Privacy Policy

Website Privacy Policy

Effective July 15, 2016

PFS is a subsidiary of NFP Corp. ("NFP").  As such, we are a member of a leading insurance broker and consultant network that provides employee benefits, property & casualty, retirement, and individual insurance and wealth management solutions.  NFP has more than 3,600 employees and global capabilities. This expansive reach gives us access to highly rated insurers, vendors and financial institutions in the industry, while our locally based employees tailor each solution to meet our clients' needs.  The firms within the NFP network, including ours, are compensated for services provided to clients in each of these lines of business. In addition to the standard fees and commissions received for the services provided to you, we or our affiliates may earn additional compensation for our role in providing certain products and services to you under separate contracts with insurance companies and group benefits providers. Insurance companies and group benefits providers may pay us or our affiliates contingent compensation upon satisfaction of factors such as volume, persistency or profitability of the business placed with such insurance company or group benefits provider. In addition, such product and service providers may pay us or our affiliates fixed amounts related to the support of NFP company conferences, conventions and other marketing efforts.

If you are interested in receiving additional information on any of the matters discussed above, please contact us. As always, we value your business and appreciate the opportunity to provide you insurance, investment and benefit services.

We are committed to respecting the privacy rights of its customers, visitors and other users of this website. We created this Website Privacy Policy to demonstrate our commitment to fair information practices and the protection of privacy. Our information practices for this website are described below.

Consent

In this Website Privacy Policy, we describe what information we collect when an individual uses, receives or has access to our website, and how we protect that information, with whom we share it, and what privacy options are available to each individual.

By using the website, you consent to our collection and use of your information as described in this Website Privacy Policy.

Scope

This Website Privacy Policy applies to the website located at pfsins.com (the Website). It does not apply to any subsites or third party websites that might be linked to, or accessible from, the Website.

This Privacy Policy does not address the information practices of any third party, unless as specified otherwise.

Changes

Our Privacy Policy will always indicate the date when it was last changed. We encourage you to visit this page regularly to be aware of our current terms.

We may modify or supplement this Privacy Policy from time to time because we may change our offering and/or data handling practices, or because new laws have been enacted.

If we make any material changes to this Privacy Policy, we will post the updated Privacy Policy here, along with its effective date, and notify users as required by applicable law. You should review this page regularly to look for changes in this Website Privacy Policy.

Your continued use of this Website after we have posted changes to this Privacy Policy on this page with a new effective date will indicate that you agree to be bound by such changes.

If any change to this Website Privacy Policy is unacceptable to you, your only recourse is to terminate your use of the Website.

Links to Third Party Websites

This Website may contain links to other websites.  We do not control the content or privacy policies of such third-party websites or the privacy policies of such third parties.  We accept no responsibility or liability for privacy or other issues related to the collection or use of your information by such other websites or third parties.

We urge you to be aware when you leave our Website, and to read the privacy statements of each website on which you land after you click on a link or social networking button located on our website.

The inclusion of a link to a third party’s website or service does not imply endorsement of the third party’s data handling practices, and does not imply that their practices are covered by this Privacy Policy.

Security

We seek to use reasonable technical, organizational, and administrative measures to protect data collected through this Website against unauthorized or unlawful processing and against accidental loss, destruction, or damage. We believe that these measures are reasonably adapted to the nature of the information in our custody. However, because no security system can be 100% effective, we cannot guarantee the security of any information we may have collected from or about our users.

When the circumstances require, we use encryption technology (data scrambling) and authentication tools to protect information that you may provide through our Website. In addition, our employees are instructed that such information is to be used only in accordance with the principles of this Website Privacy Policy, or other information security policies and procedures we may adopt from time to time, and the laws applicable to each specific business.

We will not ask you for any information such as your social security number or a bank or credit card account number, through the Website unless you register and/or login to interact with us via the broker / client portal. If you need to send us confidential information and are concerned about the security of the Website, then you should consider sending it via another secure connection or method.

If you believe that your interaction with our Website is no longer secure, please immediately notify us of the problem in accordance with the “How to Contact Us” section below.

Information We Collect

Information We Collect Directly

When you come to our Website, your browser automatically provides, and we automatically collect and store, certain information about your device (computer, tablet, smart phone,) and your activities. This includes:

• Preferences and settings: time zone, language, and character size;

• Identifiers: computer IP address; unique mobile device identifier;

• Technical information: type of device, operating system or platform (Mac, Windows), browser information (type, version);

• Connection: Internet provider or mobile carrier name, connection speed and connection type; Internet service provider (ISP);

• URL of the last webpage visited before visiting our Website and the exit page;

• Information about your use of the Website: data stamp, pages viewed, time spent on a page, click through, clickstream data, queries made, search results selected, history, comments made; and

• Location: general geographic location.

