PRIVACY
Our Privacy Commitment to You
Optimum General Inc. values your business and is committed to providing
excellent customer service. One essential component of our customer
service is ensuring the privacy of the personal information of its
customers including applicants, insureds, former insureds, claimants
and other individuals involved in claims. As of January 1, 2004,
the federal Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents
Act ("PIPEDA") applies to the operations of insurance
companies. The act balances an individual's right to the privacy
of personal information with the need of organizations to collect,
use or disclose personal information for legitimate business purposes.
Our pledge is to safeguard the privacy rights defined in PIPEDA
and all other relevant laws.
How are we complying with the privacy principles of PIPEDA?
1. Accountability: We have designated an individual as the
person who is accountable for ensuring we use personal information
in an appropriate manner. We have developed and implemented personal
information policies and procedures.
2. Identifying Purposes: We will identify the reasons for
collecting personal information before or at the time of collection.
3. Consent: We will collect, use or disclose personal information
only with the individual's knowledge and consent, before or at the
time of collection, as well as when a new use is identified.
4. Limiting Collection: We will limit the amount and type
of information we gather to what is necessary for the identified
purposes.
5. Limiting Use, Disclosure and Retention: We will not use
or disclose personal information for purposes other than those for
which it was collected, except with consent or as required by law.
Personal information will be retained only as long as necessary
for the fulfillment of those purposes.
6. Accuracy of Information: We will ensure that personal
information will be as accurate, complete and up-to-date as is necessary
for the purposes for which it is to be used.
7. Safeguards: Personal information will be protected from
unauthorized access, disclosure, copying, use or modification, by
security safeguards appropriate to the sensitivity of the information.
8. Openness: We will make readily available to individuals
specific information about our policies and practices relating to
the management of personal information.
9. Individual Access: Upon request, an individual will be
informed of the existence, use and disclosure of his or her personal
information and will be given access to that information. An individual
can challenge the accuracy and completeness of the information and
have it amended as appropriate.
10. Challenging Compliance: An individual can address a challenge
concerning compliance with the above principles to our Privacy Officer,
who is accountable for our compliance with these principles.
What information do we collect?
We only collect personal information that we require to provide
you with the insurance protection that you have requested and to
administer any claims that you may have. Information collected may
include:
· Name
· Address
· Birthdate
· Marital status
· Employment information
· Phone Number
· E-mail address
· Policy type and number
· Social insurance number
· Driver's License Number
· Accident/Violation history
· Lien/leaseholders
· Vehicle information
· Mortgagee
· Banking information
· Credit rating information
How do we obtain your consent?
We will obtain your consent (which may be written, oral or implied)
before or at the time your personal information is being collected
from you, but only as permitted or required by law.
How do we collect personal information?
Most of the personal information collected by Optimum General is
provided by insurance brokers. We believe that we deal with the
most professional and respected brokers in the insurance industry.
By providing your broker or us with personal information, we consider
that you do so with the knowledge and understanding that it is collected,
used and disclosed for the identified purposes.
How do we use your information?
Personal information that is collected is used for:
· Considering your application for insurance and offering
you insurance
· Establishing and maintaining communication with you
· Underwriting purposes
· Servicing your policy
· Investigating and paying claims
· Detecting and preventing fraud
· Compiling statistics
· Complying with the requests from regulatory and law enforcement
authorities
· Activity which we undertake under federal, provincial or
territorial legislation
· Accounting - credit card/bank account numbers to pay premiums
Protecting Your Privacy
Your personal information is kept in strict confidence. We maintain
physical, electronic and procedural safeguards to protect your information
from unauthorized access. We restrict access to your personal information
to those employees who we have determined need to know in order
to provide products or services to you. Personal information is
retained only as long as it is needed, or to meet any legal, regulatory
or tax requirements.
Accuracy
Optimum General Inc. is committed to keeping personal information
as accurate, complete and up-to-date as necessary taking into account
its use and the interests of the individual.
Access to Personal Information
You have a right to submit a written request to access your personal
information that is in our possession and make corrections to it.
Such a request is to be made to our Privacy Officer at the address
listed below. We will respond to your request within 30 days or
advise you if additional time is required to respond to your request.
We will amend personal information that is demonstrated to be inaccurate
or incomplete.
Further Information
Requests for further information, access to personal information
or complaints about Optimum General Inc.'s handling of personal
information should be referred to the Optimum General Privacy Officer
as follows:
Optimum General Inc.
147 McIntyre Street West, Suite 200, P.O. Box 1288
North Bay, ON P1B 8K5
Attention: Privacy Officer
Telephone: 1-800-461-6110
Fax: 1-705-476-8938
Email: privacyofficer@optimum-general.com
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