Our Commitment to You

The Heritage Bank has a tradition of respect for the relationship it has with its customers.  This includes protecting the privacy and security of the information you share with us.  It’s centered around trust – you trust us with important personal information and we honor that trust by handling your information carefully and privately.  The privacy of your information is protected not only by state and Federal laws, but more importantly by The Heritage Bank’s commitment to you.

 

Your Expectation of Privacy

We will not share your personal, confidential information with non-affiliated third parties without your consent unless we are required or permitted by law to disclose such information.  We want to assure you about the following:

 

*          We do not disclose any information about our customers or former customers to anyone, except as required or permitted by law.

 

*          We do not sell our customer mailing lists or confidential customer information to outside marketing firms. 

 

*          We do not disclose medical information except as necessary to process insurance applications and claims or as otherwise required or permitted by law.

 

The Heritage Bank recognizes and respects the privacy expectations of our customers, and is committed to protecting our customers’ privacy rights. 

 

Facts About This Notice

Our consumer privacy policies and practices protect the confidentiality of information about individuals who obtain financial products or services from us primarily for personal, family or household purposes.  They apply with equal force to both current and former customers.  When we use the term “information” in this notice, we mean information about you that is not publicly available.  The policies and practices described in this notice do not apply to or protect information about you that is publicly available, information about business entities, or information about individuals who obtain financial products or services for business, commercial or agricultural purposes.  We have included examples in this notice of information we collect, how we use it, with whom we share it and what we do to protect it.  The examples we use are for the purpose of illustration only – you should not consider them to be a comprehensive description of our privacy practices.  This notice does not apply to your relationships with other financial service providers (such as other banks, mortgage brokers, independent insurance agencies, insurance companies or mutual funds).  Their privacy policies will govern how they collect, use and disclose personal information about you.

 

Collection and Use of Customer Information

We maintain information about individual customers in order to provide the best possible service to your existing accounts, and to provide you information about other products and services that may interest you.  The Heritage Bank may collect information about you from the following sources:

 

*          Information we receive from you on applications or other forms (such as your name, address, social security number or assets).  The only information collected on you through our web site is information you voluntarily provide.

 

*          Information about your transactions with us, our affiliates, or others (such as your account balance, payment history or credit card usage); and

 

*          Information we receive from a consumer-reporting agency (such as your credit history, credit score or credit worthiness).

 

The Information We Share

We may disclose all of the 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 use outside companies to assist us in processing your transactions, maintaining and servicing your accounts and in the day-to-day conduct of our business.  For example, other companies perform specialized support service for us, such as printing checks, providing data processing support and processing payments.

 

We do not otherwise disclose information about you without your consent except as required or permitted by law.  For example, we are permitted or required to disclose information about you to process your transactions and maintain and service your accounts with us, to report our experiences with you to credit bureaus in accordance with well-established banking practices and the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act, to protect against fraud or loss, or to respond to a subpoena or court order.

 

Protection of Customer Information

We restrict access of information about you to those employees who need to know that information to provide products or services to you.  Our employees are bound by a code of conduct to keep all customer information confidential.  We emphasize this confidentiality obligation in our training and procedures. 

 

We maintain physical, electronic and procedural safeguards that comply with Federal standards to guard your information, including information you provide us through our web site.

 

Maintaining Accurate Information

We maintain accurate, current and complete records of your financial information in accordance with reasonable and prudent commercial standards.  When we learn of inaccuracies, we promptly correct them.  If you believe we have reported inaccurate information about your account to any consumer reporting agency, please let us know in writing.  Be sure to include your complete name, current address, social security number, telephone number, account number, type of account, the specific item of dispute, and the reason you believe the information is wrong.  Send your notice to:  The Heritage Bank, Credit Administration, Post Office Box 700, Lucama NC  27851.  We will promptly investigate and make any necessary corrections to your records.

 

Reporting Information to Credit Bureaus

We may report information about your account or accounts to credit bureaus.  Late payments, missed payments, or other defaults on your account may be reflected in your credit report.

 

Questions

If you have any questions concerning our consumer privacy policy, please contact us locally at 252-239-2000 or toll free at 1-800-841-4618, or write:  The Heritage Bank, Account Services, Post Office Box 100, Lucama, NC  27851.  Thank you for banking with The Heritage Bank.