Privacy Policy

This privacy notice sets out how we deal with this information and how and when it may be shared with others.

Privacy Notice

Moneywise recognises individual concerns about how your personal or financial information is dealt with by us. This privacy notice sets out how we deal with this information and how and when it may be shared with others. We may change this notice at any time in the future.

It applies to information we collect about:
  • People who apply for and use our products and services, e.g. current members, local tenants and other customers.
  • Other people we deal with in the course of delivering our services, e.g. local authorities, registered social landlords, private landlords.
  • Job applicants and our current and former employees.
  • Visitors to our website.
Why we obtain your information

Your personal information will be held securely in Moneywise Credit Union Limited systems so that we and any other companies in our Group that you have dealings with, either now or in the future, can manage your relationship with us. This will include information you provide when you apply to us and any additional information provided by you or others in various ways, including:

(a) In applications, emails and letters, during telephone calls and conversations in branch, when registering for services, in customer surveys, when you participate in competitions and promotions, when using Moneywise Credit Union Limited websites, and during financial reviews and interviews.

(b) From analysis (for example, the amount frequency, location, origin, and recipient) of your payments and other transactions, and your use of services involving Moneywise Credit Union Limited and what they know from operating your account (including the creation of profiles used to uniquely identify you when you use our online, mobile and telephony services) which are used to help us combat fraud and other illegal activity; and

(c) Information Moneywise Credit Union Limited receive from or through other organisations (for example card associations, credit reference agencies, insurance companies, retailers, comparison websites, social networks, and fraud prevention agencies) whether in the course of providing products and services to you or otherwise, and from information we gather from your use of and interaction with our internet and mobile banking services and the devices you use to access them.

We obtain your personal information to maintain your relationship with us for contractual reasons, for example, if you are using one of our products or services; for legal reasons, to meet our obligations under credit union and other relevant legislation; and with your consent to keep you informed of our other services.

We will not retain your personal information for longer than is necessary for the maintenance of your account, or for legal or regulatory requirements.

How we share your information

We may share the personal information we hold about you across Moneywise Credit Union Limited for the following administrative activities:

(a) Providing you with products and services and notifying you about either important changes or developments to the features and operation of those products and services;

(b) Responding to your enquiries and complaints;

(c) Administering offers, competitions, and promotions;

(d) Undertaking financial reviews;

(e) Facilitating the secure access to online platforms;

(f) Administering matters in connection with your membership;
and also for the following data sharing activities:

(a) Updating, consolidating, and improving the accuracy of our records;

(b) Undertaking transactional analysis;

(c) Arrears and debt recovery activities;

(d) Testing new systems and checking upgrades to existing systems;

(e) Crime detection, prevention, and prosecution;

(f) Evaluating the effectiveness of marketing, and for market research and training;

(g) Customer modeling, statistical and trend analysis, with the aim of developing and improving products and services;

(h) Assessing lending and insurance risks across the Moneywise Credit Union Limited;

(i) Managing your relationship with Moneywise Credit Union Limited.

By sharing this information it enables us, and other companies in Moneywise Credit Union Limited, to better understand your needs and run your accounts in the efficient way that you expect. Your data may also be used for other purposes for which you give your specific permission, or, in very limited circumstances, when required by law or where permitted under the terms of the Data Protection Act 1998.

When we may share your information

We will treat your personal information as private and confidential, but may share it with each other and disclose it outside of Moneywise Credit Union Limited if:

(a) Allowed by this agreement;

(b) You consent;

(c) Needed by our agents, advisers or others involved in running accounts and services for you or collecting what you owe Group companies;

(d) Needed by subcontractors to help us manage your records;

(e) HM Revenue & Customs or other authorities require it;

(f) The law, regulatory bodies (including for research purposes), or the public interest permits or requires it;

(g) Required by us or others to investigate or prevent crime;

(h) Needed by market research companies to assist us in providing better products and services for you;

(i) To any other parties connected with your account (including guarantors); or

(j) Required as part of our duty to protect your accounts, for example we are required to disclose your information to the UK Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS).

