|Back

| Privacy Statement | Contact Us | Site Map

Your Financial Privacy Is Important To Us...

Bank of Marin's Policies and Practices Regarding Personal Information

You place your trust in us with your financial relationship and we value that trust as our most important asset. Bank of Marin wants you to know what policies and practices we use in handling your personal information.

We recognize that you expect us to collect, use, and share information about you in an appropriate and responsible fashion and we intend to meet that expectation, as described more fully in this statement.

If your account relationship is held jointly with another person or persons, we ask that you share this statement with the other person(s), as we may only furnish this statement to one of you.

We will send you another copy of this statement or an updated version of it annually, as long as you maintain an active account.

Top

Personal Information
Our policies and procedures concerning personal financial information we acquire about you are governed by the overriding principle that any information you provide is personal and that it is important to you. We strive to keep such information accurate, secure and confidential.
For these purposes, "personal financial information," or just "information," includes:

	The fact that you are or have been a client and have obtained a financial service from us;
	Information about your identity, such as your address, birth date, tax identification, or driver's license information;
	Information provided to us to obtain our services;
	Account or loan information, such as balance or other personal financial information;
	Information provided or obtained in connection with the account documentation or servicing of your account;
	Information collected through an Internet website, such as an Internet "cookie;"
	Information obtained from a prior provider of trust or investment services.

Top

What Information We Collect and Use
We collect personal information from you or others, such as brokerage firms, other investment advisors, or other affiliated or non-affiliated third parties that can provide assistance to us in delivering services to you. We use this information in order to identify and communicate with you, manage your relationship with us, process your transactions with or through us, and to provide better customer service.

When and With Whom We Share Information

We share personal financial information we acquire about you to such companies as:
	Financial service providers (such as data processing companies or our investment sub-advisors);
	Non-financial companies (such as consumer reporting agencies, bank auditors, bank examiners, and our lawyers);
	Governmental agencies and private parties to whom the law requires us to make such disclosures (such as under subpoena or the under the laws that require reporting of certain transactions, payment of interest or other matters).
We share this information to the extent necessary:
	To deliver our services to you;
	To process your transactions efficiently;
	In response to requests from third parties for information that you have authorized us to release;
	As required by law, such as under subpoena or in governmental reporting;
	In response to independent audits, regulatory examinations, and legal requests
	Internally (with your written consent) to other bank employees who are servicing your banking relationship at Bank of Marin.

Top

Opt Out Provision
We have no plans to share personal financial information about you to third parties for marketing purposes. Should we ever decide to do so, we will provide advance notice of our new intentions to you and will give you an opportunity to prevent such disclosure of information.

How We Maintain the Accuracy and Security of Your Financial Information.
Bank of Marin safeguards the privacy of your information according to policies that we have adopted. These policies are intended to ensure that all of our employees understand the importance of customer privacy and that if they violate these privacy principles, they will be subject to disciplinary measures.

We place a high importance upon assuring the financial information we maintain about you is accurate, current and complete. To accomplish this goal, we have established internal procedures for correcting inaccurate or incomplete information in a timely manner. If you should find an error in any information we maintain about you, please contact us for prompt resolution of the matter.

Information may be provided to a third party to facilitate the delivery of our products and services to you. We require assurance of strict confidential treatment of any information provided and that it will only be used to accomplish these purposes. (Of course, we have no control over the privacy policies of other parties involved in a transaction associated with your account, such as brokerage firms or property managers.)

Contact Information
Should you have questions or concerns regarding the privacy of your personal information, please contact your trust representative by phone or in person at your convenience.

Top

Protect Yourself Against Identity Theft
Identity theft is a rapidly growing crime of worldwide proportion. It turns peoples’ lives upside down and in some cases takes years and thousands of dollars before they can resume their normal existence. It can damage good credit, deplete bank accounts and destroy emotional well–being.

Thieves gather personal information about an individual and use it for financial gain. Some pose as telemarketers and gather information by phone. Others steal mail; such as pre-approved credit card offers or checks. Still others are known as “Dumpster divers” who literally dig through the trash to retrieve financial or identifying documents. They use the information to obtain credit or access accounts that belong to someone else. They make purchases, get loans or travel under another’s identity. By the time the problem is discovered, sometimes months later, the perpetrators are long gone with goods and services obtained with that identification.

The victim gets a phone call from a creditor or collection agent trying to collect an unknown loan or receives a bill for something he or she never purchased. He or she must then prove that each transaction was fraudulent, sometimes having to obtain a lawyer’s help to do so, at his or her own expense. Meanwhile, until the process is finally stopped, the victim’s good credit rating and bank accounts decline rapidly, as bills continue to mount for items the victim never purchased.

Here are some tips to protect yourself from this crime:

	Don't give your Social Security number over the phone unless it's absolutely necessary and you know the identity of the person requesting the information.
	Be wary of giving out other identifying information, such as birthplace and mother's maiden name unless you are sure of the person requesting the information. This information is often used by financial institutions for identification purposes.
	Lock your mailbox. If that is not possible, empty it as soon as possible after mail delivery.
	Don't leave letters for pickup outside your box. Put them in a secure U.S. Postal Service box or take them to the post office.
	Check your credit report at the three national credit bureaus (Experian, Equifax, and Trans Union) at least annually and look for unauthorized activity.
	Buy a paper shredder (they aren't expensive) and use it to dispose of old financial records (including tax returns), pre-approved credit card offers and any other documents that may contain identifying information.
	Don't leave behind receipts that have credit or debit card numbers at ATMs, stores or gas pumps.
	Don't put credit card or personal information on a website unless you know that it is secure.

Top

If you should fall victim to identity theft, follow these steps as quickly as you can:

	Contact the three national credit bureaus (Experian, Equifax, and Trans Union) and ask them to attach a “fraud alert” to your credit file. Each has a website and a toll free number.
	Contact all your creditors (by phone and in writing) to inform them of the problem.
	Contact the local police. They may be able to act under state consumer protection laws.
	If mail use is suspected, notify your local postmaster.
	Alert your bank immediately. Your financial institution can then watch for any unusual activity or suggest other means of protecting your account.
	Request that any Personal Identification Numbers (“PINs”) or passwords used for account access are changed.
	Contact the Federal Trade Commission and the national clearinghouse for complaints by victims of identity theft. The hotline is 1-877-I THEFT (438-4338).

Top