PRIVACY POLICY

About This Policy

Sierra Finance is a commercial asset and equipment finance brokerage operated by Lawrence Hohnjec. We are authorised under the National Consumer Credit Protection Act 2009 (NCCP Act) and hold Australian Credit Licence authorisation to arrange both consumer and commercial finance. We are a member of the Finance Brokers Association of Australia (FBAA) and the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA).

This privacy policy explains how we collect, use, store and disclose your personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs). Where we handle credit related information, we also comply with Part IIIA of the Privacy Act and the Privacy (Credit Reporting) Code 2014 (CR Code).

By using our services or visiting sierrafinance.com.au, you agree to the terms of this policy.

1. What Personal Information We Collect

Depending on the nature of your enquiry or finance application, we may collect the following types of personal information:

Identity information: Full name, date of birth, residential address, driver's licence details, passport or other identification documents.

Contact details: Phone number, email address, postal address.

Financial information: Employment details, income and salary information, bank statements, existing debts and liabilities, assets, tax returns, business financials (including BAS, profit and loss statements, and balance sheets where applicable).

Credit information: Credit reports obtained from credit reporting bodies, credit scores, repayment history, and details of existing or previous credit arrangements.

Business information: ABN, ACN, business structure, trust deeds, partnership agreements, and director details for commercial finance applications.

Transaction information: Details of finance facilities arranged through us, settlement information, and ongoing account details.

Website and technical data: IP address, browser type, pages visited on our website, and cookies or similar tracking data collected when you visit sierrafinance.com.au.

Marketing preferences: Your preferences for receiving communications from us.

2. How We Collect Your Information

We collect personal information through the following methods:

Directly from you when you enquire about our services, submit a finance application, complete forms on our website, or communicate with us by phone, email or in person.

From third parties including credit reporting bodies (such as Equifax, illion, and Experian), your employer or accountant, your existing lenders or financial institutions, and publicly available sources such as ASIC registers and land title records.

Through our website using cookies and similar technologies that collect technical data about your browsing activity. See Section 9 below for more detail.

3. Why We Collect Your Information

We collect and use your personal information for the following purposes:

  • Assessing your finance requirements and identifying suitable lending options across our panel of 50+ lenders.
  • Preparing and submitting finance applications to lenders on your behalf.
  • Verifying your identity as required under Anti Money Laundering and Counter Terrorism Financing (AML/CTF) legislation and the NCCP Act.
  • Managing your finance application from submission through to settlement.
  • Complying with our legal and regulatory obligations, including our obligations under the NCCP Act, the Privacy Act, and AML/CTF laws.
  • Communicating with you about your application, your finance facility, or services that may be relevant to you.
  • Improving our services and website functionality.
  • Resolving complaints or disputes.

We will only use your personal information for the purpose for which it was collected, or for a directly related purpose you would reasonably expect, unless we have your consent or are required by law to do otherwise.

4. Who We Share Your Information With

In the course of arranging finance on your behalf, we may disclose your personal information to:

Lenders and financiers on our panel, for the purpose of assessing and processing your finance application.

Our aggregator (Optimise Financial Group), who provides us with access to lender panels, compliance support, and technology platforms.

Credit reporting bodies including Equifax, illion, and Experian. These bodies may include the information we provide in reports given to other credit providers to assist them in assessing your creditworthiness.

Insurers and insurance brokers where you request or require insurance in connection with a finance facility (such as asset insurance, loan protection, or trade credit insurance).

Professional advisers including accountants, lawyers, and auditors as required.

Government agencies and regulators including ASIC, the Australian Taxation Office, AUSTRAC, and state or territory revenue offices, where required by law.

IT and technology service providers that support our business operations, including website hosting, CRM systems, and document management platforms.

We do not sell your personal information to any third party.

5. Credit Reporting

When you apply for credit through Sierra Finance, we may:

  • Obtain a credit report about you from one or more credit reporting bodies.
  • Disclose credit related information about you to credit reporting bodies, including the type of credit you have applied for and the amount.
  • Use your credit report information to assess your application.

Credit reporting bodies may include information we provide in reports given to other credit providers. You have the right to request a copy of any credit report we have obtained about you.

If you believe you have been a victim of fraud, you may request a credit reporting body to place a ban on the use of your credit reporting information for a period of time.

For more information about how credit reporting bodies handle your information, you can contact them directly:

  • Equifax: equifax.com.au
  • illion: illion.com.au
  • Experian: experian.com.au

6. Data Security

We take reasonable steps to protect your personal information from misuse, interference, loss, unauthorised access, modification, and disclosure. These measures include:

  • Secure storage of physical and electronic records.
  • Encryption of data transmitted through our website.
  • Access controls limiting access to personal information to authorised personnel only.
  • Regular review of our information security practices.

In the event of a data breach that is likely to result in serious harm, we will notify you and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) in accordance with the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme under Part IIIC of the Privacy Act.

7. Overseas Disclosure

Some of our technology and service providers may store data on servers located outside Australia. Where this occurs, we take reasonable steps to ensure that overseas recipients handle your personal information in accordance with the Australian Privacy Principles. We will not transfer your personal information overseas unless we are satisfied that the recipient is subject to privacy obligations that are substantially similar to the APPs, or you have provided your consent.

8. How Long We Keep Your Information

We retain your personal information for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, and to comply with our legal and regulatory obligations. For finance applications and settled facilities, this is typically a minimum of seven years in line with our obligations under the NCCP Act, AML/CTF legislation, and taxation law. Once the retention period has expired, we will take reasonable steps to destroy or de identify the information.

9. Cookies and Website Tracking

Our website uses cookies and similar tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience and to help us understand how visitors use our site. Cookies may collect information such as your IP address, browser type, pages visited, and time spent on our website.

You can manage or disable cookies through your browser settings. Disabling cookies may affect the functionality of some parts of our website.

We may also use third party analytics tools (such as Google Analytics) that collect anonymised data about website usage. These tools are subject to their own privacy policies.

10. Your Rights

Under the Privacy Act, you have the right to:

Access your information. You can request access to the personal information we hold about you. We will respond to your request within 30 days.

Correct your information. If your personal information is inaccurate, out of date, incomplete, or misleading, you can ask us to correct it.

Opt out of marketing. You can opt out of receiving marketing communications at any time by contacting us or using the unsubscribe option in any marketing email. See Section 11 below.

Make a complaint. If you believe we have breached the APPs or the CR Code, you have the right to make a complaint. See Section 12 below.

11. Marketing Communications

We may send you marketing communications about products and services that may be relevant to you, where you have consented or where permitted by law. You can opt out of marketing communications at any time by contacting us at lawrence@sierrafinance.com.au or using the unsubscribe link in any marketing email. We will process your opt out request promptly.

12. Complaints

If you have a complaint about how we have handled your personal information, please contact us at info@sierrafinance.com.au. We will acknowledge your complaint within 5 business days and aim to resolve it within 30 days.

If you are not satisfied with our response, you may escalate your complaint to:

Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA) Website: afca.org.au Phone: 1800 931 678 Email: info@afca.org.au

Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) Website: oaic.gov.au Phone: 1300 363 992

13. Changes to This Policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. Any material changes will be posted on our website. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

14. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this privacy policy or wish to exercise any of your rights, please contact us:

Sierra Finance Email: lawrence@sierrafinance.com.au Phone: 0416 960 969 Website: sierrafinance.com.au

Client Testimonials

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