Online Privacy Notice And California Notice at Collection and Privacy Disclosure
Last Updated: Dec 23, 2024
Introduction
Valon Mortgage, Inc. ("Valon", "us", "we", or "our") respects your privacy, and this notice is being provided on its behalf, as well as its subsidiaries and affiliates.
Separate or additional privacy notices may apply to you if you have a financial product or service with us:
- If Valon subservices your mortgage loan, please refer to the financial privacy notices for consumers of personal, household or family financial product or services that were provided to you by mail.
- If Valon originated your mortgage loan, please refer to Valon’s financial privacy that was provided to you by mail.
- California residents have certain rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act, as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act (the “CCPA”). See the California Notice at Collection and Privacy Disclosure.
This policy describes the types of information Valon may collect from you when you visit our website or mobile app that links to this policy (which we refer to as our "Website") and our practices for collecting, using, maintaining, protecting, and disclosing that information.
Please read this policy carefully to understand our policies and practices regarding your information and how we will treat it. By using our Website, you agree to the terms and conditions of this Online Privacy Notice. Please keep in mind that this policy may change from time to time (see "Changes to Our Privacy Policy").
Information We Collect About You
We collect several types of information from and about you, including information provided by you, such as name, address, email address, telephone number, limited location information, and username/password. We may also collect personal information that you choose to provide through online chat functionality, which may be accessed, recorded, or otherwise processed by or through third-party service providers.
In addition, we may also collect certain information automatically as you navigate through the Website. Information collected automatically may include usage details, IP addresses, browser information, device model, and information collected through cookies.
How We Use Your Information
We use information that we collect for purposes that include:
- to present our Website and its contents to you and to respond to inquiries you submit to us through our Website, the Help Center, chat functionality, or online support;
- to maintain your account;
- to verify your identity and to authenticate you;
- to provide you with information, products, or services that you request from us;
- to manage your preferences;
- to notify you about changes to our Website or any products or services we may offer or provide through it;
- to allow you to participate in interactive features on our Website;
- to work with marketing partners to provide you with products or services that may be of interest to you;
- to audit use of the Website, such as how to improve the Website, as well as our products and services;
- to enforce compliance with our Website terms of use agreement and to enhance the security of our products and services;
- to comply with applicable law, other legal requirements, or industry standards;
- to support our employment operations;
- to fulfill any other purpose for which you provide it and in any other way we may describe when you provide the information;
- for any other purpose with your consent.
Disclosure of Your Information
We may disclose information we collect about you:
- to our affiliates or business partners, such as other financial institutions with which we jointly market;
- to contractors, service providers, and other third parties we use to support our business;
- to communicate with you;
- to maintain your account;
- to debug, identify, and repair errors, or effectuate similar functional enhancements in connection with our Website;
- to protect against malicious, deceptive, fraudulent, or illegal activity;
- to a buyer or other successor in the event of a merger, divestiture, restructuring, reorganization, dissolution, or other sale or transfer of some or all of our assets, whether as a going concern or as part of bankruptcy, liquidation, or similar proceeding, in which personal information held by us about our Website users is among the assets transferred;
- to fulfill the purpose for which you provide it; for any other purpose disclosed by us when you provide the information; with your consent or direction;
- to comply with applicable law, other legal requirements, and industry standards;
- to enforce or apply our terms of use and other agreements; and
- if we believe disclosure is necessary or appropriate to protect the rights, property, or safety of us, our customers, or others (this includes exchanging information with other companies and organizations for the purposes of fraud protection).
Your Choices: Cookies, Web Beacons, and Other Tracking Technologies
We, our service providers, and other companies we work with may use cookies, web beacons, pixel tags, and other technologies for the purpose of preventing fraud, providing a better, personalized experience on the Website, monitoring our advertising campaigns, determining view and rate responses, and optimizing our communications to you. Some of these technologies may detect characteristics or settings of the specific device you use to access the Website.
What is a cookie?
Cookies are small text files sent by us to your computer or mobile device, which enable Valon features and functionality. They are unique to your account or your browser. Session-based cookies last only while your browser is open and are automatically deleted when you close your browser. Persistent cookies last until you or your browser delete them or until they expire.
What is a Web beacon?
Web beacons or pixel tags are small image files that are loaded with a webpage or other online resource that is processed by your browser or when emails are loaded.