(k) You use price comparison websites or other similar services to research or purchase financial products and services. These providers will use information about you and your relationship with us to help ensure you get the best results from their services, enabling you to make an informed choice.

(l) Needed by associated organisations to provide services to you.

We will always ensure your information remains safe and secure.

Using your information to help prevent terrorism and crime

The Government also requires us to screen applications that are made to us to ensure we are complying with the international fight against terrorism and other criminal activities. As a result of this we may need to disclose information to government bodies.

Sharing your information to assist with asset buying or selling

Moneywise Credit Union Limited may in the future wish to sell, transfer or merge part or all of their business or assets, or any associated rights or interests, or to acquire a business or enter into a merger with it. If so, they may disclose your personal information to a potential buyer, transferee, or merger partner or seller and their advisers so long as they agree to keep it confidential and to use it only to consider the possible transaction. If the transaction goes ahead, the buyers, transferee or merger partner may use or disclose your personal information in the same way as set out in this notice.

Sharing your personal information between 1st and 2nd charge lenders

If you have a secured loan with us, we may need to share information with other lenders who also hold a charge on your property.

Joint Applicants

If you give personal information about someone else (such as a joint applicant) then you should not do so without their permission. Where information is provided by you about someone else, or someone discloses information about you, it may be added to any personal information that is already held by us and it will be used in the ways described in this privacy notice.

Sometimes, when you open a joint account or product, this may mean that your personal data will be shared with the other applicant. For example, transactions made by you will be seen by your joint account holder and vice versa.

Using companies to process your information outside the EEA

All countries in the European Economic Area (EEA), which includes the UK, have similar standards of legal protection for your personal information. We may run your accounts and provide other services from centres outside the EEA (such as the USA and India) that do not have a similar standard of data protection laws to the UK. If so, we will require your personal information to be protected to at least UK standards. We may process payments through other financial institutions such as banks and the worldwide payments system operated by the SWIFT organisation if, for example, you make a CHAPS payment or a foreign payment. Those external organisations may process and store your personal information abroad and may have to disclose it to foreign authorities to help them in their fight against crime and terrorism. If these are based outside the EEA, your personal information may not be protected to standards similar to those in the UK.

Using credit checking and credit scoring

When you apply for credit, an automated system known as credit scoring may be used when considering whether to agree the borrowing. It is a method of assessing your likely conduct of an account based on a range of data, including the conduct of previous similar accounts. It is a system widely used by credit providers to help make fair and informed decisions on lending.

Credit scoring takes account of information from three sources – the information you provide on your application, information provided by credit reference agencies and information that may already be held about you by companies in the Moneywise Credit Union Limited. A credit checking and scoring system will consider information from these sources, to make an overall assessment of your application.

The credit checking and scoring methods used are regularly tested to ensure they remain fair, effective and unbiased. Using a credit checking and scoring system helps us to lend responsibly.

How we use Credit Reference Agencies

In order to process an application, we will perform credit and identity checks on you with one or more credit reference agencies (“CRAs”). Where you take banking services from us we may also make periodic searches at CRAs to manage your account with us.

To do this, we will supply your personal information to CRAs and they will give us information about you. This will include information from your credit application and about your financial situation and financial history. CRAs will supply to us both public (including the electoral register) and shared credit, financial situation and financial history information and fraud prevention information.

When CRAs receive a search from us they will place a search footprint on your credit file that may be seen by other lenders.

Credit Reference Agencies (CRAs) collect and maintain information about consumers’ and businesses’ credit behaviour. This includes Electoral Register, fraud prevention, and credit information – including details of previous applications and the conduct of your accounts – and public information such as County Court Judgements, decrees, and bankruptcies.

The information that Moneywise Credit Union Limited and other organisations provide to credit reference agencies about you, your financial associates and your business (if you have one) may be provided to other organisations and used by them and us to:

(a) Help make decisions, for example when:

(i) Checking details on applications for credit and credit-related or other facilities;

(ii) Managing credit and credit-related accounts or facilities;

(iii) Recovering debt;

(iv) Checking details on proposals and claims for all types of insurance;

(v) Checking details of job applicants and employees;

(b) Detect and prevent crime, fraud and money laundering.

