Online Privacy Policy

Effective as of March 1st, 2024

Introduction

Republic Finance, LLC, its affiliates, assigns, or successors (“Republic Finance,” “we,” “our,” or “us”) respects the privacy of your information. This Online Privacy Policy (“Privacy Policy”) is designed to assist you in understanding how we collect, use and safeguard the information you provide to us in using our website and mobile application (collectively, “Site”), and the services provided through our Site (“Services”).

If you have a consumer financial product or service with us, we will use and share any information that we collect from or about you in accordance with our U.S. Consumer Privacy Notice, which offers you certain choices with respect to the use and sharing of your personal information.

From time to time, we may change this Privacy Policy. If we do, we will post an amended version on this webpage. Please review this Privacy Policy periodically.

This Privacy Policy covers the following topics:
 
  1. COLLECTING AND USING INFORMATION
  2. HOW WE USE YOUR INFORMATION
  3. HOW WE SHARE YOUR INFORMATION
  4. BIOMETRIC INFORMATION WE COLLECT
  5. COOKIES AND OTHER TRACKING TECHNOLOGIES
  6. THIRD PARTY PROCESSORS
  7. “DO NOT TRACK” SIGNALS
  8. CHOICES ABOUT YOUR PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION
  9. SECURITY
  10. THIRD PARTY LINKS
  11. CHILDREN'S PRIVACY
  12. HOW TO CONTACT US
 
1. INFORMATION WE COLLECT ONLINE

Personally Identifiable Information We Collect Online

We collect Personally Identifiable Information from you through your use of the Site and Services. “Personally Identifiable Information” is individually identifiable information about an individual consumer that we collect online and that we maintain in an accessible form. We collect the following types of Personally Identifiable Information:

Information You Provide

We may collect the following Personally Identifiable Information that you voluntarily provide to us in using our Site and Services:
 
  • Contact Us. When you choose to contact us through our online form, we collect your first and last name, email address, phone number, and any Personally Identifiable Information that you choose to submit in the free text fields.
 
  • Get Pre-Qualified. When you apply online for a financial service with us, we collect your, and to the extent applicable, your co-applicant’s first and last name, home address, email address, telephone number, social security number, and date of birth.
 
  • Apply for a Loan. When you complete a loan application online, in addition to the information you provided to pre-qualify, we collect your bank account information, employment information, and information about your assets, debts, and income. We may also collect a copy of your valid U.S. Government-issued or State-issued photo ID, such as a driver’s license. We may additionally collect documentation to verify your income and/or bank account, such as a pay stub, personal bank statement, or voided check. You may choose to utilize our third-party processor, RIBBIT, to verify bank and income information. For more information on RIBBIT, please see the section, “Third Party Processors”, below.
 
  • Online Account Access. To register for an online account, we collect your last name, social security number, and date of birth to lookup your account. We may additionally ask for your first name, mailing address, and telephone number. To sign into your online account, we collect your username and password. Loan payments completed through your online account are processed by our third-party payment processor. For more information, please see the section, “Third Party Processors”, below.
 
  • Participate in Survey. If you choose to engage with the Site’s survey widget you may choose to provide your email address or telephone number to be contacted to participate in a customer research session. The customer research session may be conducted over a third-party video conferencing platform and, with your consent, will be recorded. We will collect any additional Personally Identifiable Information that you choose to provide during your research session, including video and audio with your consent.

Information as You Navigate Our Site

We automatically collect certain Personally Identifiable Information through your use of the Site and Services, such as the following:
 
  • Usage Information. For example, pages on the Site you access, the frequency of access, and what you click on while on the Site.
 
  • Device Information. For example, hardware model, unique device identifier, operating system, application version number, and browser.
 
  • Mobile Device Information. Aggregated information about whether the Site is accessed via a mobile device or tablet, the device type, and the carrier.
 
  • Location Information. Location information from Site visitors on a city-regional basis.

Information Collected from Other Sources

We may obtain Personally Identifiable Information from other sources, such as lead generators and information about your credit profile or other information from Experian, TransUnion, Equifax, and Lexis Nexis. We also use third-party providers to obtain contact information in order to market certain of our Services via email or on social media platforms.

