This privacy policy explains how Next Path (“we”, “us”, “our”) collects, uses and protects your personal information when you use our website and credit broking services. We are a credit broker, not a lender. We are committed to handling your data fairly and in line with data protection law.
Who we are
Next Path is a credit broker. We introduce customers to lenders who may offer credit products. We do not lend money ourselves. We may receive a commission from a lender if you take out a product through us. For the purposes of data protection law, we are the data controller in respect of the personal data we collect for our broking activities.
Information we collect
We may collect the following types of information:
- Identity and contact details – name, date of birth, address, email, phone number.
- Financial and circumstances information – information you provide about your income, employment, housing, existing commitments and debt solution history, so we can help match you with lenders and so lenders can assess creditworthiness and affordability.
- Information about your use of our website – such as how you navigate the site and any information you submit via forms (e.g. contact or quote requests).
We collect this information so we can provide our broking service, comply with legal and regulatory obligations (including under FCA rules), and improve our services. We do not collect more data than we need for these purposes.
How we use your information
We use your information to:
- Match you with lenders on our panel who may be able to consider your application.
- Pass relevant information to those lenders so they can assess eligibility, creditworthiness and affordability (they make the lending decision, not us).
- Communicate with you about your enquiry or application and to provide pre-contractual information where relevant.
- Comply with legal and regulatory obligations (including anti-money laundering and FCA requirements).
- Handle complaints and maintain records.
- Send you marketing only where you have agreed to it; you can opt out at any time.
We do not sell your personal data to third parties for their marketing. We only share your data with lenders and other parties as necessary to provide our service, or where required by law.
Legal basis for processing
We process your data on the following bases: (1) Contract – to provide our broking service and introduce you to lenders; (2) Legal obligation – to comply with FCA and other legal requirements; (3) Legitimate interests – to improve our services, prevent fraud and protect our business, where this does not override your rights; (4) Consent – where we ask for your consent (e.g. for certain marketing). You can withdraw consent at any time where it applies.
Sharing your information
We may share your information with lenders on our panel so they can assess your application and, if you proceed, provide you with pre-contractual information and the product. We may also share data with regulators (such as the FCA), law enforcement or other bodies when required by law. We do not share your data with third parties for their marketing purposes without your consent.
How long we keep your information
We keep your information for as long as necessary to provide our service, deal with complaints, and meet legal and regulatory requirements (which may require us to retain certain data for several years). After that, we delete or anonymise it.
Security
We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorised access, loss or misuse. No system is completely secure; we ask you to keep any passwords or account details safe.
Your rights
Under data protection law you have rights including:
- Access – to receive a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
- Rectification – to have inaccurate data corrected.
- Erasure – to have your data deleted in certain circumstances.
- Restriction – to limit how we use your data in certain cases.
- Objection – to object to processing based on legitimate interests or for marketing.
- Data portability – to receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format where applicable.
You can exercise these rights by contacting us. You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) if you are concerned about how we use your data: ico.org.uk.
Cookies
Our website uses cookies and similar technologies. For more detail, see our Cookie Policy.
Changes to this policy
We may update this privacy policy from time to time. The “Last updated” date at the top of this page will change when we do. We encourage you to review this page periodically.
Contact
If you have questions about this privacy policy or your personal data, please contact us at hello@nextpath.co.uk.