Privacy & Security

This document describes CFS’s policy with respect to nonpublic personal information about consumers, which means personally identifiable information about a consumer or a consumer’s current or former relationship with CFS (“Consumer Information”). Because CFS is a ministry service of Lutheran Church Extension Fund (LCEF), this policy is determined by LCEF’s privacy and security policy. For LCEF’s complete Privacy and Security policy, click here. This policy is provided to you as required by the federal law.

Protecting Your Privacy

We recognize the importance of keeping information about you secure and confidential. We do not sell or share any consumer’s nonpublic personal information with anyone.

Making the Security of Information a Priority

We value your trust and handle information about you with care.

We:

• Limit access to Consumer Information to those persons who need to know that information to provide LCEF’s products and services to you. LCEF personnel and LCEF’s service providers having access to Consumer Information are required by LCEF to maintain confidential treatment of Consumer Information.
• Maintain physical, electronic and procedural safeguards that comply with Federal Regulations to guard Consumer Information.
• Periodically assess new technology for protecting information and to upgrade our systems when appropriate.

Collecting Information

We collect Consumer Information from the following sources:

• Information you provide to us applications and through other means, such as your name, address and telephone number.
• Other general information we obtain about you, such as demographic information.

Disclosure of Certain Information

Although we do not share Consumer Information with anyone, we do share information in certain circumstances in order to provide you with our products and services with greater convenience and more choices, and also as permitted by law. However, we do limit who receives Consumer Information and what type of information is shared.

Sharing information with companies that work for us

We may disclose the Consumer Information we collect, as described above, to companies that perform marketing services on our behalf or to other financial institutions with whom we have joint marketing agreements. The companies that work on our behalf are contractually obligated to keep the Consumer Information we provide to them confidential and to use the Consumer Information only to provide the services we’ve asked them to perform for you and us.

Disclosing information in other situations

We may also disclose Consumer Information to organizations when permitted by law. For example, this may include:

• A disclosure in connection with a subpoena or similar legal process.
• A fraud investigation.
• An audit or examination.

Making Sure Information is Accurate

Keeping your account information accurate and up to date is very important. If you have questions or feel that we have not handled information about you properly, you may always contact us through our customer service center.

Keeping Up to Date with Our Privacy Statement

LCEF will provide notice of our privacy statement annually, as long as you maintain an ongoing relationship with us. This policy may change from time to time, but you can always review our current policy on this website, or contact us for a copy at 1-800-843-5233.

Commitment to Privacy and Security

Whether you are a current customer or just visiting us online, Lutheran Church Extension Fund-Missouri Synod (LCEF) safeguards the information you provide us through the CFS website.

LCEF safeguards information according to established security standards and procedures, and we periodically assess new technology for protecting information. Our employees are trained to understand and comply with these information security standards and procedures.

Protecting information properly is a shared responsibility!

LCEF Network and Online Systems

Computer Virus Protection

LCEF uses sophisticated tools to detect and prevent computer viruses from entering its computer network systems.

Firewalls

A “firewall” is a system that blocks unauthorized interactive access from individuals or other networks. Every system that interacts with the Internet is at risk of attack from hackers. Firewalls are one way LCEF protects its systems that interact with the Internet.

Monitoring

LCEF places a strong emphasis with our employees on protecting information properly, ensuring that all vital information for our customers, clients and associates remains secure and confidential. LCEF utilizes sophisticated technology to detect and respond to unauthorized activity.

The World Wide Web

Internet Security

In a very short period of time, the Internet has changed the landscape of the world’s economy. When you log on to the World Wide Web, you have truly opened the universe of information and communications to you. With all the benefits derived from using the Internet for business and personal use, there are some inherent risks. Sending sensitive information over the Internet can be dangerous if you cannot validate the reputation of the company you are doing business with and communicate over a “secure” means of transmission.

Before sending private information on the Internet, make sure you are using a “secured” connection.

Secured Transmissions

LCEF uses Secure Socket Layer (SSL) encryption for customer online transactions. "Encryption" is a communications process that scrambles private information to prevent unauthorized access as information is being transmitted between your browser and LCEF.

Protecting Your Security Online

Keeping financial and personal information secure is important. We value your trust and handle personal information with care.

Secure Transmissions

To ensure information remains confidential, LCEF uses encryption technology such as Secure Socket Layer (SSL) on its Web site to transmit information between you and CFS.

Remember: Email transmissions through general or public email are not secure. Therefore, any responses from LCEF back to your unsecured email address will not include confidential account information.

Gathering and Using Information Online

LCEF collects and uses the information you provide us online to respond to your needs, to service your investment and loan accounts, and to provide you information about other products and services.

Cookies

A “cookie” is a small piece of information that some Web sites send to your computer, which is stored in a file on your hard drive. There are two types of cookies: “persistent” cookies and “session” cookies.

Persistent cookies remain on your computer after you have finished browsing. The next time you visit that particular Web site, the site will search your hard drive for any previous cookies sent to it. Typically, Web sites do this to determine what type of transactions you have previously performed.

Session cookies are automatically deleted when you leave a Web site. Typically, Web sites use session cookies to keep track of your requests during your visit. For example, a shopping site might issue you a unique cookie ID and use that to identify which shopping basket (kept on the server) to store your selections in.

We do not use persistent cookies. Session cookies are used to identify the section of the site that you are viewing so that we may present you with the appropriate information. We also use session cookies to identify your session when you are logged into a secure or password-protected area.

Usernames and passwords are NEVER stored in cookies.

Your Web browser can be set to inform you when cookies are sent or prevent them from being sent.

Online Surveys

At times, we may conduct online surveys to help us better serve you. The information you provide us on surveys may be used for Internet marketing purposes. Based on the information you provide us, we may also inform you of other products and services from LCEF. You are not required to complete online surveys.

Linking to Other Sites

We may provide links to other sites. If you choose to link to these other Web sites, we are not responsible for the privacy or security of these sites, including the accuracy, completeness, reliability or suitability of their information. If you are asked to provide information on one of these sites, we strongly urge you first to study carefully their Privacy Policies.