Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Peppercorn Finance ("we", "us", or "our") is committed to protecting and respecting your privacy. We believe in being fully transparent about how we handle your data. This policy explains how we collect, use, and protect your personal information when you use our website and client portal.

2. Data We Collect

To provide you with the best possible mortgage and protection advice, we may collect and process the following data:

• Contact Information: Your name, email address, phone number, and residential address.
• Financial Information: Bank statements, payslips, accounts, and credit reports that you choose to upload to our secure portal to support your application.
• Identity Verification: Passport, driving licence, and proof of residency to help us verify your identity securely.
• Health & Lifestyle Information (Special Category Data): If we are helping you arrange protection insurance (such as life insurance or critical illness cover), we may ask you to complete a medical questionnaire. We only collect this sensitive data with your explicit consent, and strictly use it to ensure we find the most accurate and suitable cover for you and your family.
• Educational Guides: If you request one of our free PDF guides, we collect your email address to send you the material. You are always free to opt-out of any future updates or communications at any time.
• Usage Data: Basic information about how you interact with our website to help us improve the experience (via standard cookies).

4. How We Use Your Data

We only use your information for the purpose of helping you. Specifically, we use it to:

• Provide tailored, personalised mortgage and insurance advice.
• Submit applications securely to lenders or insurers on your behalf.
• Comply with standard financial regulations and anti-money laundering (AML) checks.
• Send you helpful renewal reminders when your mortgage product is nearing its end.

5. Data Retention (FCA Rules)

As a professional firm regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), we have certain legal obligations regarding record-keeping to ensure you are always protected.

While you have the right to request the deletion of your data for marketing or general purposes at any time, please note that we are required by law to retain records of any actual financial advice provided, suitability reports, and completed transactions for a minimum of 6 years. We will only ever retain the data strictly necessary to comply with these professional regulatory obligations.

6. Cookie Policy

We use cookies to ensure the secure and proper functioning of our client portal (Essential Cookies) and to analyze general website traffic to improve our services (Analytics Cookies). You have full control to accept or reject non-essential cookies via the banner on our website.

7. Your Rights (GDPR)

Under the UK GDPR, you have full rights over your data. You have the right to access, correct, or request the deletion of your personal data. You can easily request a copy of the information we hold about you, or exercise your "Right to be Forgotten" (subject to our FCA retention obligations outlined in Section 5), by contacting us at hello@peppercornfinance.co.uk. We are always happy to help.