Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

July Finance is committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal information responsibly.

In this Privacy Policy, “July Finance”, “we”, “us” and “our” refer to Parul Banga Accounting Pty Ltd trading as July Finance, ABN [63 640 247 981], of 40B Murrayfield Avenue, North Kellyville NSW 2155.

July Finance provides mortgage broking, home loan, car loan, asset finance and related finance assistance.

We operate as Authorised Credit Representative of Australian Finance Group Ltd ACN 066 385 822 (AFG) Australian Credit Licence 389087 .

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, hold, use and disclose personal information. It also explains how you may access or correct your information and how you can make a privacy complaint.

We manage personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), the Australian Privacy Principles and other applicable laws.

2. What personal information we collect

The personal information we collect depends on your dealings with us and the products or services you request. It may include:

• your name, date of birth, residential address, previous addresses and contact details;
• identification information, such as details from your driver licence, passport, Medicare card or other identity documents;
• citizenship, residency and visa information;
• marital status, family circumstances and the number and ages of your dependants;
• employment, occupation, business and income information;
• bank account information, transaction histories and spending information;
• details of your assets, liabilities, expenses, savings, investments and financial commitments;
• information about properties, vehicles, equipment or other assets you own or wish to purchase;
• taxation records, payslips, financial statements, Centrelink information and other evidence of your financial position;
• information about existing or proposed loans, credit facilities and repayment histories;
• credit-related information, including credit reports, credit scores and information about credit applications, defaults or repayment history;
• information about your financial needs, objectives and preferences;
• information about your spouse, partner, guarantor, co-borrower, dependants, employer, accountant, solicitor or other relevant persons;
• correspondence, telephone notes, emails and records of meetings with you;
• information submitted through our website, online forms, calculators or other digital services;
• technical information such as your internet protocol address, browser type, device information, cookies and website usage data; and
• any other information reasonably necessary to provide our services or comply with our legal obligations.

In some circumstances, we may collect sensitive information, such as health information, where it is relevant to a finance application or insurance-related enquiry. We will only collect sensitive information with your consent or where otherwise permitted by law.

3. Information about other people

You may provide us with personal information about another person, such as your spouse, partner, co-borrower, guarantor, dependant, employee or business associate.

Before providing that information, you should ensure that you are authorised to provide it and that the person understands that we may collect, use and disclose their information in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

4. How we collect personal information

We generally collect personal information directly from you, including when you:

• contact us by telephone, email, website form, social media or in person;
• use our website or online calculators;
• complete an enquiry, fact-find, application, consent form or supporting document;
• apply for a loan or other financial product;
• provide documents or information through an electronic platform;
• communicate with us during the assessment, application, settlement or ongoing review process; or
• participate in a survey, promotion or marketing activity.

We may also collect information from third parties, including:

• your spouse, partner, co-applicant, guarantor or authorised representative;
• lenders, mortgage managers, loan servicers and other credit providers;
• our aggregator, Australian Credit Licence holder and their service providers;
• credit reporting bodies;
• identity-verification and fraud-prevention service providers;
• banks, financial institutions and open-banking or consumer data right service providers, where you authorise this;
• accountants, solicitors, conveyancers, real estate agents, financial advisers and other professional advisers;
• employers, referees and government agencies;
• insurers, valuers and property information providers;
• publicly available sources; and
• other parties where you have consented or where collection is authorised or required by law.

If you do not provide the information we request, we may be unable to assess your needs, provide credit assistance, submit an application or offer some of our services.

5. Why we collect, hold, use and disclose personal information

We may collect, hold, use and disclose personal information to:

• respond to your enquiries;
• verify your identity;
• understand your financial circumstances, requirements and objectives;
• provide credit assistance and recommend potentially suitable finance options;
• compare loan products and credit providers;
• prepare, lodge, manage and monitor finance applications;
• communicate with lenders, aggregators, valuers, insurers and other parties involved in your application;
• assist with settlement, refinancing and post-settlement enquiries;
• review your lending arrangements and identify potentially relevant future options;
• provide customer service and maintain our relationship with you;
• administer our business, records, website and information systems;
• improve our services, website, calculators and client experience;
• manage complaints and resolve disputes;
• conduct quality assurance, auditing, training and compliance activities;
• prevent, detect and investigate fraud, misconduct, security threats or unlawful activity;
• comply with responsible lending, anti-money laundering, taxation, recordkeeping, licensing and other legal obligations;
• establish, exercise or defend legal claims; and
• undertake marketing where permitted by law.

