Credit Reporting Policy

About this policy
Types of credit-related information we collect, hold and disclose
Collection
Holding
Use and disclosure
Information we may collect or disclose to credit reporting bodies
Preventing identity fraud
Disclosure to third parties
Disclosure to overseas recipients
Access and correction
Changes to this policy
Privacy queries or complaints
Contacting us

About this policy

We recognise the importance of protecting your personal information. This policy sets out how the Bendigo and Adelaide Bank Group collect, hold and disclose your personal information and credit-related information. Credit-related information includes credit eligibility information such as credit reporting information and credit scores that we obtain from credit reporting bodies and information that we disclose to a credit reporting body in relation to your credit application or credit facility you hold with us.

Information about how we handle your personal information is contained in our Privacy Policy.

In this document, the Bendigo and Adelaide Bank Group (‘we’, ‘our’ or ‘us’) includes all or any of the following:

• Bendigo and Adelaide Bank Limited, including its divisions Adelaide Bank, Bendigo Bank and Rural Bank
• Bendigo and Adelaide Bank Limited subsidiary companies, including Sandhurst Trustees, Leveraged Equities, Up Money and National Mortgage Market Corporation
• Adelaide Equity Finance
• Bendigo Bank franchises (including Community Bank branches)

Types of credit-related information we collect, hold and disclose

We collect, hold and disclose the following types of credit-related information:

• Identification details including name, gender, date of birth, driver’s licence numbers, current and most recent past addresses and current and most recent past employers;
• Consumer credit liability information such as the type, characteristics and maximum amount of credit that we have provided, or will provide, or the date that any credit contract we or other credit providers have or had with you was entered into and the date that it is terminated;
• Repayment history information in relation to consumer credit facilities provided by us or other credit providers, including whether you have made payments when due and if not when overdue payments have been made;
• Financial hardship information, being a record that your payment obligations under your loan have been affected by an agreed financial hardship arrangement, which will be recorded with the repayment history information;
• Details of previous requests made by a credit provider to credit reporting bodies in regard to credit applications including the date, loan amount and type of loan;
• Details of any default information which is a record of overdue consumer credit loan payments of more than 60 days;
• Payment information that an overdue payment in relation to which default information was provided to a credit reporting body has been paid;
• Whether you have entered into a new arrangement with us or other credit providers in connection with credit provided to you;
• Details of any judgments or writs which is a record of any Australian court legal proceeding relating to your credit;
• Details of any bankruptcy agreements;
• Publicly available information from your public file including present and past company directorships and business proprietorships;
• Whether in our or another credit provider's opinion you have committed a serious credit infringement;
• Information about your credit worthiness such as credit scores, credit risk ratings, summaries and evaluations.

Collection

We may collect credit-related information directly from you or from details included in your credit application. We may also collect from or confirm this information with a third party, such as a credit reporting body, government agencies, other credit providers, your employer, your accountant, solicitor or other personal representatives.

Holding

We keep the credit-related information that we hold about you secure to ensure that it is protected from loss, unauthorised access, use, modification or disclosure.

Your credit-related information may be stored physically in paper form or electronically within secure environments and systems. Our employees and authorised agents are obliged and trained to respect the confidentiality of any credit-related information held by us.

Use and disclosure

We may collect, hold, use and disclose your credit-related information in order to:

• Provide you with credit products and services (including situations where we are an agent for another credit provider);
• Assist you with your queries or concerns;
• Comply with any legal or regulatory obligations;
• Perform our regular and necessary business functions (such as internal audit investigations, performance reporting, research, product development and planning);
• Assess your credit application (including obtaining mortgage insurance);
• Assess your suitability as a guarantor for a credit facility;
• Assist with collection of overdue payments;
• Assist with hardship requests;
• Assess suitability to securitise loans;
• Derive scores, ratings, summaries and evaluations relating to your credit worthiness. These scores are used in our decision-making processes and ongoing reviews;
• Determine whether you are eligible to receive particular offers and invitations;
• Participate in the credit reporting system and providing information to credit reporting bodies as permitted by the credit reporting laws; and
• Deal with complaints and assist other credit providers to do the same.

Information we may collect or disclose to credit reporting bodies

We may obtain credit-related information about you from a credit reporting body.

We may also disclose your credit-related information to credit reporting bodies. Credit reporting bodies may include credit-related information provided by us in reports provided to other credit providers to assist them to assess your credit worthiness. Each credit reporting body has a policy for managing your credit-related information that you may access by contacting them.

