Privacy Policy

Introduction. Welcome to MerchandiseLending.com (“ML”). ML is in the business of providing loan or credit line origination services (the “Services”). This Privacy Policy (“Policy”) governs your use of the website merchandiselending.com or its subdomains (the “Website”). It outlines how we collect, use, share, and safeguard your personal information. By using the Website, you agree to the terms of this Policy.

Business use only. The Website and Services are intended only for businesses, and for the people who own, manage, or work for them, acting on a business’s behalf. ML arranges financing for business purposes only and does not arrange personal, family, or household loans. The Website is not intended for anyone under 18 years of age. If ML learns that it has collected information from someone under 18, it will delete that information.

Notice at Collection of Personal Information

ML collects certain personally identifiable information (“Information”) from you through your use of the Website and Services. This Information may be linked or reasonably linkable to an identified or identifiable individual.

We currently collect and have collected the following categories of Information:

• Identifiers (name, business name, postal address, zip code, online identifier, internet protocol address, email address, telephone number).
• Unique personal identifiers (device identifier; cookies, beacons, pixel tags, mobile ad identifiers; or other similar technology).
• Internet or other electronic network activity information (browsing history; search history; and information regarding your interaction with Website, application, or advertisement).
• Commercial information (the financing you are seeking, the lending product you choose, and details about your business and its inventory, such as records of inventory, inventory assessments, inventory value and type, annual revenue, and location).
• Audio information (recordings and transcripts of phone calls with us).
• We do not request financial information. Please do not send financial information (such as bank statements, financial statements, tax returns, and similar documents). When you have been connected with an appropriate loan or credit line, the lender will provide a method for you to send financial documents at that time.

We collect Information from you; from referral partners who introduce your business to us; from our lending partners; from data providers and list vendors from whom we purchase business and contact information; from service providers, analytics providers, advertising networks, and social networks; from other agents and brokers; and from public sources and government records. We do not collect all categories of Information from each source.

Loan documents. We ask that loan documents, such as bank statements, financial statements, tax returns, and identification, be sent directly to your lending partner. If you or others send them to us instead, we collect them, may share them with the lending partners whose programs fit your business, and protect them as described in Security.

Phone Calls

When you call us, your call may be answered by an automated assistant that uses artificial intelligence, and calls may be recorded and transcribed. We collect the phone number you call from and the information you give us during the call, such as your name, business name, contact details, the financing you are seeking, details about your business and its inventory, and your preferred callback time. Our phone service provider processes and stores recordings, transcripts, and call details on our behalf, and we use them to follow up with you, to keep accurate records of your request, and to improve our Services.

Use of Information

ML currently collects and has collected Information for the following business or commercial purposes:

• Providing Services, including providing customer service, verifying customer information, and similar services.
• Marketing and advertising our Services, including contacting you about financing options that could help your business and showing you advertising on other websites and platforms.
• Undertaking internal research for technological development and demonstration.
• Undertaking activities to verify or maintain the quality or security of the Services and to improve, upgrade, or enhance our Services.
• Complying with applicable laws, including the CAN-SPAM Act, responding to governmental inquiries, and complying with legal processes.
• Protecting the rights or property of ML and its users.

Sharing of Information

ML does not sell your Information for money. We share Information with the lending partners whose programs fit your business; with referral partners, such as a business that introduced you to us or one whose financing or services may fit your needs; with people who work for or with ML, such as employees, contractors, vendors, and agents, who need it to do their work; and when the law requires it.

Our contractors, vendors, and agents include companies that provide website hosting and security, email, telephone and automated call answering, text messaging, data storage and spreadsheets, customer relationship management, analytics, and advertising and marketing services. They process Information on our behalf to provide those services.

Companies such as Google, Meta, LinkedIn, and others collect Information through cookies and similar technologies when you use the internet. To the extent such companies track your use of the Website, that tracking and information is not within ML’s control. You can opt out from activities within ML’s control at any time by emailing us at [email protected].

Once a lending partner or other third party receives your Information, its own privacy policy governs how it uses that Information. While ML encourages its partners to handle Information responsibly, ML is not responsible for their information handling practices.

Referral partners. We work with referral partners: businesses that introduce their customers to us, and businesses whose financing or services may fit your needs. We may pay a fee to a referral partner that introduced your business to us.