We will not use or disclose personal information for an unrelated purpose unless you consent or the use or disclosure is otherwise authorised by law.

6. Credit-related information

When providing credit assistance, we may obtain and handle credit-related information about you.

Credit-related information may include:

• identification information;
• details of credit applications;
• information about existing credit arrangements;
• repayment history information;
• default information;
• payment information;
• publicly available information about your creditworthiness;
• court proceedings or insolvency information;
• credit scores, credit reports and credit eligibility information; and
• information derived from a credit reporting body or credit provider.

With your consent and where permitted by law, we may request credit information from a credit reporting body or ask a lender or other credit provider to obtain that information.

Credit reporting bodies have their own privacy policies explaining how they manage credit information. Details of the credit reporting bodies used in connection with your application may be provided in the privacy consent or application documents you complete.

You may request access to, or correction of, credit-related information held about you. You may also ask a credit reporting body not to use or disclose your credit information where you reasonably believe you have been, or may become, a victim of fraud.

7. Who we may disclose personal information to

We may disclose personal information to:

• lenders, credit providers, mortgage managers and loan servicers;
• our aggregator, Australian Credit Licence holder and associated businesses;
• credit reporting bodies;
• valuers, insurers, lenders mortgage insurers and title insurers;
• identity-verification, electronic-signature, document-processing and fraud-prevention providers;
• accountants, solicitors, conveyancers, financial advisers and other professional advisers;
• real estate agents, builders, motor vehicle dealers, equipment suppliers and settlement agents where relevant;
• banks and payment service providers;
• government bodies, regulators, courts, tribunals, law enforcement agencies and dispute-resolution schemes;
• information technology, cloud hosting, data storage, cybersecurity, communications, marketing and administrative service providers;
• auditors, consultants, compliance advisers and professional indemnity insurers;
• a purchaser or prospective purchaser of all or part of our business, subject to appropriate confidentiality arrangements;
• persons you nominate or authorise us to deal with; and
• any other person where disclosure is required or permitted by law.

We do not sell personal information.

8. Electronic verification and digital services

We may use electronic systems to:

• verify your identity;
• collect bank transaction or financial information with your authority;
• assess information supplied in connection with a finance application;
• compare loan products;
• transmit information to lenders and service providers;
• obtain valuations or credit information; and
• support compliance, fraud detection and recordkeeping.

These systems may process information according to predefined rules. However, finance recommendations and lending decisions may also involve professional review by us, a lender or another credit provider.

A lender remains responsible for deciding whether to approve or decline an application.

9. Overseas disclosure

Some organisations that assist us, our aggregator, our Australian Credit Licence holder or a lender may store or process information using systems or service providers located outside Australia.

Overseas recipients may be located in countries including New Zealand, the United States, the United Kingdom, India, Singapore, the Philippines and other countries in which our technology, cloud, processing or support providers operate.

The specific countries involved may vary depending on the lender, aggregator and service providers used for your application. Where reasonably practicable, we will take appropriate steps to ensure that overseas recipients handle personal information consistently with applicable Australian privacy requirements.

10. Website, cookies and analytics

When you visit our website, we or our service providers may automatically collect technical information such as:

• your internet protocol address;
• browser and device type;
• operating system;
• pages viewed;
• the date and time of your visit;
• referring website details; and
• interactions with website forms, links and calculators.

Our website may use cookies and similar technologies to operate the website, remember preferences, understand website use, maintain security and improve our services.

You may configure your browser to reject or delete cookies. Some website functions may not work properly if cookies are disabled.

Our website may contain links to third-party websites or services. We are not responsible for the privacy practices, security or content of those third parties. You should review their privacy policies before providing personal information.

