Privacy Policy

At Lending Expert Limited, we’re committed to protecting and respecting your privacy. This Policy explains when and why we collect personal information about people who visit our website, how we use it, the conditions under which we may disclose it to others and how we keep it secure. We may change this Policy from time to time so please check this page occasionally to ensure that you’re happy with any changes. By using our website, you’re agreeing to be bound by this Policy.

Topics

  • Who are we?
  • What information do we collect from you?
  • How do you keep my information secure?
  • What do we use your personal information for?
  • Who might we share your information with to provide our services?
  • Who we might share your information with for other uses?
  • Will you send me any communications?
  • Will you send me any marketing communications?
  • Credit Searches
  • How long do we keep hold of your information?
  • How can I access the information you hold about me?
  • What are my rights?
  • Do you use cookies?
  • International transfers
  • Changes to this Privacy Policy
  • How can I contact you and Preference Management?

Who are we

Lending Expert Limited (Lending Expert) is entered on the Financial Services Register under reference number: 660914 .

Lending Expert is registered in England and Wales with company number 08652292 and its registered office is at The Steam Mill, Chester, CH3 5AN.

Lending Expert is a Data Controller and is responsible for the personal information we collect about you. We are Licenced by the Information Commissioner’s Office (registration number ZA018282).

We have appointed a Data Protection Officer whose contact information can be found at the bottom of this page.

If you do not provide your personal information, we will not be able to provide our service where we introduce you to lenders or providers of financial services. You will however still be able to use our other price comparison services we may operate on the website.

What information do we collect from you?

We collect personal information about you:

  • 1. When you apply for a loan, mortgage or other financial services product via our website;
  • 2. When you are introduced to us or your application is provided to us by one of our partners.
  • 3. From Credit Reference Agencies so we can check whether you are eligible for a loan or other financial service; and
  • 4. When you voluntarily provide feedback via our contact form, email or telephone.

Website usage information is collected using cookies and further information can be found here.

The type of information we collect from you during an online application includes, but is not limited to, your: name, current and previous addresses, residential status, marital status, number of dependents, date of birth, email address, telephone numbers (home, mobile, work), employment status, income details, bank account and sort code, IP address and device type.

We do not collect any personal information from children, or about children, nor do we collect sensitive or special category data.

How do you keep my information secure?

Your security and privacy comes first in everything we do; if your personal information is not secure then it’s not private. We utilise the most advanced security infrastructure and measures to ensure your personal information is private whilst in transit and at rest. If we share your information to any third parties, we will only do so if we are sure that they maintain the same levels of security and privacy as ourselves.

What do we use your personal information for?

What we use your personal information for Further detail Lawful basis we rely upon
Process your application and to take steps to introduce you to a lender, broker or alternative solution provider, according to your request (our Services). Enable us to provide your information to lenders, other brokers or alternative solution providers.

Validate your identity.

Access your credit history.

Enable us to contact you regarding your application.

Help us to find you the most appropriate product(s).

Confirm that you can afford the selected product(s).

Confirm whether you were accepted for a product following our introduction to a lender, other broker or an alternative solution provider.

To enable the lender to contact you via telephone to discuss the product(s) that are presented to you in your results through the Lending Expert website.

  1. It is necessary to perform the contract that we have in place with you to provide our Services (for example where you have accepted our terms and conditions).
  2. Necessary for the legitimate interest of providing our Services that you have requested when applying for a loan or other financial service via one of our introducer partners.
To improve our business and develop and improve the ways we serve our customers. Extract certain information for the purpose of generating statistics for our own internal purposes (including credit and/or behaviour scoring, and market product analysis).

Develop and manage products and services to meet your needs.

Determine your eligibility for different products and services that may be of interest to you.

Update our website to better meet your needs in the future.

  1. Necessary for the legitimate interest of improving and developing our business and the products and services we provide to customers.
To develop and carry out marketing activities. To develop products and services and deciding whether they may be of interest to you.

Sending you marketing about products and services that we feel may be of interest to you or that you have indicated an interest in whilst using our services.

  1. Consent (e.g. when you have opted in to receive marketing by email or SMS from us).
  2. Legitimate interest of developing our business and to send you marketing about products and services which we think may be of interest.
To manage risk, prevent crime and to comply with all our legal and regulatory obligations. Detect, prevent and investigate actual and potential fraud and related activities such as money laundering.

To respond to any requests for information from our regulators (e.g. the FCA).

To respond to complaints and try and resolve them with our customers.

  1. Necessary for the legitimate interest of protecting our business, complying with the rules and regulations that apply to us and detecting and dealing with crime.
  2. To comply with our legal obligations
Sharing your information with other companies. See further detail below.
  1. Legitimate interest of developing our business and the legitimate interest of the other companies we share your personal information with (see further detail below).

Who might we share your information with to provide our services?

