Privacy Policy for Westshore gte financial Bank

This Privacy Policy explains how Westshore gte financial Bank ("Westshore gte financial Bank", "we", "us", or "our") collects, uses, discloses, and protects your personal information when you use our banking services in England, visit our websites, interact with our mobile or online banking platforms, or otherwise engage with us.

By using our services, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy.

1. Who We Are Westshore gte financial Bank is a banking institution operating in England. We provide financial products and services, including current and savings accounts, loans, payment services, and other related banking solutions.

2. Information We Collect We collect and process personal information that is necessary for us to provide our banking and financial services, comply with legal obligations, and protect our legitimate interests. The categories of personal information we may collect include:

2.1 Identification and Contact Details

• Full name
• Date and place of birth
• Residential and mailing address
• Email address and phone numbers
• National identification numbers and tax identifiers, where required by law
• Copies of identification documents such as passport or driving licence

2.2 Financial and Account Information

• Bank account details and account numbers
• Transaction histories, including payments, deposits, withdrawals, and transfers
• Credit and debit card details (in accordance with applicable security standards)
• Loan, mortgage, and credit information
• Income, employment, and financial status details

2.3 Technical and Usage Data

• IP addresses and device identifiers
• Browser type, operating system, and access times
• Log data relating to the use of our websites, mobile apps, and online banking
• Information about how you interact with our digital services, including pages viewed and links clicked

2.4 Communications and Interaction Data

• Records of communications with us (for example, emails, letters, phone calls, online chats)
• In-branch interaction logs and meeting notes
• Customer service requests and complaints

2.5 Regulatory and Compliance Data

• Information collected for anti-money laundering (AML), sanctions screening, and fraud prevention
• Information required for Know Your Customer (KYC) checks and due diligence

3. How We Collect Information We collect personal information in various ways, including:

   • Directly from you when you apply for products or services, contact us, or update your information
   • Through your use of our banking services, including branch visits, ATMs, online banking, and mobile apps
   • From third-party sources, where lawful, such as credit reference agencies, fraud prevention agencies, public databases, and business partners
   • From cookies and similar technologies used on our websites and online services (see Section 10 on Cookies and Similar Technologies)

4. Legal Bases for Processing We process your personal information only when we have a lawful basis to do so. The main legal bases we rely on include:

   • Performance of a contract: to provide you with banking products and services, manage your accounts, and fulfil our agreements with you.
   • Legal obligations: to comply with applicable laws and regulations, including banking regulations, anti-money laundering laws, and tax requirements.
   • Legitimate interests: to manage our business, ensure network and information security, prevent fraud, improve our services, and protect our legal rights, provided that such interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms.
   • Consent: where you have given us explicit consent, for example for certain marketing activities or where required by law. You may withdraw consent at any time, as described below.

5. How We Use Your Information We use your personal information for the following purposes:

   • To open, manage, and administer your bank accounts and services
   • To process transactions, including payments, transfers, deposits, and withdrawals
   • To assess your eligibility for financial products, such as loans, overdrafts, and credit facilities
   • To carry out identity verification, KYC checks, and due diligence
   • To comply with anti-money laundering, sanctions, and fraud prevention obligations
   • To respond to your enquiries, provide customer support, and handle complaints
   • To communicate with you about your accounts, security alerts, service updates, terms changes, and other operational messages
   • To provide and improve our digital banking services, including websites, mobile applications, and online banking
   • To conduct risk management, internal audits, and reporting
   • To personalise and improve our services, including the development of new products
   • To send you marketing communications where permitted by law and where you have not opted out

6. Marketing and Communications We may use your contact details and information about your use of our products and services to:

   • Inform you about new or existing products and services
   • Send you information on offers, promotions, or financial insights relevant to your needs

We will only send you electronic marketing communications (e.g., email, SMS, app notifications) where we are permitted to do so by law or where you have provided your consent. You can opt out of marketing at any time by following the instructions in the communication or by contacting us using the details in Section 14.

