Personal Information Collection Statement and Privacy Policy
HONG KONG CREDIT SERVICES LIMITED (the “Company”) is committed to comply with the data protection principles and relevant provisions under the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance (Cap 486, Law of Hong Kong) (the “Ordinance”). This Policy forms part of the agreement or arrangements that the Company enters into with a data subject.
Data subject(s) includes applicants for Products and Services (as defined below), customers, security providers, and other contractual counterparties supplying data (including personal data as defined in the Ordinance) to the Company.
From time to time, it is necessary for customers to supply the Company with data in connection with the opening or continuation of accounts and the establishment or continuation of credit facilities or provision of credit services.
Failure to supply such data may result in the Company being unable to open or continue accounts or establish or continue credit facilities or provide credit services.
It is also the case that data are collected from customers in the ordinary course of the continuation of The Company’s relationship with them, for example, when customers make credit card transactions.
The purposes for which data relating to a customer may be used are as follows:
The processing of applications for credit services and facilities;
The daily operation of the services and credit facilities provided to customers;
Conducting credit checks (including without limitation upon an application for consumer credit and upon periodic review of the credit) and carrying out matching procedures (as defined in the Ordinance);
Creating and maintaining the Company’s credit scoring models;
Assisting other financial institutions to conduct credit checks and collect debts;
Ensuring ongoing credit worthiness of customers;
Designing financial services or related products for customers’ use;
Marketing financial services or related products;
Determining the amount of indebtedness owed to or by customers;
Collection of amounts outstanding from customers and those providing security for customers’ obligations;
Assessing and analyzing any insurance claim and assisting insurance companies to conduct claim checks;
Meeting the requirements to make disclosure under the requirements of any law binding on the Company or any of its branches;
Enabling an actual or proposed assignee of the Company, or participant or sub-participant of the Company’s rights in respect of the customer to evaluate the transaction intended to be the subject of the assignment, participation or sub-participation;
Exchanging information with merchants, service providers, suppliers, business partners and card issuers; o. compiling statistical information and customer profiles;
Developing, researching, designing, launching, promoting and marketing of any products or services by the Company or selected third party entities and monitoring the provision, operation and use of such products or services;
Comparing data of customers and other persons for credit checking, data verification or otherwise producing or verifying data, whether or not for the purpose of taking adverse action against customers;
Maintaining a credit history of customers (whether or not there exists any relationship between the customer and the Company) for present and future reference; and purposes relating thereto.
Collection of amounts outstanding from customers and those providing security for customers’ obligations;
Data held by the Company relating to a customer will be kept confidential but the Company may provide such information to the following parties (whether in Hong Kong or abroad):
Any agent, contractor or third party service provider who provides administrative, telecommunications, computer, payment or securities clearing, debt collection, insurance, professional or other services to the Company in connection with the operation of its business:
Any of the branches, subsidiaries, holding company, associated companies or affiliates of or companies controlled by or under common control with the Company;
Any other person under a duty of confidentiality to the Company including a group company of the Company or a merchant or a business partner which has undertaken to keep such information confidential;
Any banking, financial or other institution with which the customer has or proposes to have dealings;
Any actual or proposed assignee of the Company or participant or sub-participant or transferee of the Company’s rights in respect of the customer;
Credit reference agencies and, in the event of default, to debt collection agencies;
Any party giving or proposing to give a guarantee or third party security to guarantee or secure the customer’s obligations;
Any insurance company and any association or federation of insurance companies; and any person to whom the Company is under an obligation to make disclosure under the requirements of any law binding on the Company or any of its branches.
Under and in accordance with the terms of the Ordinance and the Code of Practice on Consumer Credit Data approved and issued under the Ordinance, any individual has the right:
To check whether the Company holds data about him and access to such data;
To require the Company to correct any data relating to him which is inaccurate;
To ascertain the Company’s policies and practices in relation to data and to be informed of the kind of personal data held by the Company;
In relation to consumer credit, to request to be informed which items of data are routinely disclosed to credit reference agencies or debt collection agencies, and be provided with further information to enable the making of an access and correction request to the relevant credit reference agency or debt collection agency;
In relation to consumer credit data which have been supplied by the Company to a credit reference agency, to instruct the Company upon termination of an account by full repayment to make a request to the relevant credit reference agency to delete such account data from its database provided that there has been no default in payment for a period in excess of 60 days on the account within 5 years immediately before account termination. In the event the account has had a default in payment lasting in excess of 60 days the account data shall be retained by the credit reference agency until the expiry of 5 years from the date of final settlement of the amount in default or 5 years from the date of discharge of the individual’s bankruptcy as notified to the credit reference agency whichever is earlier.
In accordance with the terms of the Ordinance, the Company has the right to charge a reasonable fee for the processing of any data access request.
All requests for access to data or correction of data or for information regarding policies and practices and kinds of data held should be made in writing and addressed to:
The Data Protection Officer
HONG KONG CREDIT SERVICES LIMITED
Room 1135, 11/F, The Grid, 133 Wai Yip Street Kwun Tong, Kowloon, Hong Kong
The Company may from time to time access and obtain a credit report on the customer from a credit reference agency for reviewing any of the following matters in relation to the credit facilities granted:
An increase in the credit amount;
The curtailing of credit (including the cancellation of credit or a decrease in the credit amount); or the putting in place or the implementation of a scheme of arrangement with the customer.
Nothing in this Notice shall limit the rights of customers under the Ordinance.
If there is any inconsistency or conflict between the English and Chinese versions of this Notice, the Chinese version shall prevail.
If a customer does not wish to receive promotional materials from the Company, please inform the Data Protection Officer in writing.