Privacy Policy
INTRODUCTION
The banking profession in general and the First State Bank in particular have, traditionally, maintained high standards of confidentially even before it became law. As a bank, the reputation of honesty, integrity and security is vital to our success. This Privacy Policy is written to insure that all personnel understand and adhere to the basic principles of confidentiality. Additionally, it is important to future customers to know that their information will be strictly guarded and that these protective safeguards are in place and a part of our daily routine.
RECOGNITION OF YOUR EXPECTION OF PRIVACY
First State Bank recognizes and respects their importance our customers place on their privacy and the confidentiality of their financial information. All bank personnel are charged with safeguarding our customer’s privacy and maintaining the strictest confidentiality of banking matters including the collection of nonpublic information about our customers from the following sources:
- General or specific customer information on applications, computer, paper regarding account status, business problems, etc.,
- General or specific information of customer transactions with us, our affiliates or others,
- General or specific information we receive from a consumer reporting agency, or
- Disclosing of any of the information that we collect as described above. Additionally,
- We do not disclose any nonpublic personal information about our customers or former customers to anyone except as permitted or required by law, nor
- Do we disclose general or specific information including policies, procedures, approval practices, etc., relating to banking information including personnel responsibilities, nor
- Passwords, keys, combinations, access devices or other equipment or software information that would compromise the security of any asset, customer or bank information.
COLLECTION, RETENTION AND USE OF INFORMATION
First State Bank may collect, retain and use personal information about customers. For example, we will obtain a credit report for an auto loan, but only as we believe it to be reasonably useful in administering our business and to provide products, services and other opportunities to our customers.
MAINTENANCE OF ACCURATE INFORMATION
First State Bank has established procedures so that a customer’s financial information is accurate, current and complete in accordance with reasonable commercial standards.
In the event a customer disputes the accuracy or completeness of First State Bank’s data, a complete investigation of the dispute will be conducted and the results reported to the customer. Any correction needed will be made in a timely manner.
EMPLOYEE ACCESS TO INFORMATION AND ENFORCEMENT
All First State Bank employees are educated on the importance of confidentially and customer privacy. They are thoroughly trained to learn and follow our Privacy Policy. Employees with access to customer information are required to adhere to the Privacy Policy.
Any first State Bank employee that violates the Privacy Policy will be subject to disciplinary measures (warnings, suspensions, reprimands) and possible termination of employment.
First State Bank restricts access to nonpublic personal information about our customers to those who need to know that information necessary to perform their job and provide products or services to our customers. We maintain physical, electronic, and procedural safeguards that comply with federal regulations to guard our customers’ nonpublic personal information.
PROTECTION OF INFORMATION VIA ESTABLISHED SECURITY PROCEDURES
Customer information will only be disclosed to authorized account holders and only after the identification of that account holder has been verified. Verifying information may include social security number, date of birth, signature and other identifying information. If the information request is made over the telephone and we are uncertain about the identity of the person calling, we will ask that the request be made in writing or in person.
RESTRICTIONS ON THE DISCLOSURE OF ACCOUNT INFORMATION
First State Bank employees will not share personal or financial customer information with out side parties except when legally required (such as, to comply with federal or state laws or regulations and government or court orders) or when legally permitted to serve the customer’s interest (such as disclosure to reputable credit reporting agencies). Information will only be disclosed to third parties under the following conditions:
- Where it is necessary to complete a transaction initiated by the customer,
- In order to report the existence and condition of an account to companies such as reputable credit bureaus or merchants,
- In order to comply with government or court orders,
- If we have written permission of the account holder.
MAINTAINING CUSTOMER PRIVACY IN BUSINESS RELATIONSHIPS WITH THIRD PARTIES
If customer information is provided to a third party, First State Bank will insist that the third party adhere to similar privacy principles that provide for keeping such information confidential.
DISCLOSURE OF PRIVACY NOTICE TO CUSTOMERS
A copy of the First State Bank’s Privacy Notice will be provided at the time a customer relationship is established with a consumer and not less than annually during the continuation of the relationship.
INTERNET PRIVACY
When you visit our website to view any pages, read product information, or use our online calculators and tools, you do so without telling us who you are and without revealing any personal information. While we do not collect identifying information about visitors to our site, we do use standard software to collect information for the strict purpose of tracking activity on our site (such as what time is the site accessed and what items were of interest to the visitor) which helps us to provide new and better features to our website and to ascertain which features are most popular. The information we normally collect and store is:
- The name of your Internet Service Provider,
- The website that referred you to us (if any),
- The date and time the pages were accessed, and
- The number of pages you requested.
There are instances where you may elect to provide us with personal information. If you fill in one of our feedback or request forms or you send us an e-mail, you are transmitting the information that appears to you in the form of the message. This will typically include information like your name, mailing or e-mail address, the kind of request you are making and any other information necessary to fulfill your request. You never transfer any personal identifying information that you do not enter yourself. This is always your choice and option and cannot be collected unless you specifically elect to send it to us. This information is used internally and only for the purpose of fulfilling the request or for directly contacting you. First State Bank does not give, sell, lease or otherwise transfer any information to any organization, individual, business or entity for any purpose other than was specifically mentioned above.
When you submit personal information via one of our feedback or application forms, that information is encrypted, or scrambled, by your browser before it is transmitted back to our website. This, effectively, prevents anyone from intercepting and reading any personal information about you. Note that this encryption does not take place if you send us e-mail, but only when you use your web browser with one of our site’s forms.
Our website is not targeted to or marketed to children. We market only to adults or parents who want their children to learn the principles of managing money with proper supervision.
Further Information Regarding First State Bank’s Privacy Policy
Any current or prospective customer may receive and additional copy of the Privacy Notice by calling 940/325-7821 or sending a verbal or written request to:
President and CEO Riley Peveto
PO Box 1528
Mineral Wells, Texas 70068