Third Party Information

In some cases, we may receive certain Personally Identifiable Information from you about a third party. For example, as part of our registration process, you may provide the first and last name, home address, email address, personal phone number, social security number, and date of birth of your co-applicant. If you submit any Personally Identifiable Information about another individual to us, you are responsible for making sure that you have the authority to do so and to allow us to use their Personally Identifiable Information in accordance with this Privacy Policy.  
 
2. HOW WE USE YOUR INFORMATION
 

We use the Personally Identifiable Information we collect to provide the Services to you, to improve our Site and Services, and to protect our legal rights. In addition, we may use the Personally Identifiable Information we collect to:

  • Process your account registration;
  • Process transactions, such as your prequalification or loan application(s);
  • Underwrite your prequalification application and/or loan;
  • Verify your identity and prevent fraud;
  • Contact you regarding surveys, product or customer experience reviews, and customer research sessions;
  • Review your job application;
  • Contact you regarding our or third parties’ products and services that we feel may be of interest to you;
  • Communicate with you about our Site or Services or to inform you of any changes to our Site or Services;
  • Communicate with you about your transactions;
  • Communicate with you about your account and collect amounts you owe;
  • Provide support;
  • Maintain and improve our Site and Services;
  • Investigate, prevent, or take action regarding illegal activities, suspected fraud, situations involving potential threats to the physical safety or any person or violations of our Terms of Use, and to otherwise fulfill our legal obligations;
  • Monitor compliance with and enforce this Privacy Policy and any other applicable agreements and policies;
  • Fulfill any other purposes for which you provide it, or any other purpose we deem necessary or appropriate;
  • Defend our legal rights and the rights of others;
  • Efficiently maintain our business; and
  • Comply with applicable law.
 
3. HOW WE SHARE YOUR INFORMATION
 

We may share the information that we collect about you in the following ways:

  • •  With our parent company, subsidiaries and affiliates;
  • •  With vendors who perform data or Site-related services on our behalf (e.g., email, hosting, maintenance, backup, analysis, etc.);
  • •  With vendors who perform surveys, product or customer experience reviews, or customer research studies on our behalf;
  • •  For identity verification and fraud prevention;
  • •  With credit bureaus to obtain credit reports;
  • •  To vendors to prepare, deploy and analyze advertising content, including for joint marketing with other companies;
  • •  To non-affiliates for their marketing purposes;
  • •  To the extent that we are required to do so by law;
  • •  In connection with any legal proceedings or prospective legal proceedings;
  • •  To establish, exercise, or defend our or a third party’s legal rights, including providing information to others for the purposes of fraud prevention;
  • •  With any person who we reasonably believe may apply to a court or other competent authority for disclosure of that Personally Identifiable Information where, in our reasonable opinion, such court or authority would be reasonably likely to order disclosure of that Personally Identifiable Information;
  • •  With any other person or entity as part of any business or asset sale, equity transaction, merger, acquisition, bankruptcy, liquidation, or similar proceeding, or in preparation for any of these events;
  • •  With any other person or entity where you consent to the disclosure; and
  • • For any other purpose disclosed by us when you provide the Personally Identifiable Information or for any other purpose we deem necessary, including to protect the health or safety of others.

We also use third-party processors, for example, to prevent fraud, to facilitate recruitment and our careers page, for cloud storage services, to conduct surveys, and to provide other Services to you.
 
4. BIOMETRIC INFORMATION WE COLLECT

As part of our pre-qualification process, you may be asked to verify your identity through our vendor, IDology Inc (IDology). Using a mobile device, you will be asked to take a picture of yourself and upload a picture of an identification such as your driver’s license. If you are not using a mobile device, you will be texted a link to access on a mobile device to complete the process. IDology uses facial recognition technology to match your picture to your identification. The use of this technology may constitute the capture of biometric identifiers under the Texas Capture or Use of Biometric Identifier Act, Bus & Com. § 503.001 et seq., which defines a biometric identifier to include a record of face geometry.

