Effective as of July 1 2015
Last Updated Feb 1 2023
Introduction
Forward Funding, along with its parent, subsidiary, and affiliate companies operating under the Forward Funding brand (referred to collectively as “Forward Funding,” “we,” “our,” or “us”), values your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, share, and protect your information. It applies to individuals using our website and mobile app (collectively “Site”) and services offered through the Site (collectively “Services”). Note that this Privacy Policy may change and updated versions will be posted on this page. Please check back periodically.
Collection of Personal Information
By submitting personal information to Forward Funding or its service providers/agents, you consent to Forward Funding collecting, using, and disclosing it per this Privacy Policy. If you apply for Forward Funding products/services, the application and relevant account terms may also specify additional reasons for collecting, using, disclosing, and retaining personal information. The type of personal information collected and used by Forward Funding depends on our interactions with you. Our goal is to maintain and enhance our relationship with you, provide relevant product/service information, reduce account maintenance costs, avoid unwanted marketing, and protect your information from unauthorized access.
The personal information we may collect from you includes:
● Contact/identifying information such as name, email, mailing address, phone number, government ID, and birthdate;
● Billing information such as credit card number, bank account number, void check, and billing address;
● Business information such as company name, entity type, and business phone number;
● Relationship information such as reference/guarantor status;
● Credit information on you and your business;
● Financial information on you and your business, like sales volume, revenue, and bank account credentials (if applying for a service with direct data collection).
If you provide personal information about other individuals, e.g. references, guarantors, you must have obtained their consent for collecting, using, and disclosing it per this Privacy Policy. This includes using their contact information to verify information and their consent to receive commercial electronic messages from Forward Funding.
We may collect personal information from multiple sources, including:
● You (application, agreement, form, correspondence, or verbal communication);
● Third parties (credit bureaus, business directories, financial institutions, other entities extending credit to you);
● People/entities you have identified (references, guarantors, employees/directors of your company).
We may collect personal information at various times, including:
● Before establishing a business relationship (inquiries, applications, declined/withdrawn applications);
● During the business relationship (application assessment, product/service term);
● After the business relationship (new/additional product/service eligibility, internal record maintenance, communication and process
improvement).
Use of Personal Information
We use personal information about you to:
● Evaluate, manage, and collect payments for any account or application you have with us, including reporting to credit agencies;
● Strengthen our relationship with you and offer financial products and services by analyzing your needs, preferences, and satisfaction levels;
● Provide our services, monitor your purchases and payments, and assess your creditworthiness;
● Verify your identity and prevent fraudulent activity related to your account;
● Advertise and market Forward Funding products and services, both related and unrelated to your account, through direct marketing;
● Communicate with you, respond to your inquiries, and improve our products and services;
● Comply with legal and regulatory requirements;
● Carry out day-to-day business activities, such as website management, research, and product and service development.
Use of Credit Information
Forward Funding requires credit information for most of its financing products and services. Collection and analysis of credit information is necessary to determine eligibility and improve risk assessment. The company may collect and use credit information at various points during and after the business relationship. If you wish to limit the use of your credit information, please contact Forward Funding.
Use of Your Email Address
Forward Funding and its service providers use servers to deliver and monitor email programs and fulfill services. Service providers are restricted from using your email for other purposes. With your consent, Forward Funding may contact you for marketing purposes, feedback, and account information via email or phone. You can opt out of future commercial e-mails. If you’re a customer, Forward Funding may use your email to provide account updates such as activation, past due notices, rates, and authorized user information. The company tracks email activity to evaluate performance, offer promotions, and fulfill products and services. Your e-mail may also be pre-filled on online forms for convenience.
Sharing Personal Information
We only share your personal information with third parties as outlined in our Privacy Policy and agreements with you. We only share the minimum amount of information needed to offer products or services efficiently or to improve them. We may provide your personal information to our service providers, located both in and outside of Canada, for business-related purposes such as sending emails, providing technical support, delivering services, and conducting research and product development. These third parties are only authorized to use your information for the purpose of providing services to us. We may disclose your information to our affiliates, credit bureaus, references, guarantors, and others for identification, credit reporting, account collections, and legal and regulatory obligations. We may also share your information with third parties offering products or services we think may interest you. Your information may be disclosed as required by law, to protect our rights and those of others, or in response to government requests. In the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, you will be notified of any changes in ownership and use of your information. We may also disclose your information to protect Forward Funding’s rights and property, or those of its affiliates, subsidiaries, or service providers. In addition, Forward Funding may use anonymous and aggregated information that cannot personally identify you, and share it with third parties.