How does Valon use cookies?
Some cookies are associated with your account and personal information to remember that you are logged in and which workspaces you are logged into. Other cookies are not tied to your account but are unique and allow us to carry out analytics and customization, among other similar things.
Cookies can be used to recognize you when you visit a website or use our Services, remember your preferences, and give you a personalized experience that is consistent with your settings. Cookies also make your interactions faster and more secure. Visit our cookie tables to learn more.
Categories of use
- Authentication: If you're signed into your account, cookies help Valon show you the right information and personalize your experience.
- Preferences, features, and services: Cookies denote which language you prefer and what your communications preferences are. They can help fill out forms on our Website more easily. They also provide you with features, insights, and customized content.
- Marketing: Valon may use cookies to help deliver marketing campaigns and track their performance (e.g., a user visited Valon.com and then made a purchase). Similarly, Valon’s partners may use cookies to provide us with information about your interactions with their services, but use of those third-party cookies would be subject to the service provider’s policies.
- Performance, Analytics, and Research: Cookies help Valon learn how well the Website and Services perform. Valon also uses cookies to understand, improve, and research products, features, and services, including to create logs and record when you access our Website and Services from different devices, such as your work computer or your mobile device.
What third-party cookies does Valon use?
You can find a list of the third-party cookies that Valon uses on our Website along with other relevant information in the cookie tables. Valon does its best to keep this table updated, but please note that the number and names of cookies, pixels, and other technologies may change from time to time.
How are cookies used for advertising purposes?
Cookies and other ad technology such as beacons, pixels, and tags help Valon market more effectively to users that may be interested in the Services. They also help with aggregated auditing, research, and reporting.
What can you do if you don't want cookies to be set or want them to be removed?
You have the option to disable and delete cookies that may not be necessary for the basic functionality of our Website through the cookie consent manager. Please note, blocking categories may impact your experience on our Website. You may access the Cookie Manager at any time by clicking on the cookie widget at the bottom left of the Website.
Some Internet browsers have a “Do Not Track” feature that lets you tell websites that you do not want to have your online activity tracked. At this time, the Website does not respond to browser "do not track" signals or other mechanisms. Other parties may collect personally identifiable information about your activities over time and across different websites when a consumer uses the Website.
If available on your browser, you may set your browser or device to send an opt-out preference signal, such as through the Global Privacy Control, to signal a request to opt-out of the sharing of your personal information. We honor these requests to the extent we are required by law or able to, based on the information provided via the signal.
Third Party Links
You should be aware that when you are on our Website you could hyperlink or be directed to other websites that are beyond our control and/or outside our service. We do not control such websites, and, therefore, are not responsible for their contents or the hyperlinks or advertising they choose to place on such websites. Our inclusion of hyperlinks to these websites does not imply any endorsement of the material on such websites or any association with their operators. Our privacy policy does not extend beyond the Website, and you should familiarize yourself with the privacy policy, terms of use, and security practices of the linked third-party website before providing any information.
These websites may use their own cookies. We do not have control over the placement of cookies by other websites you visit, even if you are directed to them from our Website.
Children Under the Age of 13
Our Website is not intended for children under 13 years of age. No one under age 13 may provide any information to or on the Website. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you are under 13, do not use or provide any information to or on the Website or through any of its features.
Changes to Our Privacy Policy
We may change or update this Online Privacy Notice from time-to-time. It is our policy to post any changes we make to our privacy policy on this page. Please check the "Last Updated" date at the top of this page for reference. Any changes to this Online Privacy Notice are effective when posted unless indicated otherwise.
Contact Information
To ask questions or comment about this privacy policy and our privacy practices, contact us at support@valon.com or call us at 855-218-3690.
California Notice at Collection and Privacy Disclosure
This California Notice at Collection and Privacy Disclosure (“Disclosure”) supplements our Online Privacy Policy and is provided by Valon Mortgage, Inc. ("Valon", "us", "we", or "our") to California residents pursuant to the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018, as amended from time to time (“CCPA”). This Disclosure constitutes our notice at collection and our privacy policy under the CCPA.
This Disclosure applies only to California residents, and only to “Personal Information” that is subject to the CCPA. Under the CCPA, “Personal Information” is information that identifies, relates to, or could reasonably be linked directly or indirectly to a particular California resident.
