service or
process your insurance products or help us respond to or carry out transactions
you request or initiate. Specific examples include, but are not limited to,
returning a check due to insufficient funds; providing information to a consumer
reporting agency regarding our experience with you; or in connection with our
joint marketing arrangements to persons acting on your behalf.
Our Opt Out Policy
So that you may fully benefit from our capabilities and expertise, we would
like to share the personal information we collect from you with other RBC
companies. This information is shared to assist us in conducting business, to
more fully understand and meet your needs, and to provide you with products and
services that might be of interest to you.
Should you prefer that we not share such information with other RBC companies
(except as permitted or required by law), please let us know by calling us
between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time at 1-888-679-7156 or e-mail us .
How We Safeguard Your Information
We maintain security standards to ensure that your personal and financial
information is protected against unauthorized access, disclosure, inappropriate
alteration or misuse. All safety and security measures are also appropriate to
the sensitivity level of your information.
Client Files
Electronic client files are kept in a highly secured environment with
restricted access. Paper-based files are stored in secure locations. Access is
also highly restricted.
Online Security
We manage our server environment appropriately and our firewall
infrastructure is strictly adhered to. Our security practices are reviewed on a
regular basis and we routinely employ current technologies to ensure that the
confidentiality and privacy of your information is not compromised.
When you call our telephone customer service, you will be required to verify
your identity by providing certain personal information before proceeding.
To learn what you can do to further protect your information, please click here .
Accessing and Amending Your Information
We often make decisions based on the information we have. Therefore, it is
important that your personal information is accurate and complete. As a
customer, you may access, verify and amend the information held in your personal
files, subject to certain restrictions noted below. You may do so by writing to
us at RBC Insurance, Customer Information, P.O. Box 789, Greenville, South
Carolina 29602-0789, providing us with the following information:
Your full name
Your street address
Your daytime telephone number
A complete list of the policy/contract numbers for all policies you have with us.
RBC ExpressTERMTM customers may make changes to some personal
information through their online account.
Accessing Your Information
You may access and verify your transactional information whenever you wish.
Most of this information is available in the form of transaction records.
Billing statements are generally the best source for this type of information.
We may charge you our costs associated with providing you copies of this
information.
Should you contact us concerning a decision we have made, we may inform you
of the reasons for those decisions if we are permitted to do so by law. We will,
upon request, provide you with the name(s) and address(es) of any consumer
agencies or health care providers that provided information to us on your behalf
if it was relevant to our final decision.
Amending Your Information
To help us keep your information up-to-date, we encourage you to amend
inaccuracies and make corrections as often as necessary. Should you identify any
information in your file(s) that needs to be adjusted, we will make the proper
changes in our files and provide you with a copy of the corrected information.
We may charge you our costs associated with providing you copies of this
information. Where appropriate, we will use every reasonable effort to
communicate these changes to other parties who may have unintentionally received
incorrect information from us.
To Request a Change
To request a change to the personal contact information contained in your
file, please call us between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time at
1-888-679-7156, or e-mail us .
How You Can Protect Your Information
We believe there are measures you should take to protect and safeguard your
personal and financial information. The following is a list of things you can do
to protect yourself against fraud and uninvited intrusion.
Personal Information
You should not share personal or financial information such as your Social
Security Number or credit card number with others unless you clearly understand
the purpose of their request and you know with whom you are dealing.
Other Web sites
Our Web site may contain links to other third party sites that are not
governed by this privacy statement. Although we endeavor to only link to sites
with high privacy standards, our privacy policy will no longer apply once you
leave our Web site. Additionally, we are not responsible for the privacy
practices employed by other third party Web sites. Therefore, we suggest that
you examine the privacy statements of those sites to learn how your information
may be collected, used and disclosed.
Cookies and Liberty Life Insurance Company
How Cookies are Used
Cookies may be used by our Web site to improve functionality and in some
cases, to provide visitors with a customized online experience. The following
section describes how our Web site uses cookies.
- To Improve Functionality
We may use non-persistent cookies to improve operations and functionality of our
Web site. For example, these cookies improve navigation, maintain connectivity
and ensure online service sessions are secured. They do not contain personal or
financial information and they are not permanently stored for future use.
- Site Personalization
Persistent cookies are sometimes used as a means of offering visitors with a
personalized experience.
How Cookies Are Not Used
Although cookies have the capability of accomplishing a variety of
undertakings, we only use cookies when they provide an obvious benefit to you.
The following describes how our Web site does not use cookies.
- Web Site Tracking (What sites you go to)
Cookies or other information tracking technologies are not used to follow the
surfing behavior of our visitors once they leave our Web site. Additionally,
tracking information that may be gathered during a visit to an RBC Web site will
not be used for promotional purposes.
- User IDs and Passwords
For added security, cookies are not used to remember user names and passwords
when accessing highly secured pages. You will be required to provide this
information each time you log-on to one of our secured online service pages.
- Aggregated Analysis Attributable to an Individual Account
We do not associate any of the information collected via cookies with your
personal or financial information.
Maintaining Personal Information in a Cookie
Cookies cannot be used to gather sensitive information about you or data
residing on your computer. These cookies are not designed to identify you
personally; rather they are intended to enhance navigation and the security of
your session.
We will only ask that you provide personal information if it is required to
provide you with the service you have requested. This type of information is
collected only on a voluntary basis and it is not used for any purpose other
than what was originally disclosed to you.
What are Your Choices in Relation to Cookies?
If you would like to browse our Web site, you may do so without accepting
cookies. However, you should understand that if you choose not to accept
cookies, some of our Web site pages may not function properly or optimally and
you will not be permitted to access certain secured sites.
Cookies are widely used and most Web browsers are configured initially to
accept cookies automatically. If you prefer not to accept cookies, you may
adjust your browser settings to alert you when a cookie is about to be sent, or
you may configure your browser to refuse cookies automatically. If you would
like to learn more about how to set your cookie options, please refer to your
browser's documentation or online help for instructions.
Questions
If you have a question on the privacy policies stated on this site, a concern
about privacy, confidentiality or the information handling practices of our
employees, select business partners or suppliers, please contact us at
1-888-679-7156 between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Eastern time, or e-mail us .