MassHousing Privacy Policy
This website ("Website") is provided by Massachusetts Housing Finance Agency ("MassHousing") for use by borrowers, other customers and business partners of MassHousing. By using this Website, and in doing so accepting the Terms and Conditions of Use under which you may use this Website (see Terms and Conditions of Use), you consent to the use of your Personal Data (defined below) as described in this Privacy Policy ("Policy").
Collection and Use of Personal Data
Your privacy is important to MassHousing. MassHousing at times collects, retains and utilizes Personal Data about you to operate its business and to make its products, services and other opportunities available. The term "Personal Data" means personally identifiable information that MassHousing obtains about you, including your IP address, name, telephone number, mailing address, and email address. MassHousing recognizes and respects your privacy concerns about this information. If you do not wish to receive emails including marketing and promotional information from MassHousing, please let MassHousing know by following the "Unsubscribe" procedure set forth below. MassHousing obtains information in a variety of ways (for example, directly from you in applications, from your transactions or experiences with MassHousing or its affiliates, and from credit bureaus and other third parties). Also, when you visit the website, MassHousing collects information to measure the use of its site and to improve the content of its site, as described below.
Log Files
As is true of most websites, MassHousing gathers certain information automatically and stores it in log files. This information includes Internet protocol (IP) addresses, browser type, Internet service provider (ISP), referring/exit pages, operating system, date/time stamp, and clickstream data.
MassHousing uses a third-party tracking service provided by DoubleClick that uses cookies to track non-personally identifiable information about visitors to the Website in the aggregate so that MassHousing can learn which advertisements bring Internet users to its website, analyze trends, administer the site, track users' movements around the site, and gather demographic information about its user-base as a whole. Cookies are small data files that a website can place on a user's computer to allow the website to store and retrieve data about that particular user so that the web site can provide or perform a variety of tasks and functions. MassHousing does not link the information it stores in cookies to any of your Personal Data.
Spotlight Tags
MassHousing uses spotlight tags, which are transparent GIF files embedded in the website, to help manage and track the effectiveness of online advertising. These spotlight tags are provided by DoubleClick. The spotlight tags enable DoubleClick to recognize a unique cookie on your web browser, which in turn enables us to learn through DoubleClick which advertisements bring users to the Website. The cookie was placed by us, or by another advertiser who works with DoubleClick. The information that we collect via spotlight tags and share is anonymous and not personally identifiable. For more information about DoubleClick, including its privacy policy and information about how to opt out of these technologies, go to www.doubleclick.net.
Disclosure of Information
Personal Data may occasionally be transferred to third parties who act for us for further processing in accordance with the purposes for which the data was originally collected or for purposes to which you have subsequently consented. For example, sometimes a third party may have access to your Personal Data in order to support our information technology or to handle mailings on our behalf.
MassHousing does not disclose any Personal Data about its customers or former customers to anyone, except as permitted by law (for example, we may disclose your information as necessary to effect a transaction requested by you, to a consumer reporting agency in accordance with the Fair Credit Reporting Act, or to comply with an authorized civil, criminal or regulatory investigation).
MassHousing may, in its sole discretion, share or transfer your Personal Data where permitted or required by law, to comply with legal process, to interact with anti-fraud databases, to protect your vital interests, to protect the security or integrity of its databases or the Website, to enforce the Terms and Conditions of Use or protect MassHousing's business or reputation, to take precautions against legal liability, in the event of a business transition (see below), to protect and defend the rights or property of MassHousing, for required institutional risk control, or for resolving disputes, inquiries or complaints with respect to your use of the Website.
Links to Other Sites
This Website contains links to other websites that are not owned or controlled by MassHousing. Please be aware that MassHousing is not responsible for the privacy practices or other content of such websites. This Policy applies only to information collected by this Website.
Maintenance of Accurate Information
MassHousing has established procedures to correct inaccurate information in a timely manner. If you have any reason to believe that your Personal Data is incorrect, MassHousing should be contacted in writing as follows: MassHousing, One Beacon Street, Boston, MA, 02108, or by email at webinfo@masshousing.com. MassHousing will investigate the situation and, when appropriate, update its records accordingly.
Protection of Information
MassHousing strives to maintain the reliability, accuracy, completeness and currency of your Personal Data in its databases and to protect the privacy and security of its databases. MassHousing maintains physical, electronic and procedural safeguards to protect the confidentiality of your Personal Data (for example, its computer systems require employees to enter passwords to gain entry and employees receive training and understand the importance of confidentiality and customer privacy). The security measures in place on the Website and computer systems aim to protect the loss, misuse or alteration of the information you provide to us. MassHousing keeps your Personal Data only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes for which it was collected or to comply with any applicable legal or ethical reporting or document retention requirements. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the security of your information, please email us at webinfo@masshousing.com.
Your Responsibility
You are responsible for keeping your online password, account numbers, personal identification information and other account data confidential. MassHousing is not responsible for customer errors or negligent use of the online service and will not be liable for any loss or damage due to negligent handling or sharing of passwords leading to unauthorized access to accounts; leaving a computer unattended during an online session; failure to report known incidents of unauthorized account access within two business days; or input errors or misuse of the online service.
Unsubscribe
If you do not wish to receive email communications from MassHousing including marketing and promotional information, please send an email indicating this to webinfo@masshousing.com or a letter indicating this to MassHousing, One Beacon Street, Boston, MA, 02108 and MassHousing will not send to you any more marketing or promotional emails.
Business Transitions
In the event MassHousing goes through a business transition, such as a merger, acquisition by another company, or sale of all or a portion of its assets, your Personal Data might be among the assets transferred. You will be notified via this Website of any such change in ownership or control of your Personal Data.
Changes in MassHousing Privacy Statements
If MassHousing decides to change this Policy it will post the changes at this Website and at other places it deems appropriate so that you are aware of what information it collects, how it uses it, and under what circumstances, if any, it discloses it. MassHousing reserves the right to modify this Policy at any time, so please review it frequently.
Effective Date
This Policy is effective as of October 20, 2004.
Contact Us
If you have any questions or suggestions regarding this Policy or the Terms and Conditions of Use of the Website, please contact MassHousing at MassHousing, One Beacon Street, Boston, MA, 02108, or by email at webinfo@masshousing.com.
