Privacy Policy

Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA) Privacy Notice

As a financial institution, Hillcrest Lending is required by federal law to provide you with this privacy notice. This notice describes our privacy policy and practices regarding the nonpublic personal information we collect and disclose about our customers and consumers.

Categories of Information We Collect

We collect nonpublic personal information about you from the following sources:

• Information you provide to us on loan applications, investor questionnaires, and other forms, including your name, address, Social Security number, income, employment information, and financial statements.
• Information about your transactions with us, our affiliates, or others, such as your loan balance, payment history, and account activity.
• Information from consumer reporting agencies, including your creditworthiness and credit history.
• Information from other sources, such as property appraisals, title reports, and verification of employment or income from third parties.

Information We Disclose

We may disclose the nonpublic personal information described above to the following types of third parties:

• Service providers that perform services on our behalf, including loan servicers, appraisers, title companies, credit reporting agencies, and technology providers.
• Investors who fund or purchase loans originated by us, to the extent necessary to facilitate investment transactions and ongoing loan servicing.
• Regulatory authorities, including the California Department of Real Estate (DRE), the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (DFPI), and federal regulators, as required by law.
• Legal and compliance purposes, including to respond to subpoenas, court orders, or other legal processes, or to establish, exercise, or defend legal claims.

Confidentiality and Security

We restrict access to nonpublic personal information about you to those employees and service providers who need to know that information to provide products or services to you. We maintain physical, electronic, and procedural safeguards that comply with federal regulations to protect your nonpublic personal information.

California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) Disclosures

If you are a California resident, you have specific rights regarding your personal information under the CCPA, as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA). Note that certain personal information collected in the context of a financial transaction may be exempt from the CCPA under the GLBA exemption. The following disclosures apply to personal information not covered by the GLBA exemption.

Categories of Personal Information Collected

In the preceding 12 months, we have collected the following categories of personal information:

• Identifiers: Name, email address, phone number, mailing address, IP address.
• Financial information: Bank account numbers, credit history, income information, assets and liabilities.
• Commercial information: Records of real property, loan transaction history.
• Internet activity: Browsing history on our website, search queries, interaction with our online services.
• Geolocation data: Approximate location derived from IP address.
• Professional or employment information: Current employer, job title, employment history.
• Sensitive personal information: Social Security number (for loan applications only), financial account credentials.

Purposes for Collecting Personal Information

• Processing and underwriting loan applications
• Facilitating investment transactions and investor communications
• Verifying identity and preventing fraud
• Complying with legal and regulatory obligations
• Communicating with you about our products and services
• Improving our website and services
• Analyzing website usage and marketing effectiveness

Your CCPA Rights

As a California resident, you have the right to:

• Right to Know: Request that we disclose the categories and specific pieces of personal information we have collected about you, the categories of sources, the business purpose for collection, and the categories of third parties with whom we share it.
• Right to Delete: Request that we delete personal information we have collected from you, subject to certain exceptions (such as information necessary to complete a transaction or comply with a legal obligation).
• Right to Correct: Request that we correct inaccurate personal information we maintain about you.
• Right to Opt-Out of Sale/Sharing: We do not sell your personal information. We do not share your personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising.
• Right to Non-Discrimination: We will not discriminate against you for exercising your CCPA rights. We will not deny you services, charge different prices, or provide a different level of quality based on your exercise of these rights.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at corporate@hillcrestlending.com or call 949-656-4548. We will verify your identity before processing your request.

Data Retention

We retain your personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, including to satisfy legal, regulatory, accounting, or reporting requirements. For loan-related records, we retain information for a minimum of seven (7) years after the loan is paid off or otherwise resolved, as required by applicable state and federal regulations. For investor records, we retain information for the duration of the investment relationship and for a minimum of seven (7) years thereafter.

Website analytics data and cookie information is retained for up to twenty-six (26) months.

Cookie Policy

Our website uses cookies and similar tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience, analyze website traffic, and understand where our visitors come from. A cookie is a small text file stored on your device when you visit our website.

Types of Cookies We Use

• Essential Cookies: Necessary for the website to function properly. These cannot be disabled.
• Analytics Cookies: Help us understand how visitors interact with our website by collecting and reporting information anonymously.
• Marketing Cookies: Used to track visitors across websites to display relevant advertisements.

You can manage your cookie preferences through your browser settings. Note that disabling certain cookies may affect the functionality of our website.

Children's Privacy

Our services are not directed to individuals under the age of 16. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 16. If we become aware that we have collected personal information from a child under 16, we will take steps to delete that information promptly. If you believe we have inadvertently collected information from a child under 16, please contact us immediately.

Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or other factors. We will notify you of any material changes by posting the updated policy on our website with a new "Last Updated" date. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically.

Contact Information

If you have questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us: