Gateway Financial Group, Inc. Privacy Policy
Protecting Your Privacy and Security
At Gateway Financial, your privacy is a priority.
The collection and use of personal client information is fundamental to our ability to service you as our clients. We collect and use information for such purposes as evaluating a request for insurance, administering our products or services, evaluating benefit claims, processing requested transactions and offering additional Gateway Financial Group financial products or services.
Our relationship with you is our most important asset. We understand that you have entrusted us with your private financial information, and we will do everything we can to maintain that trust. The following are details of our approach to privacy.
The following points provide an overview of the Gateway Financial Group, Inc. Privacy Policy. Throughout this document, we refer to information that personally identifies you or your accounts as "personal information."
1. We do not sell your personal information to anyone.
2. We do not disclose personal information to third parties, unless one of the following limited exceptions applies:
We disclose personal information, such as account and transaction data, to companies, including financial institutions that contract with Gateway Financial Group, Inc. to issue policies, execute transactions, act in a custodial capacity, etc. We have contracts with these companies that obligate them to use your personal information only for the purpose of executing the specific services we have requested.
We may disclose personal information to companies that help us process or service your transactions or account(s). We have contracts with these companies that obligate them to use your personal information only for the purpose of executing the specific services we have requested.
We may disclose or report personal information in limited circumstances where we believe in good faith that disclosure is required by law. (For example, to cooperate with regulators or law enforcement authorities, resolve consumer disputes, perform credit/authentication checks, etc.)
The insurance companies we work with on your behalf may make a brief report to the MIB, a non-profit membership organization of life insurance companies, which operates an information exchange on behalf of its members. If you apply to another MIB member insurance company for life or health insurance coverage, or claim for benefits is submitted such a company, the MIB, upon request, will supply such company with information in its file. Similarly, in the insurance company or its reinsurers may release information in its file to other life insurance companies to which you may apply for life or health insurance or to which a claim for benefits may be submitted. They may also disclose personal information to your doctor if they find a serious health problem you do not know about. Further, they may contract with a consumer-reporting agency to prepare an investigative consumer report and this agency may keep the information it has gathered and disclose it to others.
We may share personal information with affiliated companies and regulatory agencies. For example, Gateway Financial Group, Inc. is a Member Firm of the M Financial Group and may offer securities and other investment services through M Holdings Securities, Inc. ("M Securities"), a subsidiary of M Financial Group. M Securities is a registered broker-dealer and investment advisor and is required by its various regulatory authorities such as the U.S. Securities Exchange Commission ("SEC"), National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. ("NASD"), and state jurisdictions to collect, review and maintain certain personal information such as investment history, financial data, and employment history in order to fulfill various regulatory requirements.
Outside of these exceptions, we will not share your personal information with third parties unless you have specifically asked us to do so.
3. We do collect personal information in the normal course of business in order to administer your accounts and serve you better.
Most information we collect is obtained directly from you or from your representative when applying for products or services. For life insurance products, we may collect information pertaining to a person?s health, occupation, avocations or other personal characteristics. We also collect information that you provide to us when you open an account, make application to or through Gateway Financial Group, Inc. for the purchase of a securities product or service, or to register for one or more of our services such as financial analysis. The information we collect may include name, address, phone number, email address, Social Security number, date of birth, marital status, financial information and information about your investment desires and experience.
Information From Third Parties If we need to verify information or need additional information, we may obtain information from third parties; for example, consumer-reporting agencies, employers, plan sponsors, third party administrators, insurance companies, etc.
Personal information collected from you and third parties may vary depending upon the type of policy or service for which you apply. We typically only collect medical information in connection with underwriting life insurance policies or as may be necessary for claim settlement purposes.
4. We protect the confidentiality and security of your personal information.
Companies we hire to provide support services are not allowed to use your personal information for their own purposes and are contractually obligated to maintain strict confidentiality. We limit their use of your personal information to the performance of the specific service we have requested.
We restrict access to personal information to select employees and agents who have a need for such information for business purposes only. All such employees are trained and required to safeguard such information.
We maintain physical, electronic, and procedural safeguards to guard your personal information.
5. We continue to evaluate our efforts to protect personal information and make every effort to keep your personal information accurate and up to date.
If you identify any inaccuracy in your personal information, or you need to make a change to that information, please contact us so that we may promptly update our records and better serve you.
6. We will provide notice of changes in our information-sharing practices.
If, at any time in the future, it is necessary to disclose any of your personal information in a way that is inconsistent with this policy, we will give you advance notice of the proposed change so that you will have the opportunity to decline such disclosure.
If you have any questions or concerns about our Privacy Policy, please contact us at 412-497-1750.