By providing your picture and identification, you agree and consent to our and IDology’s use of facial recognition technology to match your picture to your identification, including the collection of biometric identifiers. If you do not consent to our and IDology’s processing of your biometric identifiers, do not proceed with the pre-qualification process and do not submit your picture and identification.

We will not sell, lease, or otherwise disclose your biometric identifiers to another person unless permitted by law. We will store, transmit and protect from disclosure your biometric identifiers using reasonable care and in a manner that is the same as or more protective than the manner in which we store, transmit, and protect from disclosure other confidential and sensitive information.

We and IDology will destroy the biometric identifiers within a reasonable time, but not later than the first anniversary of the date the purpose for collecting them expires, unless we are required by law to maintain them for a longer period of time.

IDology’s privacy policy is available here.

 
5. COOKIES AND OTHER TRACKING TECHNOLOGIES

How We Use Cookies

Like many other companies, we use cookies and other tracking technologies (such as pixels and web beacons) (collectively, “Cookies”). “Cookies” are small files of information that are stored by your web browser software on your computer hard drive, mobile or other devices (e.g., smartphones or tablets).

We use Cookies to: 
 
  • Estimate audience size and usage patterns;
  • Understand and save your preferences for future visits, allowing us to customize the Site and Services to your individual needs;
  • Advertise new content and services that relate to your interests;
  • Keep track of advertisements and search engine results;
  • Compile aggregate data about site traffic and site interactions to resolve issues and offer better site experiences and tools in the future; and
  • Recognize when you return to the Site.

We set some Cookies ourselves and others are set by other entities. We use Cookies set by other entities to provide us with useful information to help us improve our Site and Services, to conduct advertising, and to analyze the effectiveness of advertising. For example, we use Cookies from Google and other similar companies.

How You Can Opt-Out of Cookies

Browser Settings

Cookies can be blocked by changing your Internet browser settings to refuse all or some Cookies. If you choose to block all Cookies (including essential Cookies) you may not be able to access all or parts of the Site.

You can find out more about Cookies and how to manage them by visiting www.allaboutcookies.org.

Platform Controls

You can opt out of Cookies set by specific entities by following the instructions found at these links:
 
Advertising Industry Resources

You can understand which entities have currently enabled Cookies for your browser or mobile device and how to opt-out of some of those Cookies by accessing the Network Advertising Initiative’s website or the Digital Advertising Alliance’s website. For more information on mobile specific opt-out choices, visit the Network Advertising Initiative’s Mobile Choices website.

Please note that these opt-out mechanisms are specific to the device or browser on which they are exercised. Therefore, you will need to opt out on every browser and device that you use.

Google Analytics
 

We use Google Analytics, a web analytics service provided by Google, Inc. Google Analytics uses Cookies or other tracking technologies to help us analyze how users interact with the Site and Services, compile reports on their activity, and provide other services related to their activity and usage. The technologies used by Google may collect information such as your IP address, time of visit, whether you are a returning visitor, and any referring website. The technologies used by Google Analytics do not gather information that personally identifies you. The information generated by Google Analytics will be transmitted to and stored by Google and will be subject to Google’s privacy policies. To learn more about Google’s partner services and to learn how to opt-out of tracking of analytics by Google, click here..
 

Google reCAPTCHA
 

We use Google reCAPTCHA, a free service provided by Google, Inc., to protect our Site from spam and abuse. Google reCAPTCHA uses advanced risk analysis techniques to decipher humans and bots. Google reCAPTCHA works differently depending on what version is deployed. For example, you may be asked to check a box indicating that you are not a robot or Google reCAPTCHA may detect abusive traffic without user interaction. Google reCAPTCHA works by transmitting certain types of information to Google, such as the referrer URL, IP address, visitor behavior, operating system information, browser and length of the visit, cookies, and mouse movements. Your use of Google reCAPTCHA is subject to Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. More information as to Google reCAPTCHA and how it works is available here.


