We use a variety of different technologies on our website. These technologies include (but are not limited to) cookies, scripts, fonts and images. Some of these are considered as necessary for us to deliver the website to you. Others are used to enhance our understanding of how you use our website, or to assist in our marketing activities.
The purpose of this notice it to explain how we use such technologies and the third parties we work with, and to provide you with clear information about their purpose. It also explains how you can control your online preferences.
New regulations will change the way in which the use of cookies is governed in the future and we'll update this notice once those changes come into effect. We may also revise this notice from time to time. If we make any material changes to the way we use these technologies, we will prominently publish the changes on our website.
Your online privacy
We promise to treat any personal information about you securely, fairly and lawfully. We are committed to protecting your privacy.
When we ask you to provide personal information online it will only be in response to you actively applying for or using one of our online products or services.
You can find full details of how we use customer information here.
Cookies – what are they?
A “cookie” is a small text file that’s stored on your computer, smartphone, tablet, or other device when you visit a website or use an app. They contain specific information relating to your use of our web site or app, such as login credentials; your preference settings or tracking identifiers.
Cookies are set by our web server, your browser and the web servers of the third parties whose cookies we deploy on our websites and apps. They can be read, updated or deleted by those same servers each time you visit our web site, depending on the type of cookie.
Some cookies are deleted when you close your browser. These are known as session cookies. Other cookies (such as tracking cookies or authentication cookies) remain on your device until they expire, or you delete them from your browser. These are known as persistent cookies and enable us to remember things about you as a returning visitor.
This website uses persistent cookies.
Some cookies can impact your fundamental rights to privacy and the protection of your data. As such, we require your consent before they can be accessed or stored on your device. For this reason, we limit our use of cookies as explained below.
Cookies – how we use them
We use cookies and other similar technologies to:
- Provide products and services that you request and to provide a secure online environment
- Deliver marketing and to manage our marketing relationships with our third-party marketing partners
- Give you a better online experience and track website performance
- Help us make our website more relevant to you.
Here we explain a bit more about each of these types and how you can control their use.
This website uses only Strictly Necessary Cookies
These are cookies that are essential for the safe operation of our website and for us to provide a product or service you have requested.
Without these cookies we are unable to provide some products or services that you might request. This category of cookies cannot be disabled.
These cookies are used to:
- enable you to log into the secure areas of our website
- track errors on our website and enable us to report incidents to our regulators
- deliver interactive services, such as:
- online banking
- product applications
- webchat
- call-backs
- keep our website secure and protect against online fraud
- record your preference regarding our use of cookies on your device.
Tracking in emails
As well as the cookies we use on our website, we use cookies and similar technologies in emails. For example, when you open the email a small image file known as a GIF may be downloaded to your web browser or email programme. Cookies may also be set if you click on a link within the email. These help us to understand how many people have opened an email and interacted with it, without knowing who the individual is.
If you want to restrict or block this type of technology, you can do this through your web browser or e-mail programme settings by preventing automatic downloading. The ‘help’ function within your browser should tell you how.
How to control and delete cookies
Preference Centre – If you want to restrict or block the cookies on our site, you can do this at any time through your Cookies Preference Centre by clicking by clicking on the ‘Manage Preferences’ button below. The tool will record when you have consented to our use of cookies and will ask for consent again periodically to ensure users stay up to date with changes to our cookie and privacy policies. Essential cookies cannot be disabled. The tool specifically controls the cookies set by using our website and it cannot be used to block cookies on third-party websites linked from our website.
Browser Settings – Many of the cookies used on our website and through our emails can be enabled or disabled through your browser settings. The ‘help’ function within your browser should tell you how, or you can find out by visiting: http://www.allaboutcookies.org/manage-cookies/clear-cookies-installed.html, or search the internet for other independent information on how to delete cookies. You can set your browser to delete all past cookies and to disallow third-party cookies.
To find out more about cookies, including how to see what cookies have been set and how to manage and delete them, visit http://www.youronlinechoices.com/uk/your-ad-choices. Alternatively, you can search the internet for other independent information on cookies.
If you delete cookies relating to this website, we will not remember things about you, and you will be treated as a first-time visitor the next time you visit the site.