GMO recognizes and respects the privacy expectation of each of its customers. GMO believes that the confidentiality and protection of its customers’ non-public personal information is one of its fundamental responsibilities. This means, most importantly, that GMO does not sell customers’ non-public personal information to any third parties. GMO uses its customers’ non-public personal information primarily to complete financial transactions that its customers request or to make its customers aware of other financial products and services offered by a GMO affiliated company.
GMO collects non-public personal information about its customers from the following sources:
- Account Applications and Other Forms, which may include a customer’s name and address, social security number or tax identification number, total assets, income, and accounts at other institutions;
- Account History, which may include information about the transactions and balances in accounts with GMO; and
- Correspondence, which may include written, telephonic or electronic communications.
As emphasized above, GMO does not sell non-public personal information about current or former customers to third parties. Below are the details of circumstances in which GMO may disclose non-public personal information to third parties:
- In order to complete certain transactions or account changes that a customer directs, it may be necessary to provide certain non-public personal information about that customer to companies, individuals, or groups that are not affiliated with GMO. For example, if a customer asks GMO to transfer assets from another financial institution, GMO will need to provide certain non-public personal information about that customer to the company to complete the transaction.
- In order to alert a customer to other financial products and services that a GMO affiliated company offers, GMO may share non-public personal information it has about that customer with a GMO affiliated company. This would include, for example, sharing a customer’s non-public personal information with Renewable Resources LLC.
- In certain instances, GMO may contract with non-affiliated companies to perform services for GMO. Where necessary, GMO will disclose non-public personal information it has about its customers to these third parties. For example, GMO may provide non-public personal information about a customer’s separate account to a qualified brokerage firm in order to enter into futures transactions. In all such cases, GMO will provide the third party with only the information necessary to carry out its assigned responsibilities and only for that purpose. In addition, GMO requires these third parties to treat GMO customers’ non-public information with the same high degree of confidentiality that GMO does.
- Finally, GMO will release non-public information about customers if directed by that customer to do so or if GMO is authorized by law to do so.
GMO restricts access to information about customers only to those employees who require that information to provide financial products and services to that customer. GMO maintains physical, electronic, and procedural safeguards that comply with federal standards to guard its customers’ non-public personal information.
As required by federal law, GMO will notify customers of GMO’s Privacy Policy annually. GMO reserves the right to modify this policy at any time, but in the event that there is a change, GMO will promptly inform its customers of that change.
|