Hotjar

We use Hotjar on the desktop Site in order to better understand our users’ needs and to optimize the service and experience. Hotjar is a technology service that helps us better understand our users’ experience (e.g., how much time they spend on which pages, which links they choose to click, what users do and don’t like, etc.) and this enables us to build and maintain our service with user feedback. Hotjar uses cookies and other technologies to collect data on our users’ behavior and their devices. This includes a device’s IP address (processed during your session and stored in a de-identified form), device screen size, device type (unique device identifiers), browser information, geographic location (country only), and the preferred language used to display our Site. Hotjar stores this information on our behalf in a pseudonymized user profile. Hotjar is contractually forbidden to sell any of the data collected on our behalf. For more information, please view Hotjar’s privacy page by clicking here.
 
 
6.THIRD PARTY PROCESSORS

To ensure that your Personally Identifiable Information receives an adequate level of protection, we have put in place appropriate procedures with the service providers we share it with to ensure that it is treated consistent with applicable data security and privacy laws.

For example, we use Cash Flow Solutions, Inc. d/b/a RIBBIT.AI (“RIBBIT”) to enable us to connect with your bank accounts and we use ACI Worldwide to enable you to make online loan payments. RIBBIT’s privacy policy is available here and ACI’s privacy policy is available here.

We also use third-party processors, for example, to prevent fraud, to facilitate recruitment and our careers page, for cloud storage services, to conduct surveys, and to provide other Services to you.

 
 
7. "DO NOT TRACK" SIGNALS

Some internet browsers incorporate a “Do Not Track” feature that signals to websites you visit that you do not want to have your online activity tracked. Given that there is not a uniform way that browsers communicate the “Do Not Track” signal, the Site does not currently interpret, respond to or alter its practices when it receives “Do Not Track” signals.
 
8. CHOICES ABOUT YOUR PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION

Review and Request Changes to Your Personally Identifiable Information

Keeping your account information accurate and up to date is very important. To review or request changes to any of your Personally Identifiable Information, please contact customer service at (833) 907-1734 or contact your local branch.

Marketing Communications 

To unsubscribe from our marketing emails, please click the unsubscribe link included in the footer of our emails. This will not affect subsequent subscriptions and if your opt-out is limited to certain types of e-mails the opt-out will be so limited. If you subscribe to text messages from us, you can terminate a particular text message subscription by reply texting “STOP.” Subsequent or different subscriptions will be unaffected. Please view our Text Message (SMS) Terms of Use for more information. Please note that we reserve the right to send you certain communications relating to your account or use of our Site, such as administrative and service announcements and these transactional account messages may be unaffected if you choose to opt-out from receiving our marketing communications.

Mobile Application Permissions

Push Notifications

Upon download of the mobile application, you were provided the option to opt-in to receiving notifications that may include alerts, sounds, and icon badges.  These push notifications or in-app messages consist of operational messages regarding your account(s) (e.g., payments), they do not include promotional messages.  Push notifications can be configured in settings on your mobile device. 

Biometric Login

Rather than entering your username and password, the mobile application supports biometric authentication on certain devices. To setup biometric authentication, go to settings on your mobile device. You can then enable or disable biometric authentication within the settings of the mobile application. We do not have access to your biometric data.
 
9. SECURITY

We maintain commercially reasonable security measures to protect the Personally Identifiable Information we collect and store from loss, misuse, destruction, or unauthorized access. However, no security measure or modality of data transmission over the Internet is 100% secure. Although we strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect your Personally Identifiable Information, we cannot guarantee absolute security.
 
10. THIRD PARTY LINKS

The Site and Services may contain links that will let you leave the Site and Services and access another website. Linked websites are not under our control. This Privacy Policy applies solely to Personally Identifiable Information that is acquired by us on this Site and Services. We accept no responsibility or liability for these other websites.
 
11. CHILDREN’S PRIVACY

The Site and Services are not intended for children under 13 years of age. We do not knowingly collect, use, or disclose personal information from children under 13.
 
12. HOW TO CONTACT US

For questions or concerns about our privacy policies or practices please contact us.