In some cases a credit reporting body may use your credit-related information for pre-screening your eligibility to receive direct marketing from us or other credit providers. If you do not want a credit reporting body to do this you should contact the credit reporting body.

Credit reporting bodies we deal with

The credit reporting bodies we may disclose your personal information to, and their contact details, are:

Equifax

PO Box 964
North Sydney NSW 2059
Public enquiries: 13 83 32
Website: www.mycreditfile.com.au

Illion

PO Box 7405
St Kilda Road
Melbourne VIC 3004
Public enquiries: 13 23 33
Website: www.checkyourcredit.com.au

Experian

PO Box 1969
North Sydney NSW 2060
Public enquiries: 1300 783 684
Website: www.experian.com.au

Preventing identity fraud

If you believe that you have been, or are likely to be, a victim of identity fraud you should contact us immediately. You can also request that a credit reporting body not use or disclose your information by contacting the credit reporting body.

Disclosure to other third parties

We may share credit-related information with other third parties, including:

• credit providers;
• related companies;
• introducers, financial advisers, accountants, mortgage managers, lawyers or other intermediaries acting in connection with any credit application;
• current or prospective guarantors in relation to credit we are providing to you;
• mortgage insurers;
• government agencies;
• organisations involved in debt assignment or securitisation arrangements.
  
  

Disclosure to overseas recipients

In some cases we may need to share some of your information with organisations outside Australia, or Australian organisations that store data or operate outside of Australia. For example, when we use service providers located in Australia or overseas to perform a function on our behalf.

We may share your information with overseas organisations that are located in the following countries:

• Belgium
• Bulgaria
• Canada
• Fiji
• France
• Germany
• India
• Indonesia
• Ireland
• Israel
• Nauru
• The Netherlands
• New Zealand
• Philippines
• Singapore
• Spain
• UK
• US

When we share your information with organisations overseas we ensure appropriate data handling and security measures are in place.

Access and correction

In most cases you will be able to access your credit-related information held by us. You can do this by contacting us directly (see ‘Contacting us’ below).

If you believe that your credit-related information is inaccurate, incomplete, or out of date, you can make a correction request to us, to the credit reporting body or other credit provider who disclosed this information to us.

If you make a correction request to us, we will take reasonable steps to ensure that your credit-related information is accurate, complete and up-to-date. We may be required to consult with the credit reporting bodies or other credit providers to assess your request for correction. Where your credit-related information is found to be inaccurate, incomplete, or out of date, it will be amended.

If you contact us to correct your information and we do not agree that your information is inaccurate, out of date or incomplete, we will give you a written notice including the reasons why we reached that decision.

Changes to this policy

From time to time, it may be necessary for us to review this policy and the information contained in this document. We will notify you of any changes by posting an updated version on our websites.

Privacy queries or complaints

If you have a query or wish to make a complaint regarding the handling of your personal information, including your credit related information, by us, please contact our Customer Feedback Team. We will promptly investigate your complaint and notify you of the outcome.

Contacting us

If you have any questions about this policy, what personal information or credit related information we may hold in relation to you, or about the way we manage your personal information or credit related information you can contact us.

If you would like to contact an entity in the Bendigo and Adelaide Bank Group which is not listed, please contact 1300 236 344.

Bendigo Bank

PO Box 480
Bendigo VIC 3552
Tel: 1300 236 344
E-mail: ContactUs@bendigoadelaide.com.au

Adelaide Bank

PO Box 480
Bendigo VIC 3552
Tel: 1300 652 220
E-mail: ContactUs@bendigoadelaide.com.au

Sandhurst Trustees

120 Harbour Esplanade
Docklands VIC 3008
Tel: 1800 634 969
E-mail: managedfunds@sandhursttrustees.com.au

National Mortgage Market Corporation

120 Harbour Esplanade
Docklands VIC 3008
Tel: 03 8414 7986
Fax: (03) 8414 7252
E-mail: info@nmmc.com.au

Leveraged

GPO Box 5388
Sydney NSW 2001
Tel: 1300 307 807
E-mail: customerservice@leveraged.com.au

Rural Bank

Customer Service
PO Box 3660
Rundle Mall SA 5000
Tel: 1300 660 115
E-mail: service@ruralbank.com.au