Business transfers. If ML is involved in a merger, acquisition, sale of all or part of its business or assets, or a similar transaction, your Information may be transferred to the buyer or successor as part of that transaction.

Cookies and Similar Technologies

We may use cookies, web beacons, pixels, tags, and similar technologies on the Website. These technologies collect Information such as your internet protocol address, browser and device type, the pages you view, the links you click, how you arrived at the Website, and actions you take, such as sending a form. We use them to keep the Website secure and working properly, to remember your preferences, to understand how visitors use the Website, and to measure and improve our advertising, including showing you advertising for our Services on other websites and platforms. Most web browsers let you block or delete cookies through their settings; if you do, parts of the Website may not work as intended. You can learn more about opting out of interest-based advertising at optout.aboutads.info and thenai.org/how-to-opt-out.

Retention of Information

ML retains Information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it is collected, as set forth above, including to maintain our business records and to contact you about future financing, and for the purpose of satisfying any legal, accounting, contractual, or reporting requirements that apply to ML.

Your Rights

You have the following rights with respect to your Information:

• The right to know what Information we have collected about you.
• The right to delete Information that we collected from you, subject to certain exceptions. Note, however, that this does not prevent your Information from being collected again in the future. In that event, your sole remedy is to again request deletion of the newly collected Information.
• The right to correct inaccurate Information that we maintain about you.
• If we disclose or share Information, the right to opt out of the share or disclosure, provided you opt out prior to the time the share or disclosure occurs. Once we receive your request, we will process it and honor your choice within ten (10) business days.

How to Submit a Request to Know, Delete, Correct, and/or Opt Out

You may submit a request to know, delete, correct, and/or opt out as described above by emailing us at [email protected] at any time. After you submit the request, we will comply with your request upon verification of your identity and, to the extent applicable, the identity of the individual or entity on whose behalf you make such a request.

California Privacy Rights

If you are a California resident, you may exercise the rights described in Your Rights, including the right to opt out of the sale or sharing of your Information. You may use an authorized agent to make a request on your behalf, and we may ask the agent for proof of your authorization. We will not discriminate against you for exercising any of these rights. In the past 12 months, we have collected the categories of Information listed in Notice at Collection of Personal Information, from the sources and for the purposes described in this Policy, and we have disclosed them to the categories of recipients described in Sharing of Information. We do not knowingly disclose or share the Information of anyone under 18, and we do not use or disclose sensitive personal information for any purpose that would give California residents the right to limit its use.

Canadian Residents

If you are located in Canada, ML is responsible for the Information it collects about you and can be reached at [email protected]. We collect, use, and share your Information with your consent, which you give by providing it to us or by using the Website and Services, for the purposes described in this Policy. You may withdraw your consent at any time, subject to legal and contractual restrictions, although we may then be unable to provide the Services. Your Information is stored and processed in the United States and in other countries where our service providers operate, and it may be accessible to courts, law enforcement, and government authorities in those countries. You may ask to access or correct your Information by contacting us at [email protected], and if you are not satisfied with our response, you may contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada.

Linking and Combining Information

ML combines the Information you provide with information obtained from other sources, such as purchased lists, data providers, referral partners, lending partners, public sources, and analytics and advertising partners. We use the combined information to verify and update your Information, to build more complete profiles of businesses and the people who own or run them, to better understand their financing needs, and to market our Services, including by email and phone.

Opting Out of Marketing Emails, Calls, and Text Messages

You may receive marketing emails, calls, and text messages from ML. You can opt out at any time: use the unsubscribe link in any marketing email, reply STOP to any text message, tell us during any call that you no longer want to receive calls, or contact us as described in How to Submit a Request to Know, Delete, Correct, and/or Opt Out. We will honor your request within ten (10) business days. Even after you opt out, we may still contact you about a financing request or application you have with us.

Changes to This Policy

ML reserves the right to update this Policy at its discretion. When we do, we will post the revised Policy on this page and update the effective date at the top. Your continued use of the Website after any changes constitutes acceptance of the revised Policy.

Security

ML implements reasonable measures to protect Information from loss, misuse, destruction, or unauthorized access. However, no security measure or modality of data transmission over the internet is 100% secure. Although we strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect the Information, we cannot guarantee absolute security. By using the Website, you acknowledge these risks.