Why you are reading this
When you apply for vehicle financing with us, federal law (the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act) treats us like a financial institution. That means we have to tell you plainly what personal information we collect, what we do with it, and how we protect it. This notice covers that.
The short version: we collect what a lender needs to consider your application, we share it only with lenders and only to get you financed, we do not sell your information to anyone, and we protect your Social Security number with encryption and delete it automatically after 45 days.
What we collect
| Information | Why |
|---|---|
| Name, phone, email | So we can contact you about your application |
| Date of birth and home address | Required by lenders to identify you and assess an application |
| Employer, time employed, gross monthly income | Lenders use this to decide what payment you can carry |
| Vehicle of interest and down payment | To structure the deal |
| Social Security number (optional) | To verify your identity and obtain credit reports. You may skip this on the website and give it to us by phone or in person instead. |
Your Social Security number
Giving us your Social Security number on this website is optional. Your application goes through either way. If you do provide it, we ask you to check a box authorizing us to use it, because Ohio law (Ohio Revised Code 1349.17) requires your consent and a legitimate business purpose. Ours is identity verification and obtaining credit reports in connection with your application.
Here is exactly how it is handled:
- It travels to us over an encrypted connection (HTTPS).
- It is encrypted with AES-256 before it is stored, using a key kept separately from the database itself.
- It is never displayed in full anywhere on this website. Our staff list shows only the last four digits.
- Opening the full number requires a password and a one-time code from the owner's phone, and every single time it is opened is recorded in an access log.
- It is deleted automatically 45 days after your application, and sooner on request.
Who we share it with
We share your application information with banks, credit unions, and finance companies for the sole purpose of getting your purchase financed, and with credit reporting agencies to obtain your credit report. That is it.
We do not sell your personal information. We do not share it with marketers. We do not share it with anyone for any purpose unrelated to your financing.
How long we keep it
We keep your application information as long as we need it for the transaction and for as long as the law requires us to keep dealership records. Your Social Security number specifically is deleted after 45 days regardless, because we do not need to keep it once financing is decided.
How we protect it
We maintain physical, electronic, and procedural safeguards for your information. In practice that means encrypted transmission and storage, access limited to authorized personnel, two-step login for anyone who can see application data, logging of access to sensitive fields, and automatic deletion on a schedule.
Your choices
- You can skip the Social Security number on the website and give it to us directly instead.
- You can ask us to delete your application information at any time.
- You can ask us what we have on file for you.
- You can ask us to correct anything that is wrong.
To do any of these, call Tom at 419-230-9626 or stop by the lot at 835 E North St in Lima.
Questions
Call us at 419-230-9626. If something in this notice is unclear, ask. We would rather explain it than have you guess.