7. Sharing Your Information We may share your personal information with third parties under strict conditions and only for lawful purposes. These may include:

7.1 Within Our Group and Service Providers

• Companies in the same group as Westshore gte financial Bank (if any) for internal administration, risk management, and service optimisation
• Third-party service providers who perform services on our behalf, such as IT providers, payment processors, card issuers, cloud hosting providers, document storage services, and professional advisers (e.g., auditors, lawyers)

7.2 Regulatory and Legal Recipients

• Regulatory bodies, supervisory authorities, and law enforcement agencies where required by law or regulation
• Courts, tribunals, and government agencies in connection with legal proceedings or investigations

7.3 Other Financial Institutions and Partners

• Other banks and financial institutions in connection with payments, transfers, and transaction processing
• Credit reference agencies and fraud prevention agencies
• Business partners involved in providing specific financial products or services with us, where necessary

We require all third parties with whom we share personal information to respect the security and confidentiality of your data and to process it in accordance with applicable data protection laws and our instructions.

8. International Transfers Where we transfer your personal information outside the United Kingdom or the European Economic Area (EEA), we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your data, such as:
   • Transferring to countries deemed to provide an adequate level of data protection by the relevant authorities; or
   • Using standard contractual clauses or other lawful transfer mechanisms.

You may contact us for further information about the safeguards used for international transfers.

9. Data Retention We retain your personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including:
   • Providing banking services and managing your accounts
   • Complying with legal, accounting, and regulatory obligations
   • Resolving disputes and enforcing our agreements

Retention periods may vary depending on the type of data and applicable laws. Generally, we retain customer account and transaction information for a minimum period required by financial and anti-money laundering regulations after the end of the customer relationship.

10. Cookies and Similar Technologies Our websites and online services may use cookies and similar technologies to:
    • Enable core functionality and secure login
    • Remember your preferences and improve user experience
    • Analyse website traffic and performance

Where required by law, we will obtain your consent before setting non-essential cookies. You can manage your cookie preferences through your browser settings or our cookie management tools (where available). Disabling certain cookies may affect the functionality of our online services.

11. Data Security We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal information against unauthorised access, use, modification, disclosure, or destruction. These measures include, where appropriate:
    • Encryption and secure transmission protocols for online banking and payments
    • Access controls and authentication measures
    • Regular monitoring, testing, and review of our security systems
    • Staff training on data protection and information security

While we take reasonable steps to protect your personal information, no system can be completely secure. You also play an important role in safeguarding your information by keeping your passwords, PINs, and other access credentials confidential and notifying us immediately of any suspected unauthorised activity.

12. Your Rights Depending on applicable data protection laws in England and the UK, you may have the following rights in relation to your personal information:
    • Right of access: to obtain confirmation of whether we process your data and to receive a copy of your personal information.
    • Right to rectification: to request correction of inaccurate or incomplete personal information.
    • Right to erasure: to request deletion of your personal information in certain circumstances.
    • Right to restriction: to request that we limit the processing of your personal information in specific situations.
    • Right to data portability: to receive your personal information in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format and to request that we transmit it to another controller, where technically feasible.
    • Right to object: to object to certain types of processing, including direct marketing or processing based on legitimate interests.
    • Rights in relation to automated decision-making and profiling: to request human review and to contest decisions that are made solely by automated means, where such decisions produce legal or similarly significant effects.

These rights may be subject to conditions and exceptions. To exercise any of your rights, please contact us using the details provided in Section 14.

13. Children’s Privacy Our services are not directed at children under the age required by local law to independently enter into banking contracts. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children without appropriate parental or guardian consent, where required. If you believe that a child has provided us with personal information without such consent, please contact us so that we can take appropriate steps.

14. Contacting Us If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our handling of your personal information, you may contact our data protection contact point at:

Data Protection Contact Westshore gte financial Bank (Full contact details will be provided in your account documentation or on our official website.)

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) or another competent supervisory authority if you believe that your data protection rights have been violated.

15. Changes to This Privacy Policy We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal requirements, or the services we offer. We will post the updated version on our website and indicate the date of the latest revision. In some cases, we may notify you of significant changes by email, online banking notifications, or other appropriate means.

Please review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we handle your personal information.

By continuing to use the services of Westshore gte financial Bank after any updates become effective, you acknowledge and agree to the updated Privacy Policy.