Grand River Bank
Your Right to Privacy
Important Information to Know

Notice of Your Financial Privacy Rights

Protecting your privacy is important to us. We want you to understand what information we collect and how we use it. In order to provide our customers with a broad range of financial products and services as effectively and conveniently as possible, we use technology to manage and maintain customer information. The following policy serves as a standard for all our employees for collection, use, retention, and security of nonpublic personal information. “Nonpublic personal information” is nonpublic information about you that we obtain in connection with providing a financial product or service to you.

We, our, and us, when used in this notice, mean Grand River Bank.

Our Customers

This is our privacy notice for our customers. When we use the words “you” and “your” we mean the following types of customers:

Our consumer customers who have a continuing relationship by purchasing or holding financial products or services such as a:

  • Deposit account
  • Loan account
  • Home mortgage loan origination and sale

We will tell you the sources of the information we collect about you. We will tell you what measures we take to secure that information. We first define some terms:

Nonpublic personal information means information about you that we collect in connection with providing a financial product or service to you. Nonpublic personal information does not include information that is available from public sources, such as telephone directories or government records. Hereafter, we will use the term “information” to mean nonpublic personal information as defined in this section.

An affiliate is a company we own or control, a company that is owned or controlled by us, or a company this is owned or controlled by the same company that owns or controls us. Ownership does not mean complete ownership, but means owning enough to have control.

A nonaffiliated third party is a person we do not employ or a company that is not an affiliate of ours. This is also known as nonaffiliated third party, or simply, an “other party”.

The Information We Collect

We collect information about you from the following sources:

  • Information you give us on applications or other loan or account forms
  • Information about your transactions with us
  • Information about your transactions with other parties
  • Information from a consumer reporting agency
  • Information we receive as a result of verifying customer information

Information We Disclose About You

We do NOT disclose any nonpublic personal information about you to anyone except as disclosed in this policy or as permitted by law. Examples of this might include disclosures necessary to service your loan or account or prevent unauthorized transactions; to government entities in response to subpoenas; and to credit bureaus.

The Confidentiality, Security, and Integrity of Your Information

We restrict access to nonpublic personal information about you to those employees who need to know that information to provide products or services to you. We maintain physical, electronic, and procedural safeguards that comply with federal standards to protect your nonpublic personal information.

Information About Former Customers

We do not disclose information about former customers, except as permitted by law.

Notify Us of Inaccurate Information We Report to Consumer Reporting Agencies

Please notify us if we report any inaccurate information about your account(s) to a consumer reporting agency. Your written notice describing the specific inaccuracy should be sent to us at the following address: Grand River Bank, 4471 Wilson Ave SW, Grandville, MI 49418.

Web Security

Phishing

Protect Yourself Against Phishing
Phishing usually comes in the form of fraudulent emails that appear to come from legitimate sources. These ask customers to verify personal information or link to counterfeit Web sites that appear real.

Watch for emails that:

  • Urge you to act quickly because your account may be suspended or closed, or to update your personal information.
  • Don't address you by name, but use a more generic one like "Dear valued customer."
  • Ask for account numbers, passwords, Access IDs, or other personal information.

We will NEVER ask for sensitive information, such as account numbers, access IDs or passwords, via e-mail.

Tips from the American Bankers Association for safeguarding your information:

  • Do not give your Social Security number or other personal credit information about yourself to anyone who calls you.
  • Tear up receipts, bank statements and unused credit card offers before throwing them away.
  • Keep an eye out for any missing mail.
  • Do not mail bills from your own mailbox with the flag up.
  • Review your monthly accounts regularly for any unauthorized charges.
  • Order copies of your credit report once a year to ensure accuracy. You may call 1-877-322-8228 for a free credit report from any or all three credit reporting agencies.
  • Do business with companies you know are reputable, particularly online.
  • Do not open email from unknown sources and use virus detection software.
  • Protect your PINs (don’t carry them in your wallet!) and passwords; use a combination of letters and numbers for your passwords and change them periodically.
  • Report any suspected fraud to your bank and the fraud units of the three credit reporting agencies immediately.
    TransUnion: (800) 680-7289
    Experian: (888) 397-3742
    Equifax: (800) 525-6285

If you become a victim, contact:

  • The fraud departments of the three major credit reporting agencies
  • The creditors of any accounts that have been misused
  • The local police to file a report
  • The bank to cancel existing accounts held in your name and re-open new accounts with new passwords

We are committed to safeguarding our customers’ financial information. Maintaining our customers’ trust and confidence is a top priority. To learn more about how we protect your information, you please review our privacy policy.

Identity Theft

What is identity theft?
Identity theft occurs when someone acquires your personal information and uses it without your knowledge to commit fraud or theft. It is a serious crime and cases are growing. An all-too-common example is when an identity thief uses your personal information to open a credit card account in your name.

No matter how cautious you are, there is no way to completely prevent identity theft from occurring. But there are ways you can help minimize your risk. This page contains valuable information on how you can protect yourself by managing your personal information wisely, the warning signs of identity theft, and what to do if you do become a victim.