To enable us to find you the most appropriate product, to complete our Services and to run our business, we will need to share your information with the following third parties, operating as data controllers or data processors:

Category Further information (click to view Privacy Policy)
Equity Release Age Partnership
Fluent Lifetime
First Choice Finance
Retirement Solutions
Visionary Markets
Loan Providers (Personal, Short-term, guarantor and brokers) Including but not limited to:

Bamboo
Everyday Loans
George Banco
Lendable
Lending Works
My Community Finance
Shawbrook Bank
The Money Platform
UK Credit
Loans Warehouse
Pingyo
Nouveau Finance

Credit card providers Totally Money
Secured loan providers Aro
Better.co.uk
Finspace Group
Fluent Money
The Loan Partnership
Loanable
Norton Finance Group
Loans Warehouse
Car Finance loan providers and brokers Car Finance 247
Match Me Car Finance
Mortgage providers Fluent Mortgages
First Choice Finance
Partners
Alternative Solution Providers Debt Management and Individual Voluntary Arrangement (IVA) providers.
Credit Referencing Agencies TransUnion (formerly Call Credit) whose privacy policy can be found by this link, Equifax and Experian.
Third party processors These are companies who provide services to us and who may process your personal information based solely on the instructions they receive from us. For example, IT providers, companies that host our platforms and keep them secure and who send our communications.
Identity and Verification service providers
Behavioural scoring and profiling providers

Who we might share your information with for other uses?

We may also share your personal information for commercial gain with carefully selected reputable organisations acting as either controllers or processors either direct or via one of the companies in our business. These organisations may have a relationship with you or it may be used where they have a lawful reason.

You have a legal right to object to your information being shared with these third parties for the purposes set out below. You can request such action by using our contact details at the bottom of this page.

These third parties may use your personal information for the following purposes:

The third parties who may use your personal information for all or some of the above purposes are listed below.

Debt collection agencies
Credit Referencing Agencies
Data aggregation companies
Data bureaux
Identity and Verification service providers
Tracing companies
Government agencies
Banks and other financial institutions
Experian
Equifax

TransUnion (formerly Call Credit) – TransUnion may use your personal information for analysing and modelling your personal Information (such as predicting information about you), to help you to be traced if important information or assets should be returned to you. They may also use your data in a similar manner to aid debt recovery. The data may also be used to prevent fraud by helping to identify you (for instance when applying for new products). TransUnion may also provide the data (including the modelled data) to other organisations to aid the assessment and pricing of credit, insurance and similar financial products for you, in particular when very little other data is available. If you do not wish for your data to be used this way by TransUnion then please contact us. For details of the TransUnion privacy policy, click here.

Will you send me any communications?

As part of our Services, we will send you electronic communications (emails and SMS) relating to the products you’ve requested and relating to any application(s) that you have made. Unless you are registered with the Telephone Preference Service, some Loan Providers may also contact you by telephone to discuss a product that was presented to you in your Results on the Lending Expert website as part of the introduction service that we provide. This is a service offered by default, for free and is part of our Services.

You can still request that this communication is stopped using the contact details at the bottom of this page.

You may also receive electronic types of communications from any providers that we introduce you to, dependent on their policy. This communication may continue for the term of your product or service requested to ensure your continued satisfaction.

Will you send me any marketing communications?

We may send you direct marketing communications by email or SMS about other products and services that may be of interest to you. This service is not provided by default, is still free, but will only be provided if you have given us your explicit consent, and only via the channels you have agreed. Marketing will be sent within a reasonable period following your consent.

You can still request that this communication is stopped using the contact details at the bottom of this page.

Credit Searches

We may make searches about you at credit reference agencies who will supply us with credit information, as well as information from the Electoral Register. The agencies will record details of the search whether or not this application proceeds. We may use credit-scoring methods to assess this application and to verify your identity. Credit searches and other information which is provided to us and/or the credit reference agencies, about you and those with whom you are linked financially may be used by us and other companies if credit decisions are made about you, or other members of your household. This information may also be used for debt tracing and the prevention of money laundering as well as the management of your account.

Information held about you by the Credit Reference Agencies may be linked to records relating to your partner. For the purposes of this application you and your partner are financially independent and you request that your application be assessed without reference to any “associated” records, although you recognise that this may adversely affect the outcome of your application. You believe that there is no information relating to your partner that is likely to affect our willingness to offer financial services to you. You authorise us to check the validity of this declaration with credit reference agencies and if we discover any associated records, which would affect the accuracy of this declaration we may decide not to proceed with the application on this basis. We may periodically check and update your credit profile to provide you with update to date relevant offers. This will not impact your credit score, credit worthiness or your ability to obtain credit.

How long do we keep hold of your information?

The amount of time we hold your information depends on the reason it was provided. Your personal information will not be kept indefinitely and will only be kept for as long as is required for legitimate business reasons (for example to provide you with our Services or for the other reasons we explained above) and in order for us to comply with our legal and regulatory obligations.