Sharing Personal Information Outside of Canada
Your personal information may be transferred to, stored, and/or processed by third parties, service providers, affiliates, or related companies located outside of Canada, including in the United States, in connection with the purposes described in this Privacy Policy. Forward Funding uses contractual and other protective measures to maintain the privacy of your information when it is outside Canada, but those third parties are subject to the laws of the countries where the information is stored or processed. This may result in your information being disclosed to government authorities in those countries if required by law.
Retention of Personal Information
We will keep your information for as long as it’s needed to meet the purposes for which it was collected and used. In some cases, this may be as long as you have an active account or while we’re providing you with services. However, even after our business relationship ends, we may continue to retain some personal information to communicate with you, process future applications, understand customer preferences and behavior, improve our processes, and develop new products and services. We must also keep your information to comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements. When you close your account or if an application is not approved, your information may not be deleted immediately. If you have any questions about the retention period of your personal information, please reach out to us.
Information Collected through this Site
The Forward Funding website records information such as the domain name, IP address, page visits, browser type, ISP, referral/exit pages, operating system, date/time stamp, and clickstream data, which are stored in log files. This information is used for improving the website content and user experience, but is not personally identifiable. The website does not collect e- mail addresses without your consent. Personal information like e-mails is only collected when you voluntarily provide it through responses to specific questions or direct communications with Forward Funding via e-mail or feedback forms. Forward Funding may request your e-mail address in various instances such as in applications, correspondence, or communications.
Use of Tracking Technologies
Forward Funding and our partners use technologies like cookies, beacons, scripts, and tags to analyze trends, manage the site, track user activity, and gather demographic information. We may receive reports based on the use of these technologies, both individually and collectively. Different browsers offer their own tools for removing these tracking technologies. The site of Forward Funding uses cookies stored in your browser to facilitate internet sessions, maintain security and improve the site. These cookies are used to verify your identity, remember personal settings, monitor site usage and improve services. No personal information from your hard drive is collected. If you don’t allow cookies, some site services may not be available. Forward Funding also uses HTML5 local storage to store content information and preferences, which can be managed by browser tools. Our Site uses web analytics services like Google Analytics, which use cookies to analyze how visitors interact with our site. The information gathered by the cookie, including your IP address, is transmitted to and stored by Google. This information is used to evaluate your use of the site, compile activity reports, and provide us with related services. If you prefer not to have your data stored and processed by Google, you can install a browser plugin at the link https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout?hl=en. For more information on Google Analytics’ data collection and privacy, visit:
● https://policies.google.com/technologies/partner-sites
● https://support.google.com/analytics/topic/2919631
We may collaborate with a third-party provider to show ads on our website or manage our advertising on other websites. This third-party partner may utilize technologies such as cookies to collect information about your actions on our website and other websites for the purpose of presenting you with interest- based ads based on your browsing behavior and interests. If you prefer not to have this information used for providing interest-based ads, you can opt-out by sending a message to support@forwardfunding.ca. Please note that this will not prevent you from receiving generic ads.
Links to Other Websites or Social Media Features
The Forward Funding Site may include links to external websites which are not governed by this Privacy Policy. As you navigate the services available through the Forward Funding Site, please be mindful that other online retailers, partners, and third-party sites and services may have their own data collection and privacy policies that are different from Forward Funding. It is your responsibility to review these policies and determine if they adequately protect your rights. Additionally, the Site may feature Social Media Features like the Facebook button or Widgets such as the Share this button, which are mini-programs that run on the website. These features may collect your IP address and page visits and may set a cookie for proper functioning. These Features are either hosted by a third party or directly on the site, and your interactions with them are subject to the privacy policy of the provider.