Helpful Tips

  • Don't give out personal information on the phone, through the mail or over the Internet unless you've initiated the contact or are sure you know whom you're dealing with.
  • Don't carry your Social Security card with you; leave it in a secure place. Carry only the identification and credit and debit cards that you need.
  • Don't put your address, phone number, or drivers license number on credit card sales receipts.
  • Social Security numbers or phone numbers should not be put on your checks.
  • Shred your charge receipts, copies of credit applications, insurance forms, physician statements, checks and bank statements, expired charge cards that you're discarding, and credit offers you get in the mail.
  • Secure your credit card, bank, and phone accounts with passwords. Avoid using easily available information like birth date, the last four digits of your SSN, or your phone number. When opening new accounts, you may find that many businesses still have a line on their applications for your mother's maiden name. Use a password instead.
  • Secure personal information in your home, particularly if you have roommates or hire outside help.
  • Promptly remove mail from your mailbox. If you're planning to be away from home and can't pick up your mail, call the U.S. Postal Service at 1-800-275-8777 to request a vacation hold.
  • Ask about information security procedures in your workplace. Find out who has access to your personal information and verify that records are kept in a secure location. Ask about the disposal procedures for those records as well.
  • Before revealing any personally identifying information (for example, on an application), find out how it will be used and secured, and whether it will be shared with others. Ask if you have a choice about the use of your information. Can you choose to have it kept confidential?

Check your credit report
Order copies of your credit report once a year to ensure accuracy. You may call 1-877-322-8228 for a FREE credit report from any or all three credit reporting agencies. (The law allows credit bureaus to charge you up to $9.00 for an additional copy of your credit report.)

Make sure it is accurate and includes only those activities you have authorized.

By checking your report on a regular basis you can catch mistakes and fraud before they wreak havoc on your personal finances. Don't underestimate the importance of this step.

Credit Bureaus
Equifax - www.equifax.com
To order your report, call: 1-800-685-1111
To report fraud, call: 1-800-525-6285

Experian - www.experian.com
To order your credit report or report fraud, call: 1-888-EXPERIAN (397-3742)

TransUnion - www.transunion.com
To order your report, call: 800-916-8800
To report fraud, call: 1-800-680-7289

Internet Banking Security Measures We Employ

  • Multiple layers of encryption, firewalls, screening, and filtering routers.
  • Secure sessions established through Secure Socket Layers (SSL).
  • Use of 128-bit capable encryption protocol.
  • Login ID and User passwords.
  • Strong password requirements.
  • Sessions are “timed out” after a specified period of inactivity.
  • Security procedures audited by external certified examiners.
  • Security penetration testing routinely performed by independent security firm.

Internet Security Best Practices for You

You can take a few precautions to protect yourself from other online threats:

  • Install a Firewall, anti-virus software, and anti-spyware and keep your virus definitions and browser and security software current.
  • Exercise reasonable care when downloading software and opening email attachments.
  • Have your computer analyzed by a qualified technician if you suspect your computer is running abnormally, you are receiving an unusual amount of “pop-up” pages, or you notice that you are being redirected to other web pages.
  • Beware of using non-encrypted wireless connections with computers, phones, and portable devices to send sensitive information from public wireless locations or even from home wireless networks. Using scanning devices, individuals can intercept unencrypted signals and view or obtain your information.
  • Beware of “shoulder surfers” while using a computer in public areas who may be trying to intercept your passwords or information.
  • Use strong passwords with a combination of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols. Change passwords periodically and always change pre-assigned temporary passwords. When creating PINs and passwords, do not use birth dates, addresses, phone numbers, etc. that are easily guessed from personal information.
  • Never use the “save ID and password” option in your browser at home, or on a laptop or public computer.
  • Do not email personal and financial information to non-secure sites. Because of the potential for loss, avoid storing personal information on a laptop computer.
  • Properly dispose of old computers and ensure all sensitive information is removed from the hard drive. Reformatting the hard drive may not be sufficient - use specialized software to erase information.
  • Review your bank statements closely. Make sure there are no transactions that you can’t account for and that all of the decimals are in the right spots. If you find any problems contact us immediately.
  • FDIC video “Don’t be an Online Victim”. Go to www.fdic.gov and select Identity Theft to view an informational video from the FDIC on how to protect your identity while using the internet.

If you are a customer who has provided sensitive account or personal information in response to an unsolicited Grand River Bank email or phone call, immediately contact Grand River Bank at 888-929-GRB3 (4723). We are available to serve you Monday through Thursday from 8 AM - 5 PM and Friday from 8 AM - 5:30 PM.

FDIC Temporary Liquidity Guarantee Program

Grand River Bank is participating in the FDIC’s Transaction Account Guarantee Program. Under that program, through June 30, 2010, all non interest bearing transaction accounts are fully guaranteed by the FDIC for the entire amount in the account. Coverage under the Transaction Account Guarantee Program is in addition to and separate from the coverage available under the FDIC’s general deposit insurance rules. This guarantee may be voided if funds are transferred from a non interest bearing transaction account into an interest bearing account through a pre-arranged sweep agreement.

Under the Final Rule, the definition of non interest bearing transaction accounts includes Interest on Lawyers Trust Accounts (and functionally equivalent accounts) and low-interest NOW accounts (defined as NOW accounts with interest rates no higher than 0.50 percent).

Please contact us by telephone at (616) 929-1600 or by e-mail at connect@grandriverbank.com if you have any questions about the Transaction Account Guarantee Program or want to discuss possible changes to your accounts.