(c) Check your credit history;

(d) Verify your identity if you, or someone financially linked with you, applies for services;

(e) Trace your whereabouts; and

(f) Undertake research, statistical analysis and systems testing.

If Moneywise Credit Union Limited needs to make a credit decision when you apply for a credit-based product or service or to review the amount of credit it provides under an existing agreement, such as an overdraft, your records will be searched, along with those of anyone who is financially associated with you such as your spouse or partner. The CRA will keep a record of this search and place a “footprint” on your credit file, whether or not the application proceeds.

We may give details of your account and how you conduct it to credit reference agencies, including if you borrow and do not repay in full and on time. If you fall behind with your payments and a full payment or satisfactory proposals are not received within 28 days of a formal demand being issued, then a default notice may be recorded with the CRAs. Any records shared with CRAs will remain on file for 6 years after your account is closed, whether it has been settled by you or as a result of a default. Other organisations may see these searches and updates if you apply for credit in the future, and these may affect your ability to borrow from other lenders.

If you apply for a loan using joint income or tell us that you have a spouse or financial associate, a financial association will be created between your records, including any previous and subsequent names used by you. This means that your financial affairs may be treated as affecting each other. These links will remain on your and their files until such time as you or your partner is successful in applying for a disassociation with the CRAs to break that link. You must be sure that you have their agreement to disclose information about them. Searches may be made on all joint applicants, and search footprints will be left on all applicants’ records.

You have a right to apply to the credit reference agencies for a copy of your file.

We carry out most of our credit searches using Call Credit, but details of how you have run your account(s) may be disclosed to all of the credit reference agencies. The information they hold may not be the same and there is a small fee that you may need to pay to each agency that you apply to.

Their addresses are:

CallCredit, Consumer Services Team, PO Box 491, Leeds LS3 1WZ or call 0870 060 1414 or log on to www.callcredit.co.uk/crain

Experian Consumer Help Service, PO Box 9000, Nottingham NG80 7WP or call 0344 481 8000 or log on towww.experian.co.uk/crain

Equifax plc, Credit File Advice Centre, PO Box 1140, Bradford BD1 5US or log on to www.equifax.co.uk/crain

Using Fraud Prevention Agencies

We have systems that protect our customers and ourselves against fraud and other crime. Customer information can be used to prevent crime and trace those responsible. We will share your personal information from your application with fraud prevention agencies. If false or inaccurate information is provided and fraud is identified, details of this fraud will be passed to these agencies. Law enforcement agencies may access and use this information. We and other organisations may also access and use this information to prevent fraud and money laundering, for example, when:

– Checking details on applications for credit and credit related or other facilities.
– Managing credit and credit related accounts or facilities.
– Recovering debt.

Checking details of job applicants and employees.

We and other organisations may access and use from other countries the information recorded by fraud prevention agencies.

How we check your identity

We may ask you to provide physical forms of identity verification when you open your account. Alternatively, we may search credit reference agency files in assessing your application. The agency also gives us other details and information from the Electoral Register to verify your identity. The agency keeps a record of our search, whether or not your application proceeds. Our search is not seen or used by lenders to assess your ability to obtain credit.

Undertaking Anti-Money Laundering checks

To comply with money laundering regulations, there are times when we need to confirm (or reconfirm) the name and address of our customers. This information may be shared with other group companies.

Obtaining information about you, and other personal details

When you apply for borrowing it may be necessary to obtain references, details of your existing financial commitments of any kind, and any other information that is required to assess or review lending risks, to recover debts, and to prevent or detect fraud. Where applicable, your current and previous employers, accountant, landlord, lender or bank may be contacted to obtain this information. In limited circumstances these references may need to be obtained after you open your account. This may be for regulatory purposes, or if the lending decision needs to be reviewed. Your permission to obtain these references will therefore continue to apply after your account has been opened.

​Using your details for service contact

Making sure we deliver excellent customer service is very important to us and to do this various methods of communication may be used when sending you information about your account. Most of the time you will be contacted by letter or telephone, but you may also be sent updates by text message or email when it is believed to be appropriate. You can ask us to stop sending these messages at any time. Additionally, in extraordinary circumstances (such as natural disaster or civil unrest) we may also send you updates by text message or email. If we decide to use email to contact you, we will only do this if we have ensured that using email will not put your information at risk, or, if you have requested we email you, that we have explained the risks of sending an “insecure” email and that you are happy to accept that risk.

