PrivacySouth Carolina Bank and Trust Privacy Statement
Regardless of changes in technology and information, South Carolina Bank and Trust has always been-and will continue to be-committed to the principles of customer privacy. We understand that when you open an account with us, apply for a loan, or deal with us or one of our affiliated companies in any way, we ask you to provide us with private financial and personal information.
We honor the trust you place in us by maintaining the confidentiality and accuracy of that information, and we use it in manners consistent with the confidence you have placed in us. We will uphold both the letter and the spirit of federal and state laws as they relate to this important issue.
Our Commitment to You
The information contained within this Privacy Statement applies to all subsidiary companies of SCBT Financial Corporation. References to "South Carolina Bank and Trust" are applicable to South Carolina Bank and Trust, N.A., and South Carolina Bank and Trust of the Piedmont, N.A.
Information Collection
When you become a customer of South Carolina Bank and Trust, we collect and maintain information about you for a number of reasons: to service your account, to better understand your unique financial needs, and to provide you products and services that we feel may be of interest to you. In all aspects of our business, however, your privacy is considered at all times. The information we collect may be categorized as follows:
- Applications and other information provided by you, such as your Social Security number, income, assets, and debts.
- Transaction details and account experience with us or within the SCBT Financial Corporation family, such as account balances, payment history, and credit card usage.
- Consumer reports, such as your credit history.
- Outside sources providing employment or credit relationships with you or verifying information you provide on applications, such as employment, loan balances, or property hazard insurance.
- General information we obtain about you that is not gathered for the purpose of determining your eligibility for credit, insurance, employment, or other products/services you request, such as demographic information.
Employee Access to Information
To ensure we maintain your trust, our employees may not use confidential information acquired in the course of employment regarding our customers or prospective customers except solely to perform their duties as employees of South Carolina Bank and Trust. Our employees access information about you when needed for the purposes of maintaining your accounts and otherwise meeting your financial needs. We safeguard information according to established security standards and procedures, and we continually assess new technology to ensure that information is protected. Our employees are trained to understand and comply with these information principles.
Accuracy of Information
Keeping your account information accurate and up to date is very important. If you ever find that our records are incomplete, inaccurate, or not current, please call the telephone number provided on your account statement. We will correct the information as quickly as possible.
How and Why Information is Shared
South Carolina Bank and Trust does not sell or otherwise share any customer information with any party outside the SCBT Financial Corporation family for solicitation, marketing, or similar purposes. As a result, it is not necessary for you to take any action to prevent disclosure.
When South Carolina Bank and Trust Serves in a Fiduciary Capacity
When we act as a trustee of a trust or the personal representative of an estate, or in any fiduciary role, no customer information from the fiduciary relationship is shared with other divisions or other legal entities within the SCBT Financial Corporation organization without the express consent of our customers. Fiduciary relationships by law require an even higher degree of confidentiality and privacy than general banking relationships.
Sharing Customer Information Within the South Carolina Bank and Trust Family
SCBT Financial Corporation is a bank holding company controlling South Carolina Bank and Trust, headquartered in Orangeburg, SC; South Carolina Bank and Trust of the Piedmont, headquartered in Rock Hill, SC. South Carolina Bank and Trust may share information about your accounts and relationship, as well as the other categories of customer information noted above, among our family of companies and any future affiliate companies, to serve you more efficiently and make it easier for you to do business with us. Through this information sharing, we can make you aware of special offers and promotions you may not otherwise receive.
Sharing Information with Companies that Work for Us
To assist us in offering you services, we may occasionally share information with outside companies that work for us. These companies may include financial service providers, such as insurance and payment processing companies, and non-financial companies, such as check printing and data processing companies. Such companies might, for example, assist us in processing your transaction or mailing your statement. These companies act on our behalf, are contractually obligated to keep the information provided them confidential, and are not allowed to use customer information for any purpose other than the intended service. We may also share all categories of customer information noted above with companies that work for us to provide marketing and other services or with other financial institutions with whom we have joint marketing agreements. We do not sell lists of our customer information to parties, including government agencies, outside of the SCBT Financial Corporation family for solicitation, marketing, or similar purposes.
Sharing Customer Information with Others
South Carolina Bank and Trust may disclose any of the categories of consumer information noted previously to credit bureaus or other similar organizations, and otherwise when permitted by law. For example, in response to a subpoena, to prevent fraud, or to comply with an audit or examination, to record mortgages in public records, or the sale of your account to another financial institution.