The CCPA does not, however, apply to certain types of information, such as information about consumers that is subject to the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (“GLBA”) and the Fair Credit Reporting Act. For example, this Disclosure does not apply to information we collect about California residents who apply for and/or obtain our financial products and services that are to be used primarily for personal, family, or household purposes, which is subject to the GLBA.
Collection of Personal Information
We collect, and in the preceding 12 months may have collected, information that falls within one or more of the below categories of Personal Information subject to the CCPA. Certain data elements appear in multiple categories in accordance with the CCPA’s descriptions of those categories and data elements.
- Identifiers, such as full name, address, telephone numbers, email addresses.
- Unique online identifiers, such as device identifiers, internet protocol addresses, cookie identifiers, beacon identifiers, pixel tags or mobile ad identifiers or similar technology, or other forms of persistent or probabilistic identifiers that can be used to identify a particular person or device.
- Internet or other electronic network activity information, such as search history, browsing history, login information, and IP addresses on our information systems and networks.
- Commercial information, such as transaction information and purchase history.
- Geolocation data, including the general location of a device used to access our Online Services, as derived from the associated IP address.
- Inferences and profiles based on other Personal Information, such as profiles derived from other Personal Information reflecting a person's preferences, including interests, hobbies, physical characteristics or descriptions, characteristic tendencies, behaviors, attitudes, or aptitudes.
- Audio, electronic, visual, and similar information, such as call, chat, and video recordings created in connection with our business activities.
- Professional and employment-related information, such as work history, resumes, cover letters, job application materials, academic and professional qualifications, educational records, references, and interview notes, job title, position, hire dates, compensation, performance and disciplinary records, and vacation and sick leave records.
- Education information, such as school records, school(s) attended, dates attended, degree(s) conferred, and academic achievements.
- Categories of Personal Information described in the California Civil Code § 1798.80, such as financial information including banking details, tax information, payroll information, and withholdings, health and safety information including health conditions, job restrictions, workplace illnesses and injury information, and health insurance policy information, and Social Security, passport and visa numbers and information.
- Sensitive Personal Information as defined by the CCPA, including:
- Social security, driver’s license, state identification card, or passport number.
- Precise geolocation, if you choose to enable location services through our mobile application, or to share your location with us when you use our websites.
Sources of Personal Information
We may collect Personal Information subject to the CCPA from the following categories of sources:
- Directly from you when you provide it to us digitally or physically, for example, through forms you complete, or when you contact us by email, telephone, chat, or other means.
- Automatically and indirectly from you, such as through logging and analytics tools, cookies, pixel tags, and other automatic data collection on our websites and mobile applications.
- From third parties, service providers, credit bureaus, and other business partners.
Use and Disclosure of Personal Information
We may use, and in the preceding 12 months may have disclosed, each of the categories of Personal Information subject to CCPA that are listed in Section 1 above for the following business purposes:
- Providing our products and services and responding to inquiries you submit to us.
- Managing our business, including performing accounting, auditing, and other internal functions.
- Communicating with you and others, including about transaction, account-specific and/or general notification matters and alerts, special offers, ads, events, or new products or services that may be of interest to you.
- Personalizing and tailoring our services and otherwise enhancing your experience and interactions with us.
- Developing, operating, analyzing, improving, delivering, maintaining, and protecting our Website and mobile applications.
- Supporting our employment, human resource management, and employee benefits functions.
- Enhancing the safety and security of our products and services.
- Protecting the legal rights, property, safety, and security of records or information, our organization, our members and others, including detecting and preventing fraud, misuse of our Website and Online Services, and other unauthorized activity.
- Engaging in institutional risk control and resolving consumer and/or member disputes.
- Complying with industry standards, laws and regulations, court orders, legal investigations, contractual obligations, and our own internal policies.
- Enforcing our policies, practices, terms of use, or rights arising from contracts.
- For such other purposes as permitted by law or as you may authorize.
With respect to each of the categories of Personal Information that are subject to the CCPA listed in Section 1, the categories of persons or entities to whom we may disclose, and may in the preceding 12 months have disclosed, that information for the business purposes listed above include:
- Our service providers, including providers of analytics tools used on our websites and mobile applications.
- Our affiliates.
- Government agencies as required by laws and regulations.