Our Security Procedures Protect Your Personal Information
We take all necessary measures to secure the personal information submitted to us during transmission and storage. We maintain physical and electronic information security policies and procedures, provide employee training, and establish contractual safeguards with third parties who may access your personal information. If you receive an email asking for sensitive information, such as your full account number or password, please reach out to us at support@forwardfunding.ca before responding. However, it’s important to note that no method of transmitting personal information, including over the Internet, can guarantee complete security. Forward Funding, its affiliates, service providers, and employees cannot guarantee the protection of your personal information against misuse, loss, or alteration and are not liable for any misuse or loss of your personal information. It’s your responsibility to keep your passwords and other special access information secure.
Access and Correction Requests
If you want to know if Forward Funding has any of your personal information, you can request this information by writing to support@forwardfunding.ca Before fulfilling your request, we may need to verify your identity by asking for a copy of your driver’s license, birth certificate, or passport. If you are a customer, you can easily access and update your personal information by logging into your account. We will respond to your request in a timely manner.
Updating your Consent Preferences
You can withdraw your consent for the collection, use, and disclosure of your personal information by contacting us at support@forwardfunding.ca However, in some cases, Forward Funding may still need to use your personal information even if you have withdrawn your consent. For instance, to manage your account, maintain the credit reporting system, or comply with the law. In such cases, if you withdraw your consent for a necessary purpose, we may not be able to provide you with our product or service. Additionally, even if you withdraw your consent for marketing purposes, you may still receive promotional materials if a marketing campaign was already underway before we received your request.
Updates and Amendments to this Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy will take effect on February 8, 2019 and replaces any previous notices regarding the collection, protection, use, sharing, retention, and internet privacy practices of personal information by Forward Funding. This Policy applies to all personal information previously collected by Forward Funding. However, it should be read in conjunction with any account- or application-specific terms and conditions that you may have previously agreed to. Forward Funding reserves the right to amend this Privacy Policy at any time. In the event of changes, a revised version of the Policy will be posted on the Site along with a notice. It is your responsibility to periodically review this Privacy Policy to stay informed of any changes in the way Forward Funding collects, uses, and discloses your personal information.
Contact Us
For any inquiries regarding our Privacy Policy, practices, or to access or update your information, please reach out to us at support@forwardfunding.ca
Security Policy
Forward Funding prioritizes prompt and diligent resolution of security vulnerabilities. To safeguard our users and their information, kindly report vulnerabilities to us confidentially and responsibly, enabling us to inspect and take appropriate action. Please refrain from disclosing vulnerabilities until an update has been implemented.
Unpermitted Uses of Forward Funding’s Website and
Unpermitted Types of Security Research
● Deliberately degrading the service or hindering its usefulness for others
● Creating or attempting to create a Denial of Service (DoS) attack
● Gaining unauthorized access to, or attempting to access, data that does not belong to you
● Damaging or attempting to damage data or information that does not belong to you Please handle security research with caution, in order to preserve the privacy of our users. Where possible, carry out vulnerability tests on non-production instances of our products to reduce the risk of harm to data and services.
Out of Scope Vulnerabilities
Forward Funding evaluates security issues individually. The following are examples of low-risk issues that may not be deemed serious security vulnerabilities by us:
● Issues caused by outdated browsers or plugins used by the user
● Clickjacking on pages lacking sensitive information, authentication, or actions that change the state
● Vulnerabilities relying on social engineering tactics
● Login page protection against brute force attacks
● Logout cross-site request forgery attacks
● Any physical attacks on Forward Funding property or data centers.
Our Security Commitment
For security vulnerability reporters who comply with this policy, Forward Funding promises to:
● Confirm receipt of your report
● Conduct a prompt investigation, verifying the existence of the potential vulnerability when possible
● Develop a plan and timeline for fixing the vulnerability if necessary
● Inform the reporter once the vulnerability has been resolved.
Acknowledging Contribution
Forward Funding appreciates the efforts of individuals and companies who help enhance the security of our services by discovering and reporting security vulnerabilities in accordance with this policy. The individuals and companies listed below have voluntarily reported one or more security vulnerabilities and cooperated with us to resolve the issue. With the reporter’s consent, Forward Funding may acknowledge their contribution at the time of public disclosure of the vulnerability, as long as the reporter adheres to this policy. Please note that Forward Funding does not offer compensation for reporting security vulnerabilities.