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Internet Privacy Policy
Updated: 03/17/09
Policy
We at Pacific Mercantile Bank recognize and respect your privacy. We are committed to protecting the security and confidentiality of your information. We use a combination of state-of-the-art technology and best business practices to help ensure that your online sessions are secure.
Visiting Our Website
You can browse our website anonymously and learn about our services and products without providing any information about yourself. We will only obtain information that personally identifies you when you specifically choose to provide it.
When you do provide information to us, we will only use the information we need to deliver the high level of customer service you have come to expect, which includes informing you about products, services, and other opportunities that may be of benefit to you. If you do provide personal information, such as your name, mailing address, e-mail address, telephone or fax numbers, as well as demographic and other consumer identification, we will not sell or share it with external organizations unless we have informed you, been authorized by you, or are required by law to do so.
Information We Collect
Our web servers collect non-identifying information for statistical purposes. We compile broad statistical trends that help us improve navigation and content of our website by assessing what information is of most or least interest, and identifying system performance or problem areas. No personal information is collected or used for this analysis.
We record and track the following:
- The IP address from which you access our website and other status codes and values which result from the web server responding to the request received. (An IP address is a unique number that is assigned to your computer.)
- The date and time you access our website.
- The pages you visit and the result of the request, such as an image or query.
- The website that referred you to us, if any.
- The type and version of web browsing software, including add-ons, you are using to view our website.
Security
We maintain electronic and procedural safeguards that comply with federal regulations to guard your nonpublic personal information. The security measures on our website include 128 bit encryption, industry standard Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protocol, VeriSign Extended Validation digital certificates, multi-factor authentication, intrusion detection systems, and firewalls. We continually assess and update our systems to improve our technology for protecting information.
Cookies
We may use a "cookie", a tiny text identifier sent by our web server to your web browser, to facilitate navigation through our website, enhance your online experience, authenticate your computer, and establish and maintain a secure session. For certain applications, such as online banking, cookies are required to help protect the privacy of your transactions. We do not store confidential or sensitive information in cookies.
E-mail Communications
Regular non-encrypted Internet e-mail is not secure; Internet Service Providers or others could monitor your e-mails. It is important that you do not send personal information in any Internet e-mail correspondence with us, such as account numbers, social security numbers, passwords or pin numbers, or any other non-public privacy information. For your security, we do not accept instructions for the operation of your accounts by Internet e-mail.
We may keep details of any exchange of e-mails between us, as we do for traditional correspondence. In instances where our e-mail addresses are provided to you, it is for information inquiries of a non-sensitive and non-confidential nature only.
Links to non-Pacific Mercantile Bank Websites
We may provide links to non-Pacific Mercantile Bank companies, such as credit bureaus or government agencies. We are not responsible for the information practices or security of these websites. We provide these links solely as pointers to information on topics that may be useful to you. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or the content of any website other than those owned or operated by us. Please note that the privacy policy at these other sites may be different from ours. You should review the privacy policy of any website linked to or from our website before providing any information.
Financial Calculators
We provide visitors with a variety of planning tools, such as mortgage and savings calculators. The information provided by these calculators is for illustrative purposes only. The calculated results are not guaranteed to be accurate and are in no way endorsed, offered or guaranteed by us. Interest rates are hypothetical and are not meant to represent any specific investment. Rates of return may vary over time. We encourage you to seek personalized advice from qualified professionals regarding all finance issues. We may collect the information you provide when using our financial calculators.
Limited Employee Access to Personal Information
We limit employee access to your personal information to only those bank employees with a business reason for knowing such information. We also educate employees about the importance of confidentiality and customer privacy. In addition, individual user names and passwords are used by approved bank personnel to access your personal information, providing audit trails to further safeguard the privacy of your personal information.
Third-Party Disclosure Restrictions
We follow strict privacy procedures in regards to protecting your personal information. In addition, we require all third parties with a need to access this information to adhere to similar and equally stringent privacy policies. Personal information may be supplied to a third party in order to process a customer transaction; if the customer requests it; the disclosure is required or allowed by law (i.e. exchange of information with credit reporting agencies, subpoena, or the investigation of fraudulent activity, etc.); or for joint marketing purposes of which the customer has been previously informed.
Internet Banking Security
Access to our Internet banking system is protected by individual IDs and passwords. You play a crucial role in preventing others from logging on to your account. Make sure you keep the password a secret. Never reveal your password to another person. Memorize it and, if you need to keep a written record of it, store it in a secure location and do not carry it in your wallet, purse or clutch bag. Make sure no one watches you enter your password, and remember to exit the browser when you leave your computer. Never use passwords that are easy to guess. Examples of “bad” passwords are: birth dates, first names, pet names, addresses, phone numbers, social security numbers, etc.
Our Internet banking system uses a "3 strikes and you're out" lock-out mechanism to deter users from repeated login attempts. After three unsuccessful login attempts, the system locks the user out, requiring a phone call to us to reset your re-entry into the system.
No Pacific Mercantile Bank employee, or any company affiliated with Pacific Mercantile Bank will contact you via e-mail, phone or mail requesting your Internet Banking User ID or password. If you are contacted by anyone requesting this information, please contact us immediately.
Children's Online Privacy
Protecting children on the Internet is very important to us. For that reason, we do not intentionally collect information on our website from or market to, those we actually know are under the age of 13, and no part of our website is intended to attract anyone under the age of 13.
For more information about the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA),
visit the FTC website:
www.ftc.gov
Changes to Our Policy
We reserve the right to revise our Internet Privacy Policy as our business needs change or as the law requires. Please check the policy each time you use our website to ensure you are aware of any changes in our privacy practices. Our privacy policy will indicate the date it was last updated. Your continued use of our site will signify your acceptance of the changes to our Internet Privacy Policy.
Contact Information
To inquire about our Internet Privacy Policy, contact us at the address below:
Pacific Mercantile Bank
949 South Coast Drive, Third Floor
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
Phone : (714) 438-2500
Fax: (714) 438-1059
E-Mail: info@pmbank.com
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