- Third parties to whom you or your agents authorize or direct us to disclose your Personal Information.
Use and Disclosures of Sensitive Personal Information
We do not use or disclose Sensitive Personal Information, as that term is defined in the CCPA, for purposes other than those specified in the California Code of Regulations § 7027(m).
Sale of Personal Information
We do not “sell” or “share,” and have not “sold” or “shared” (as those terms are defined in the CCPA) in the preceding 12 months, Personal Information that is subject to the CCPA.
Special Consideration for Minors
Our Website is not intended for children under 16 and we do not have actual knowledge that we sell or share the Personal Information of children under 16.
Retention of Personal Information
We will retain the Personal Information subject to the CCPA that we collect for as long as reasonably necessary to satisfy the purpose for which it is collected and used (for example, for the time necessary for us to provide our products and services, provide you with customer service, answer your queries, or resolve technical problems) unless a longer period is required or permitted by law, such as to fulfill our legal obligations or to establish, protect, or defend against legal claims.
Personal Information Rights and Choices
The CCPA provides California residents with specific rights regarding their Personal Information. This section describes those rights and explains how to exercise them.
- Right to Know. You have the right to request that we disclose certain information to you about our collection, use, and disclosure of your Personal Information over the past 12 months. If we receive and confirm a verifiable consumer request from you pursuant to the “Exercising Rights” section below, we will, depending on the scope of the request, disclose to you:
- The categories of Personal Information we collected about you.
- The categories of sources for the Personal Information we collected about you.
- Our business or commercial purpose for collecting Personal Information about you.
- The categories of third parties to whom we disclose your Personal Information.
- The specific pieces of Personal Information we collected about you.
- Right to Data Portability. You may request and obtain a copy of your Personal Information in a portable and, if technically feasible, readily-usable format that allows you to transmit the Personal Information to another person or entity without hindrance.
- Right to Deletion. You may request that we delete your Personal Information, subject to certain exceptions.
- Right to Correction. You may request that we correct Personal Information we have collected about you that is inaccurate. We will take into account the nature of the Personal Information and the purposes of our processing when we address your request.
- Non-Discrimination. You have a right not to receive discriminatory treatment for exercising your rights under the CCPA, including, if you are an employee, applicant, or independent contractor, a right not to be retaliated against for the exercise of your CCPA rights.
To exercise the rights described above, please submit a verifiable consumer request by either:
- Submitting the Data Subject Access Request web form available at this link; or
- Calling us at (855) 218-3690.
Only you, or an agent that you authorize to act on your behalf, may make a verifiable consumer request related to your Personal Information. You may also make a verifiable consumer request on behalf of your minor child.
You may only make a verifiable consumer request for access or data portability twice within a rolling 12-month period. Your request must provide information sufficient to verify you are the person about whom we collected Personal Information. To verify your request, we may ask you to provide information such as your first and last name, address, email address, phone number, and any other information necessary to verify your identity. Your request must also include sufficient detail for us to properly understand, evaluate, and respond to it.
You may, in certain circumstances, designate an authorized agent to submit requests on your behalf through a valid power of attorney or through providing signed written permission that authorizes someone else as agent to act on your behalf. We may require additional information when requests are submitted through an authorized agent, such as requiring the submission of your signed written permission for the agent to act on your behalf, requiring you to verify your identity directly with us, and/or requiring you to confirm directly with us the authorized agent’s permission to act on your behalf.
We cannot respond to a request or provide you with Personal Information if we cannot verify your identity or authority to make the request and confirm that the Personal Information relates to you. If we cannot fulfill, or are permitted to decline, your request, we will alert you or your authorized agent.
We do not charge a fee to process or respond to your verifiable consumer request unless it is excessive, repetitive, or manifestly unfounded. If we determine that the request warrants a fee, we will tell you why we made that decision. We reserve the right to either refuse to act on your request or charge you a reasonable fee to complete your request if it is excessive, repetitive, or manifestly unfounded.
Changes to this Disclosure
We may change or update this Disclosure from time-to-time. It is our policy to post any changes we make to our privacy policy on this page. Please check the "Last Updated" date at the top of this page for reference. Any changes to this Disclosure are effective when posted unless indicated otherwise.
Contact Information and Assistance
If you have any questions or concerns about this Disclosure, contact us a support@valon.com or call us at 855-218-3690.