Information You Provide to Us

In some circumstances, you may elect to provide us with some information.

This is the case when we invite users to register for an account, start an application, etc.  In this case, users generally provide their names, e-mail addresses, phone number or other contact or personal information.  Certain features or forms available on the Website may require you to submit some personal information in order for those features to function as designed.

Certain features available on the Website may require you to submit some personal information in order for those features to function as designed.

How we Collect Information

We (and our service providers) collect information in a variety of ways:

• Through the Website:  e.g., when you sign up to receive more information from us; or when you login or register as a broker / new client through our broker / client portal;

• Through our emails and other electronic communications;

• Through your browser or device, cookies or similar technologies;

• Through advertisements that we may publish, and on which you click;

• From other sources:  We may obtain information through external sources, such as public databases, joint marketing partners, social media platforms, from people with whom you are friends or are otherwise connected through social media platforms, and from third parties.

Use of Information

We use the information collected from our users or from the user’s device, or from broker / client applicants as described above for the following purposes:

• Review and evaluate a new broker’s application to adequately perform the broker-related activities;

• Review and evaluate a prospective client's application to ensure adequacy and completeness of information provided;

• Respond to questions and other requests for information made through the Website;

• Send newsletters or other communications that an individual has requested or that may be of interest to that individual, in accordance with the individual’s preferences;

• Keep record of contact information, and correspondence;

• Allow a user to send content to a friend through the Website;

• Remember the user’s preference, e.g. language, font size, when using our website;

• Remember the user’s interests;

• Administer our Website, diagnose technical problems, and otherwise manage our business;

• Facilitate the user’s use of the Website;

• Allow the user to navigate or browse through our website quickly and efficiently;

• Improve user experience, such as by personalizing content to the user’s preferences or interests or expedite the processing and completion of a transaction;

• To perform data analysis, audit, fraud monitoring and prevention, enhancing, improving, or modifying our website, identifying usage trends, determining the effectiveness of our promotional campaigns, and operating and expanding our business activities;

• Perform other functions as otherwise described at the time of collection.

Sharing and Disclosure of Information

We share user information with the following entities or in the following circumstances:

• Service Providers:  We may share information with our carriers, brokers and necessary service providers / subcontractors who provide services to us, or act on our behalf so that they can assist us with the provision, upkeep, and maintenance of the Website and other related activities, such as email delivery or auditing. We require these service providers to refrain from using or sharing with others, for other purposes than as directed by us, the information that we provide to them, or that they collect directly from our users.

• Analytics: We use automated tools and applications, such as Google Analytics, to evaluate use of our Website. These third party services use cookies and other tracking technologies to perform their services.

• Affiliates:  We share information with entities that are under common ownership or control of NFP or their parent company (“affiliates”) for the purposes described in the Privacy Policy. Subject to local requirements, this information may be used to provide legal and related services offered by our affiliates and for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy.

• Social Networking: Your information may be disclosed to anyone to whom you send a message through this website (for example when you forward an article). You may disclose it when you post or transmit information or material through our social networking buttons, e.g. a LinkedIn button. Please note that any information that you post or disclose through these social networking services may be available to us, or to other users of that service or the public. We urge you to be careful when using these features.

Compliance and Legal Requirements

There may be times when we use, share, or disclose information about our users in order to comply with applicable laws or to address legal concerns or liabilities, especially in the following cases:

• Compliance with Applicable Laws:  When we believe it is necessary or appropriate under applicable laws, including laws outside your country of residence; or to comply with legal process;

• Fraud Prevention and Protection of Legal Rights: When we believe it is necessary to enforce our terms and conditions, to investigate, prevent, or respond to suspected illegal or fraudulent activity; to protect the safety, rights, or property of our company, and those of its affiliates, users or others; or to exercise or protect legal rights or defend against legal claims; to allow us to pursue available remedies or limit the damages that we may sustain.

• Government Authorities: If law enforcement authorities, courts, or regulators, or other public or government authorities with appropriate jurisdiction – including public and government authorities outside your country of residence - request that we provide user information, and such request is made using the method required by law in the applicable jurisdiction, such as a search warrant, subpoena, or a court order, and we believe that such request is facially valid, we will provide any information we have about a user that responds to such request.

Aggregated, Anonymized, or Statistical Information

We aggregate information regarding what portions of the Website users are visiting to develop statistics about the use of the Website. This information helps us create a better experience for users of our Website. For example, we may upgrade those parts of the Website that are heavily visited or optimize the Website to work more efficiently with certain operating systems.