Sometimes it may be necessary to share limited customer information in order to complete a transaction that you have initiated with our bank. We may also provide information when you have specifically requested or authorized the release of information.
Protection of Information
South Carolina Bank and Trust is committed to the security of your financial and personal information. All of our operational and data processing systems are housed in a secure environment that protects your account information from unauthorized third party access. We maintain and grant access to these systems only in accordance with internal security policies and standards.
Removal from Lists or Correction of Inaccurate Information
Although you may not receive product information of interest to you, you may request that we not share information we have received about you with others in the South Carolina Bank and Trust family. This would include information we have received as part of an application for products or services, as well as information we have received from a consumer credit reporting agency or other third party. As allowed under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, we would still be allowed to share information that relates to our direct experience with you and your account history with us.
To make such a request, please call the Customer Care Center at 1.800.277.2175 or write us at the address below. You may also use this address to notify us of any corrections you think should be made in the information we have about you and your accounts with us.
In all correspondence, please include your name, address, telephone number, Social Security number, and any of your South Carolina Bank and Trust account numbers.
South Carolina Bank and Trust Operations Department
Post Office Box 1287
Orangeburg, SC 29116-1287
Please note that third parties may have access to information relating to South Carolina Bank and Trust customers that has been obtained independently of South Carolina Bank and Trust-through credit rating agencies or public records such as mortgages, for example. Mailings and solicitations based on this information are not within South Carolina Bank and Trust's control.
Updates to our Privacy Statement
South Carolina Bank and Trust will provide notice of our privacy statement annually, as long as you maintain an ongoing relationship with us. This statement may change from time to time, but the most current version can always be viewed on our Website at www.SCBTonline.com.
If you have questions about the confidentiality of your customer information, you may contact our Customer Care Center at 1.800.277.2175, visit any South Carolina Bank and Trust branch, or talk with a South Carolina Bank and Trust representative.
Internet Privacy
With the expansion of technological capability in our industry and our institution, South Carolina Bank and Trust is committed to maintaining and expanding effective systems to facilitate the convenient delivery of services. At the same time, we maintain the privacy of your information regardless of the method of delivery. Information gathered via the Internet or other electronic means will be used only for appropriate purposes, such as evaluation of the effectiveness of our Website, designing new products/services for the benefit of our customers, or estimating system capacity needed to conveniently service our customers.
No Data "Capture" with Planning Tools
There may be planning tools throughout our Website to help you make financial decisions in the privacy of your home. When you use various planning tools on our site, the calculations run on your PC or our server. We will not capture the personal information you provide on these planning tools. Examples may include the loan calculator or a mortgage calculator.
South Carolina Bank and Trust offers a secure Web banking product to customers who have an account or loan with us. Upon entering into an agreement for using Web banking services, we track your transactions including where and how you access and use the account in order to prepare your monthly statement. In addition, we keep track of when and why you write or speak with us regarding your account. This allows us to provide consistent quality service.
Our Website utilizes "cookies." A cookie is a small text file placed on your hard drive by a Web server. Cookies do not harm your system, and they are commonly used on Websites to monitor traffic volume. Cookies allow our server and your computer to communicate during your visit to our Website. This allows us to customize screens based on your preferences, and to identify which part(s) of the site have been accessed. Information on site access allows us to continually enhance the most popular areas of our Website with added content and/or functionality. Cookies can be blocked through a browser's preferences or options.
Differentiating Between a Customer's Screen Name and Real Name
South Carolina Bank and Trust recognizes the difference between screen and real names, and may, from time to time, extend offers of goods and services to our customers at their e-mail address. In the event that a third party is used to extend an online offer on the bank's behalf, South Carolina Bank and Trust does not provide the companies that communicate the offers to you with the information sufficient to link your screen name and your name and address. This is just one of the ways we protect your online privacy. You may opt out of receiving these offers as described above.
Online Security
Customers can view additional information on how South Carolina Bank and Trust uses Internet security tools by accessing the Security Statement link within our secure site.
Keeping you Informed
We will continue to advise you of how we protect your privacy and limit the sharing of information you provide to us at a banking center, by phone, or through the Internet. Please note that since we cannot control information on other Internet sites, we are not responsible for the content or actions of sites linked from www.SCBTonline.com.
We reserve the right to change this policy at any time by posting a new privacy policy on our website.