Calculators available on our website provide estimates only. Information entered into a calculator may be processed by the calculator or technology provider. You should not enter identifying or highly sensitive information unless the calculator specifically requires it and explains how that information will be handled.

11. Direct marketing

We may use your contact details to send you information about finance products, services, reviews, educational material or other matters that may be relevant to you.

We may contact you by email, telephone, SMS or other electronic means where you have consented or where permitted by law.

You may opt out at any time by:

• using the unsubscribe function in an electronic communication;
• replying with an opt-out request;
• emailing us at clients@julyfinance.com.au; or
• calling us on 0428 856 081.

We will process opt-out requests within a reasonable period. Opting out of marketing will not prevent us from contacting you about an existing enquiry, application, loan or other service matter.

12. How we protect personal information

We take reasonable steps to protect personal information from misuse, interference, loss, unauthorised access, modification and disclosure.

These measures may include:

• access controls and password protections;
• secure document-management and finance-application platforms;
• multi-factor authentication where available;
• staff confidentiality and privacy requirements;
• cybersecurity and system-monitoring measures;
• secure disposal and destruction processes; and
• restricting access to information to persons who require it for legitimate business purposes.

No internet transmission or electronic storage system is completely secure. While we take reasonable precautions, we cannot guarantee the absolute security of information transmitted electronically.

Please avoid sending highly sensitive documents through unsecured email unless we have agreed that this is appropriate. We may provide a secure upload or application platform for sensitive financial and identification documents.

13. Data breaches

If we become aware of a data breach involving personal information, we will assess the incident and take reasonable steps to contain and remediate it.

Where required by the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme, we will notify affected individuals and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner.

14. How long we keep information

We retain personal information for as long as reasonably necessary to:

• provide our services;
• manage our relationship with you;
• comply with credit, taxation, anti-money laundering, licensing, professional and legal recordkeeping obligations;
• manage complaints or disputes; and
• protect our legal interests.

Finance and credit-assistance records may need to be retained for a number of years after an application, transaction or client relationship ends.

When information is no longer required, we will take reasonable steps to securely destroy it or permanently de-identify it, unless we are legally required or authorised to retain it.

15. Accessing your personal information

You may request access to personal information we hold about you.

To request access, contact our Privacy Officer using the details below. We may need to verify your identity before providing access.

We will generally respond within a reasonable period. We will not charge you for making a request, although we may charge reasonable costs associated with locating, compiling or providing access where permitted by law. We will notify you before imposing any charge.

In some circumstances, the law permits us to refuse access. If we refuse access, we will generally provide written reasons and explain the available complaint mechanisms, unless it would be unreasonable or unlawful to do so.

16. Correcting your personal information

We take reasonable steps to ensure that personal information is accurate, complete, up to date, relevant and not misleading.

You may ask us to correct information we hold about you. We may need to verify the corrected information.

Where appropriate and required, we will notify relevant third parties of a correction. If we refuse a correction request, we will generally explain why and advise you of the available complaint mechanisms.

17. Privacy enquiries and complaints

Questions, access requests, correction requests and privacy complaints should be directed to:

Privacy Officer
July Finance
40B Murrayfield Avenue
North Kellyville NSW 2155
Telephone: 0428 856 081
Email: clients@julyfinance.com.au

Please provide enough detail for us to understand and investigate your enquiry or complaint.

We will acknowledge your complaint and aim to provide a substantive response within 30 days. If we require additional time because the matter is complex, we will advise you.

If you are dissatisfied with our response, you may be entitled to refer the matter to:

• our Australian Credit Licence holder or aggregator using the contact details in our Credit Guide;
• the Australian Financial Complaints Authority, where the complaint relates to a financial service or credit activity; or
• the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner, where the complaint relates to privacy.

We may ask that you first give us an opportunity to resolve the matter directly.

18. Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy when our practices, services, technology or legal obligations change.

The current version will be published on our website and will show the date it was last updated. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

19. Contact us

For further information about this Privacy Policy or our handling of personal information, please contact:

July Finance
40B Murrayfield Avenue
North Kellyville NSW 2155
Telephone: 0428 856 081
Email: clients@julyfinance.com.au
Website: www.julyfinance.com.au