Privacy Policy

The Loan Investigator is a registered business name of Onur-Kagan Sezgin, ABN 44 129 226 715. We are bound by the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs), and — because we handle credit information — Part IIIA of that Act and the Privacy (Credit Reporting) Code 2014.

This policy explains what we collect, why, who we share it with, and what rights you have. If anything here is unclear, please ask.

Information we collect

Personal information

• Name, date of birth, contact details and residential address history
• Identification documents such as your driver licence or passport
• Employment details and income
• Assets, liabilities, income and expenses
• Details of your dependants and relationship status, where relevant to a loan assessment
• Bank statements and transaction history you provide to us
• Tax returns, notices of assessment and financial statements, for self-employed applicants

Credit information and credit eligibility information

With your consent, we may collect and hold credit information about you, including your credit report from a credit reporting body, repayment history information, details of current and past credit applications, defaults, and information about your creditworthiness. Information we derive from a credit report is called credit eligibility information and is subject to additional restrictions on how it can be used and disclosed.

Information collected automatically

Our website does not use advertising or tracking cookies. We use Cloudflare Web Analytics, provided by our website host, to count how many people visit each page and how quickly pages load. According to Cloudflare, it does not collect visitors’ personal data and does not track individual visitors across websites. As with any website, your browser sends basic technical information with each request — such as your IP address and browser type — which Cloudflare processes to deliver the site to you.

How we collect it

We collect most information directly from you — through enquiry forms, phone, email, messaging apps such as WhatsApp, in meetings, and in the documents you provide. We may also collect information from your employer, your accountant, credit reporting bodies, lenders, insurers, and from people you have authorised to act for you, such as a broker you previously used or a family member on a joint application.

Messaging apps

Where you contact us through WhatsApp, that service is operated by Meta and its own terms and privacy policy apply to your use of it. We ask for your consent before the chat is opened, and we use it for general enquiries only.

Please do not send identity documents, payslips, bank statements or other financial records through a messaging app. Once we are working together we will show you a secure way to provide them. This is about how those records are stored and retrieved rather than how they travel — a copy sitting in a message history is not a client file.

Why we collect it

• To assess your requirements and objectives and provide credit assistance
• To prepare and submit a loan application on your behalf
• To verify your identity, as required under anti-money laundering legislation
• To meet our obligations under the National Consumer Credit Protection Act
• To respond to your enquiries
• To keep you informed about your loan and, where you have consented, about products and services that may be relevant to you

If you choose not to provide the information we ask for, we may not be able to assist you or submit an application on your behalf.

Who we disclose it to

• Lenders and credit providers — to obtain a loan approval on your behalf
• Our licensee, Broker ACL Pty Ltd — who is responsible for the credit services we provide and conducts compliance reviews of our files
• Credit reporting bodies — see the next section
• Lenders mortgage insurers and title insurers — where insurance forms part of your loan
• Valuers, conveyancers and settlement agents — as part of the loan process
• Aggregation and software providers — who supply the customer relationship and loan lodgement systems we use
• Our website host, Cloudflare — enquiries sent through the forms on this website pass through Cloudflare’s network and email service on their way to us. They arrive by email and are not stored in a database by this website
• Your nominated representatives — such as your accountant, financial adviser or solicitor, where you have authorised us
• Government bodies, regulators and courts — where required or authorised by law

Credit reporting bodies

With your consent, we may obtain a credit report about you from:

• Equifax Australia
• Experian Australia
• illion Australia

Each of these bodies has its own policy describing how it manages credit information, available on its website. You have the right to:

• Request a free copy of your credit report from a credit reporting body
• Ask a credit reporting body to correct information it holds that is inaccurate
• Ask a credit reporting body not to use or disclose your credit information for direct marketing or pre-screening of direct marketing
• Request a ban period on your credit report if you believe you have been, or are likely to be, a victim of fraud. During a ban period, credit information cannot be disclosed without your express consent

Overseas disclosure

Some of the software and cloud services used in loan lodgement and document storage may store data on servers located outside Australia, including in the United States, the European Union and New Zealand. Enquiries sent through this website are carried by Cloudflare, Inc., whose network operates worldwide, including in the United States. Where this occurs, we take reasonable steps to ensure the recipient handles your information in a manner consistent with the Australian Privacy Principles.

How we protect it

We hold information in secured electronic systems with access controls, and in secured physical storage where paper records exist. Access is limited to those who need it to do their job.

We destroy or de-identify personal information when it is no longer needed and we are no longer required to keep it. Credit legislation generally requires records to be retained for seven years.

Data breaches

We are subject to the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme. If a data breach occurs that is likely to result in serious harm to you, we will notify you and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner as soon as practicable, and tell you what steps you should take in response.

Direct marketing

We will only send you marketing communications where you have consented, and every message will include a way to unsubscribe. We do not use credit eligibility information for direct marketing. You can opt out at any time by contacting us or using the unsubscribe link.

Accessing and correcting your information

You can ask us for a copy of the personal information we hold about you, and ask us to correct it if it is wrong. Contact us using the details below. We will respond within a reasonable period, ordinarily within 30 days. There is no charge for making a request, though we may charge a reasonable fee for the cost of providing access in some circumstances. If we refuse a request, we will explain why in writing.

Complaints

If you believe we have breached your privacy, please contact us first using the details below. We will acknowledge your complaint promptly and aim to resolve it within 30 days.

If you are not satisfied with our response, you can contact the Australian Financial Complaints Authority on 1800 931 678 or at afca.org.au, or the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner on 1300 363 992 or at oaic.gov.au.

Contact us

This policy may be updated from time to time. The date at the top of this page shows when it was last revised.