The personal information we receive when you make an application (whether on our website or which comes to us via one of the websites of our partners) is kept for a minimum of six years, which will commence at the end of the relationship. We are required to do so to ensure that if any disputes or complaints are raised, we have your information to enable us to address the complaints or disputes.

If you request that we do not contact you for advertising and marketing reasons, we will need to keep your information as this would reflect your preferences.

To request details relating to your personal information retention, please use the contact details at the bottom of this page.

How can I access the information you hold about me?

You will be able to access the records we hold about you upon request. We will not charge a fee to provide this information, unless the request is manifestly unfounded or excessive. If you require further copies a fee may apply. To request access to your information please contact [email protected]

What are my rights?

You have the following rights regarding the processing of your personal information, given to you through legislation:

  1. The right to be informed
    You have a right to be informed about how your personal information is processed in a concise, transparent, intelligible and easily accessible manner, written in clear and plain language, that is free of charge. This is the purpose of this Privacy Policy.
  2. The right of access
    You have the right to obtain confirmation that your personal information is being processed and to have access to that personal information. You can request this using the contact details at the bottom of this page.
  3. The right to rectification
    You have the right to have your personal information rectified if it is incorrect or incomplete and we must notify any third parties that have been shared your personal information to do the same. You can request this using the contact details at the bottom of this page.
  4. The right to erasure
    You have a “right to be forgotten”, or to have your personal information erased and to prevent processing. The right is not absolute and in certain circumstances this may not be possible. You can request this using the contact details at the bottom of this page.
  5. The right to restrict processing
    You have the right to ‘block’ or suppress the processing of your personal information. This does not stop the storing of your personal information, as it may be required to restrict processing in the future. You can request this using the contact details at the bottom of this page.
  6. The right to data portability
    You have the right to obtain and reuse your personal information for your own purposes across different services in a safe and secure way, without hindrance to usability. You can request this using the contact details at the bottom of this page.
  7. The right to object
    You have the right to object to processing based on legitimate interests or the performance of a task in the public interest/exercise of official authority (including profiling); direct marketing (including profiling); and processing for purposes of scientific/historical research and statistics. You can request this using the contact details at the bottom of this page.
  8. Rights in relation to automated decision making and profiling
    You have a right to object to automated decision making, to express your point of view, ask for human intervention, and to be provided with an explanation of the decision with your option to challenge it. The right is not absolute and is not applicable for the entering into a consumer credit agreement. You can request this using the contact details at the bottom of this page.
  9. The right to withdraw consent
    If you have given us explicit consent to process your personal information you have a right to withdraw that consent at any time, including but not limited to the removal of consent for marketing. You can request this using the contact details at the bottom of this page.
  10. The right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority
    You have the right to lodge a complaint with us directly and / or with a supervisory authority. In the UK the relevant authority is the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). You can find their contact details here: https://ico.org.uk/global/contact-us/.

Do you use cookies?

Lending Expert uses cookies to help us analyse the traffic on our site and customer behaviour. Cookies may also be used by our partners to understand marketing and traffic patterns. Whilst visiting our website, any pages you choose to view will download cookies onto your computer. Cookies are a good way of helping us measure and assess our visitors and their own profiles, which then enables us to offer our customers a better service. Although we use cookies as above, we would not store anything that would make you identifiable i.e. passwords or locations, activity relating to finances and also your preferences. We also use customer information in order to help us to see how effective our website is, and also to highlight any improvements we may need to make. This information may in turn be passed to other businesses (third parties) purely for advertising reasons. Please be assured again that this information will not include personal information that can make you identifiable. Most web browsers will automatically accept cookies, however you can change normally your browser settings to prevent automatic acceptance. Please be aware that if you do not accept cookies, Lending Expert Limited cannot guarantee that our website will perform as well.

International Transfers

Your personal information is stored on our secure servers.

As part of our Services, the information which you provide to us may be transferred to countries outside the European Economic Area (EEA). For example, we have staff who work for us operating in South Africa. We also have third party processors based in China and USA. These countries may not have similar data protection laws to the UK. By submitting your personal data, you’re agreeing to this transfer, storing or processing. If we transfer your information outside of the EEA in this way, we will take steps to ensure that appropriate security measures are taken with the aim of ensuring that your privacy rights continue to be protected as outlined in this Policy. For example, we have put in place contracts with our third-party processors that mean they must protect it to the same standards as the EEA. Please contact us should you wish further information in respect of international transfers.

Changes to this privacy policy

We may make changes to this privacy policy from time to time. You should check this page regularly to see our most up to date policy. We will tell you about any changes to this privacy policy by showing the date of the changes in the “Last updated” section above.

How can I contact you and Preference Management?

If you have any queries or concerns relating to our privacy policy then please send an email to our team and Data Protection Officer at: [email protected]

Alternatively you can write to us at the following address:

Lending Expert Limited
The Steam Mill
Chester
CH3 5AN

Do not contact / Opt-out of marketing request

You can also request to Opt-out of marketing and for us not to contact you here.