In addition you may wish to choose a channel of communication that suits you when you need to contact us. If you need to email a Moneywise Credit Union company, we recommend you check our website(s) to see if a secure email facility exists so that your email can be sent securely. If you send us emails in other ways, such as from your personal account, then remember that the message may not be secure and there is a risk that it could be intercepted. If you choose to send an “insecure” email, please keep the amount of confidential information you include to a minimum.

​Recording phone calls

We may monitor or record phone calls with you in case we need to check we have carried out your instructions correctly, to resolve queries or issues, for regulatory purposes, to help improve our quality of service, and to help detect or prevent fraud or other crimes. Conversations may also be monitored for staff training purposes.

​Job applicants, current and former employees

​When individuals apply to work at Moneywise, we will only use the information they supply to us to process their application and to monitor recruitment statistics. Where we want to disclose information to a third party, for example where we want to take up a reference or obtain a ‘disclosure’ from the Disclosure and Barring Service we will not do so without informing them beforehand unless the disclosure is required by law. Personal information about unsuccessful candidates will be held for 6 months after the recruitment exercise has been completed, it will then be destroyed or deleted. We retain statistical information about applicants to help inform our recruitment activities, but no individuals are identifiable from that data. Once a person has taken up employment with Moneywise, we will compile a file relating to their employment. The information contained in this will be kept secure and will only be used for purposes directly relevant to that person’s employment. Once their employment with Moneywise has ended, we will retain the file in accordance with the requirements of our retention schedule and then delete it.

​Using information on social networking sites

As part of our ongoing commitment to understanding our customers better, we may research comments and opinions made public on social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook.

​Obtaining a copy of your information

Under Data Protection regulation, you have the right to request access to your personal data free of charge. If anything is inaccurate or incorrect, please let us know and we will correct it. For further details on how to request a copy of your information, please call 0191 276 7963.

​Using your personal information to contact you about products and services

Moneywise Credit Union Limited will use your personal information so we can provide you with product details and offers that are more relevant to you. This may include products and services from companies outside of our Group if we believe it may be of interest to you or benefit you financially, and it could continue after your relationship with us ends.

We might contact you by mail, telephone, email, or text unless you have asked us not to. If you are an Internet Banking customer, we may also display personalised advertising to you when you use our Internet Banking service and mobile app, through other digital channels (such as other websites or digital TV). You can change your preferences at any time by calling us, writing to us, contacting your local branch or by updating them online. If you do opt out, you may still see some generic, non-personalised advertising when you are using digital channels.

We will not provide information about you to companies outside Moneywise Credit Union Limited to use for their own marketing purposes unless you have given us your consent.

Using cookies

Use of cookies by Moneywise Credit Union Limited

Our website uses cookies to distinguish you from other users of our website. This helps us to provide you with a good experience when you browse our website and also allows us to improve our site.

​What is a cookie?

​Cookies are small text files that are placed on your computer by websites that you visit. They are widely used in order to make websites work, or work more efficiently, as well as to provide information to the owners of the site.

Cookies do lots of different jobs, like letting you navigate between pages efficiently, remembering your preferences, and generally improve the user experience. They can also help to ensure that adverts you see online are more relevant to you and your interests. The cookies used on this website have been categorised based on the categories found in the ICC UK Cookie guide. A list of all the cookies used on this website by category is set out below, with a note as to whether we use them; and then some details of the actual cookies on the site, their purpose, and what to do if you do not consent to any specific cookies being used. Please note however that since we only use cookies where they will be of benefit, any failure to consent may limit your use of this site.

​Category 1: Strictly necessary cookies:

These cookies enable services you have specifically asked for.

These cookies are essential in order to enable you to move around the website and use its features, such as accessing secure areas of the website. Without these cookies services you have asked for, like shopping baskets or e-billing, cannot be provided.

