SECURITY'S PRIVACY POLICY AND NOTICE

 

At Security Bank Corporation ("Security"), we are committed to protecting the privacy and security of our customers' personal information and ensuring the accuracy of such information. We collect and maintain information about our customers to enable us to protect the security of their accounts, conduct our business in a manner consistent with banking laws and regulations, provide customers with information and offers on products and services to meet their needs, and satisfy legal requirements.

 

This Privacy Policy describes how Security and its affiliated companies* collect and use personal customer information and how we maintain the confidentiality and accuracy of such information. This policy also explains how customers can limit the communication of their non-public personal information by Security and its affiliated companies. It also describes how they can verify the accuracy of information regarding their accounts with us.

 

HOW WE OBTAIN PERSONAL CUSTOMER INFORMATION. This policy principally governs Security's use of non-public personal customer information. Non-public personal information is defined in applicable law and generally means financial information that is identified with an individual that is not obtainable from a public source. For example, a customer's checking account balance is non-public information. In contrast, the fact that a customer has a mortgage loan with us is public information because the mortgage is available from public government records. Non-public information includes any list, description, or other grouping of customers that is created using non-public information (whether or not the list also includes public information). For example, a list of mortgage customers that includes current loan balances would be non-public. Non-public information does not include any list, description, or grouping that is created using only public information.

We obtain personal customer information primarily from our customers (for example when they open an account with us or submit a loan application). We may also obtain such information from other sources (for example, when they apply for a loan, we may obtain a credit report on them and ask that they authorize us to verify their personal financial information). If we are unable to obtain such information as our business may require from our customers, we may be prevented from providing them with a service and/or may be compelled to terminate an account or service that we currently provide to them. We also maintain personal customer information resulting from their experience and transactions with us.

 

In the conduct of our business, we collect and maintain various types of information about our customers, including:

 

• Identification information, such as account numbers, Social Security numbers, date of birth and street address.
• Information regarding creditworthiness and credit capacity, such as customer assets, liabilities, employment, income and expenses that they may provide to us in a loan application.
• Account activity information, such as loan or deposit balances and transaction histories.
• Information regarding a customer's financial situation which allows us to recommend to them appropriate financial products, such as mortgage loans offered through Fairfield Financial, our mortgage lending affiliate.

 

 

HOW WE USE A CUSTOMER'S PERSONAL INFORMATION. We use customer personal information only for legitimate business purposes in a manner consistent with banking practices in compliance with applicable laws and regulations. The following summarizes the principal ways in which Security uses such information.

 

WITHIN SECURITY AND ITS AFFILIATED COMPANIES. Within Security and its affiliated companies, we use non-public personal information:

 

• To protect the security of customer accounts. For example, we use personal information for identification purposes to prevent unauthorized persons from accessing customers' accounts with us.
• To conduct our business in a safe and sound manner. For example, we use information gathered in loan applications to insure that we underwrite loans in a prudent manner consistent with the requirements of state and federal banking regulations.
• To satisfy legal requirements. For example, we use a customer's Social Security number for federal income tax reporting purposes.
• To provide better service to our customers. For example, if a customer banks at one of our Bibb County branches and cashes a check at another Security Bank branch location, the teller that serves the customer will verify the customer's balance with the Bibb County branch before cashing the check. Since the banks are separate, but affiliated, institutions, such sharing of information between them is necessary in order to allow us to meet the customer's request - thus providing better customer service.
• To help us determine which products and services may best serve customer needs. Some of these services might be offered by a Security affiliate. Again, for example, we offer home purchase and construction loans through our affiliate, Fairfield Financial. If we were unable to share customer information between the banks and the Fairfield affiliate, an important opportunity to make a loan to a customer might be lost.

 

 

WITH NONAFFILIATED THIRD PARTIES - We only share non-public personal information of customers and former customers as permitted by law, including the following situations:

 

• Legal Requirements. We are sometimes required to disclose personal information in order to comply with subpoenas, court orders, and legal reporting requirements, such as interest reporting to the Internal Revenue Service.
• Credit Reporting Agencies. We may disclose information relating to our experience with customers to credit reporting agencies and similar organizations, such as Equifax Systems.
• Written Consent. We may disclose a customer's personal information with their written consent, including when a customer gives someone power of attorney or other authorization to act on their behalf.
• Business Transfers. We may disclose personal information in connection with a proposed or actual transfer of accounts or a line of business to another company.
• We may disclose personal information to protect a customer's accounts against fraud and unauthorized transactions, to resolve customer disputes, and, as necessary, to Security's regulators, attorneys, accountants, and auditors.
• We may disclose all of the information we collect, as described above, to companies that perform marketing services upon our behalf or to other financial institutions with whom we have joint marketing agreements.

 

 

PROTECTING PERSONAL CUSTOMER INFORMATION FROM UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS. Safeguarding customer personal information is important at Security. We maintain systems, policies and procedures to protect such information from being accessed by unauthorized persons. We limit employee access to personal customer information to those with a legitimate business reason for such access. We will retain personal information only as long as necessary to service a customer's account, conform to safe and sound banking practices, or satisfy legal requirements. We train our employees in our privacy policy and procedures, and they are held accountable for adhering to them.

 

HOW TO LIMIT OUR USE OR DISCLOSURE OF YOUR OWN PERSONAL INFORMATION. As described in the Policy, from time to time, Security will share your personal information with affiliated companies and as otherwise permitted by law. If you would prefer that we not communicate your non-public personal information (other than transaction and experience information, which we are authorized to do under the Fair Credit Reporting Act) among our affiliated companies, you may instruct us not to do so (an Opt Out Request). You may accomplish this by visiting your local branch or by writing to us at: Security Bank, Customer Information, P. O. Box 4748, Macon, GA 31208.

 

In all communications please include your name as it appears on your account with us, as well as your address, Social Security number, and account number. Please allow up to 90 days for us to process your request, after receipt. Your request will not apply to: (a) disclosures of information regarding our experience with you, to the extent such disclosures are permitted by law (for example, information about your payment history disclosed to a credit bureau); (b) disclosures of personal information to another bank or financial institution with which we maintain a joint marketing relationship or private label credit card program; (c) disclosures required by law; or (d) any specific disclosures which you consent to in writing. You may revoke an Opt Out Request at any time.

 

ACCURACY OF CUSTOMER INFORMATION. At Security, we believe it is important that the information we maintain about your accounts with us is as accurate as possible. We maintain internal controls to help ensure the accuracy of such information. If you believe that any such information is inaccurate or incomplete, please contact us and we will take appropriate action to correct or amend our records. If you wish to review information regarding your accounts with us, please visit your local branch. Depending on the research required to compile the requested information, Security may charge a fee for such services as described in the Account and Service Fees schedule you received when you opened your account. We will provide you with an estimate of such a fee. If we are unable to comply with your request (for example, because the information no longer exists or is impractical to retrieve), we will explain the reasons why.

 

*These affiliated companies are Security Bank of Bibb County (AKA Security Bank of Glynn County) , Security Bank of Houston County, Security Bank of Jones County, Security Bank of North Metro, Security Bank of North Fulton (FKA Neighbors Bank), Security Bank of Gwinnett County (FKA Homestead Bank)  and Fairfield Financial Services, Inc. We may add companies to the Security family and, if so, those new affiliates would follow this Policy.

 

 

 

 

(Privacy Policy Statement)  Revised 01/08