We may provide such aggregated, anonymized, or statistical information to third parties such as our advisers or consultants for research, analytical or strategic purposes. This information is not intended to allow the identification of any specific user of our Website.

Cookies and Web Beacons

We use cookies to recognize your device and browser. The next time you visit our Website, we may use information stored in your cookie file to facilitate your use of our Website. For example, we may use your cookie file to store a password so that you do not have to input it every time you move to a different section of a password protected portion of our Website. A cookie does not tell us your individual identity unless you have chosen to provide it to us.

Most cookies expire after a defined period, or you can delete your cookie file at any time you choose. In addition, you can set your browser to notify you when you receive a cookie so that you can decide whether to accept or reject it. Please note that these actions apply to a specific browser.

You can always choose whether to accept cookies by changing the settings on your browser. Most browsers contain information on how to control or delete cookies. These settings will typically be found in the “options” or “preferences” menu of a browser. You may wish to refer to http://www.allaboutcookies.org/manage-cookies/

If you choose to delete or disable cookies, your experience at our Website may be diminished and some features may not work as they were intended.

We use web beacons. A web beacon can help us keep track your activity on the Website, such as which page you are viewing, or how long you are stating on that page. Some technologies will notify you of the presence of web beacons, but browsers typically do not notify you of them.

Third Parties Cookies and Beacons

Third parties’ cookies and beacons are used for functionality, performance, and analytics purposes. These cookies and beacons collect and store automatically information about a user’s computer or mobile device, and the use of the Service. This information is used in aggregate form only.

The practices of these third parties are subject to the third parties’ privacy policies over which we have no control. We encourage you to read their privacy policies.

Minors

Children under 18 are welcome to browse through our Website, but should not contact us except through their parents or guardians. We do not knowingly collect any personal information from children under 18. If we become aware that individual submitting information is under 18, we will attempt to delete the information as soon as possible.

Social Media and Other Areas Beyond Our Control

You may find additional information on our products and services through our social media websites such as LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter. These websites have their own privacy policies and data handling practices, which are different from ours.

Please take the time to review these policies before disclosing or posting information on or through these websites or any button that links to these websites.

Please keep in mind that any information you share on social media websites, interactive forums, message boards or chat rooms, may becomes public information. You should exercise caution when deciding to disclose or share your personal information.

Users Rights

Access

Each user has the right to review, change, or suppress personal information that can reasonably be linked to, and we have collected from that user. You may exercise this right by contacting us as indicated in the “How to Contact Us” section. For your protection, we may need to verify your identity before implementing your request. We will try to implement your request as soon as reasonable practicable.

However, please note that we reserve the right to refuse to act on a request that is manifestly unfounded or excessive (for example because it is repetitive) and/or to charge a fee that takes into account the administrative costs for providing the information or the communication or taking the action requested. If you have a question, a comment or a request, please contact us at explained in the “How to Contact Us” section below.

Do Not Track

Some browsers give individuals the ability to communicate that they wish not to be tracked while browsing on the Internet. The “Do Not Track” feature of these browsers sends a signal that inform operators of services online that the user does not want certain information about their online activities to be collected over time and across websites or online services.

The Internet industry has not yet agreed on a definition of what “Do Not Track” means, how compliance with “Do Not Track” would be measured or evaluated, or a common approach to responding to a “Do Not Track” signal. Consequently, due to the lack of guidance, we have not yet developed features that would recognize or respond to browser-initiated Do Not Track signals.

Special Notice for California Users

California law requires that we inform California residents who have provided us with personal information that is primarily used for personal, family or household purposes that they may request that we provide information about our disclosures of certain categories of personal information to third parties for such third parties’ direct marketing purposes.

We do not currently share personal information with third parties for their direct marketing purposes. If our practices change, we will notify you in accordance with applicable law. We will not share the personal information that we collect about a user with any third party for that third party’s own direct marketing purposes without the specific user’s consent.

Additional Rights

Applicable laws may give you additional rights that are not described in this Website Privacy Policy.

How to Contact Us

To write to us regarding this Website Privacy Policy and our personal information handling practices, please write to us at the following address with "website privacy matters" in the subject line:  info@pfsins.com.  Or, you can send written correspondence to our corporate address at:  Pro Financial Services, LLC, 500 W. Madison St., Suite 2660, Chicago, IL 60661.

Regarding email communications:  Please note that email communications are not always secure. Thus, please do not include any confidential or sensitive information in any emails.

Regarding postal communications: Please be aware that it may take us longer to route and process your request if it is made on paper than we would take with an electronic message.