Following recommendation that appraisers, along with all providers of personal financial services inform their clients of the policies of the firm with regard to the privacy of client nonpublic personal information, we include the following information. As professionals, we understand that your privacy is very important to you and are pleased to provide you with this explanation of our policies. We are committed to safeguarding the confidential information of our clients. We hold all of our clients’ personal information provided to our appraisal firm in the strictest confidence and in accordance with the USPAP and ASA ethics standards of confidentiality.
What are the types of Nonpublic Personal Information we collect?
In the course of performing appraisals, we may collect what is known as “nonpublic personal information” about you. This information is used to facilitate the services that we provide to you and may include the information provided to us by you directly or received by us from others with your authorization.
To Whom Do We Disclose Information?
We do not disclose any nonpublic personal information obtained in the course of our engagement with our clients to nonaffiliated third parties except as necessary or as required by law. As an example, a necessary disclosure would be to our consulting appraisers or office staff and in certain situations to unrelated third party consultants who need to know that information to assist us in providing appraisal services to you. All consulting appraisers, staff and any third party consultants that we engage are informed that any information they see as part of an appraisal assignment is to be maintained in strict confidence within the framework of providing the specific appraisal assignment. A disclosure required by law would be a disclosure by us that is ordered by a court of competent jurisdiction with regard to a legal action to which you are a party.
Confidentiality and Security
We will retain records relating to professional services that we have provided to you for the time that you are a client of the firm so that we are better able to assist you with your needs and for the appropriate time thereafter that such records are required by USPAP to be maintained. In order to protect your nonpublic personal information from unauthorized access by third parties, we maintain physical, electronic and procedural safeguards that comply with our professional standards to insure the security and integrity of your information. After required periods of record retention, all information will be destroyed in a manner consistent with providing confidentiality to our clients.