You can visit our website without telling us who you are or revealing any information about yourself. However, if you give us any personal information about yourself or others we promise to treat it securely, fairly and lawfully. We are committed to protecting your privacy.

When we ask you for personal information online it will only be in response to you actively applying for or using one of our online products or services.

If you are giving us information for the first time we shall explain the purposes for which we shall use it at that time. If you are a client already, this explanation will be in your account terms and conditions.

We may use personal information you provide for the purpose of providing more relevant content to you.

A “cookie” is a small text file that’s stored on your computer, tablet or phone when you visit a website.

Some cookies are deleted when you close down your browser. These are known as session cookies. Others remain on your device until they expire or you delete them from your cache. These are known as persistent cookies and enable us to remember things about you as a returning visitor.

To find out more about cookies, including how to see what cookies have been set and how to manage and delete them, visit www.allaboutcookies.org. 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, including your cookie preferences, and you will be treated as a first-time visitor the next time you visit the site.

We use cookies (and other similar technologies) to:

• Provide products and services that you request and to provide a secure online environment
• 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.

Cookies that are essential for us to provide a product or service you have requested and to provide a secure online environment Without cookies we are unable to provide some products or services that you might request. Other 'essential' cookies keep our website secure. Even if you say "No" to cookies on this website we'll continue to use these 'essential' cookies.

Essential cookies are used to:

• deliver interactive services, such as:
  • online banking
  • product or service applications
• maintain online security and protect against online fraud
• record your preference regarding our use of cookies on your device

You’ll still be able to use most of our online services, but some things might not work as you may expect if you do not allow us to store and access cookies on your device.

These cookies make our online services easier to use and help us to understand how people use our websites. For example, amongst other things they will:

• Make online banking login faster by remembering you between visits on your personal devices
• Remembering relevant information as you browse from page to page to save you re-entering the same information repeatedly

We also use this type of cookie to understand how visitors use our online services and look for ways to improve them. For example, a cookie might tell us that lots of people give up on an application process at a particular step – so we can try to make that step easier to use.

Enabling us to customise your online experience based upon your individual circumstances, existing product holdings or activities during previous visits to this website. If you select “No”, we won’t be able to tailor your experience.

These cookies are used to ensure that we present you information relevant to you. For example, if you have a personal account with us we will be able to recognise this and avoid showing you special offers that are only available to people with business accounts.