WE DO USE THIS CATEGORY OF COOKIE ON OUR SITE

​Category 2: Performance Cookies:

These cookies collect anonymous information on the pages visited.

These cookies collect information about how visitors use a website, for instance which pages visitors go to most often, and if they get error messages from web pages. These cookies don’t collect information that identifies a visitor. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. It is only used to improve how a website works.

By using our website, you agree that we can place these types of cookies on your device.

WE DO USE THIS CATEGORY OF COOKIE ON OUR SITE

Category 3: Functionality Cookies:

These cookies remember choices you make to improve your experience.

These cookies allow the website to remember choices you make (such as your user name, language or the region you are in) and provide enhanced, more personal features. For instance, a website may be able to provide you with local weather reports or traffic news by storing in a cookie the region in which you are currently located. These cookies can also be used to remember changes you have made to text size, fonts and other parts of web pages that you can customise. They may also be used to provide services you have asked for such as watching a video or commenting on a blog. The information these cookies collect may be anonymised and they cannot track your browsing activity on other websites.

By using our website, you agree that we can place these types of cookies on your device.

WE DO USE THIS CATEGORY OF COOKIE ON OUR SITE

​These are the cookies used on our site:

You may be able block cookies by activating the setting on your browser that allows you to refuse the setting of all or some cookies. However, if you use your browser settings to block all cookies (including essential cookies) you may not be able to access all or parts of our site. Unless you have adjusted your browser setting so that it will refuse cookies, our system will issue cookies as soon you visit our site.

To opt out of being tracked by Google Analytics across all websites visit http://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout

If you do not consent to the other cookies being used, you must notify us of the cookies to which you do not consent.

Disclosure of your information

We often need to share your information with certain other organisations or people.

The list below gives examples of the sort of information we share and who we may share it with.

– Membership status (statistics).
– Trade Associations.
– Details about your credit application.
– Credit reference agencies. Fraud protection agencies.
– Membership status.
– Cornerstone Mutual Services, Department of Work and Pensions.
– Name, address, tenancy dates, copy of your tenancy agreement or lease.
– Local authorities.
– Information about crime, alleged crime and anti-social behaviour.
– Police and local council.
– Details to support you in your application.
– Our support partners.
– Enforcement action details.
– Our solicitors and the courts, Department of Work and Pensions.
– Regulatory information.
– Prudential Regulatory Authority, Financial Conduct Authority, Financial Ombudsman Service, Financial – – – Services Compensation Scheme.
– Details of any arrears, forwarding address.
– Debt collection agencies.
– Membership records, transaction details.
– Account software provider (E-cfs ltd) External auditors, Document management provider (Arena Group).

Whenever we share information with other organisations, we do so in accordance with the provisions of the Data Protection Act 1988 and our own documented procedures.

We share your information from time to time as part of the National Fraud Initiative. This exercise matches data between public and private sector organisations to prevent and detect fraud. The information we provide is not used for any other purpose.

We share information about anti-social behaviour and crime with the police and other organisations in the Safe Newcastle Partnership, including Newcastle City Council officers and elected councillors.

We may also share your information if it is needed in connection with legal proceedings or if we have to do so by law.

Your rights

You have the right to ask us not to process your personal data for marketing purposes. You can exercise your right to prevent such processing by checking certain boxes on the forms we use to collect your data. You can also exercise the right at any time by contacting us at the address below.

Access to personal information

The Data Protection Act 1988 places an obligation on Moneywise, when holding personal data, to provide a copy of that information, (unless an exemption applies), to you on request.

To make a request to Moneywise Credit Union Limited for any personal information we may hold you need to put the request in writing (by post or email) to our Information Requests office at our Head Office.

If we do hold information about you, you can ask us to correct any mistakes by, once again, contacting the Information Requests office.

Links to other websites

This privacy notice does not cover the links within this site linking to other websites. We encourage you to read the privacy notices on the other websites you visit.

Changes to this privacy notice

We keep our privacy notice under regular review. This privacy notice was last updated in April 2018.

How to contact us

Requests for information about our privacy policy can be emailed to the  or by writing to:

Moneywise credit union ltd
187 – 189 Shields Road, Byker
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE6 1DP