Minnesota Homeownership Center
Web Site Privacy Policy

A. Minnesota Homeownership Center’s Respect for Privacy

Minnesota Homeownership Center (The Center), respects the importance of the privacy of your personal information. The Center provides this Privacy Policy so you know about the online information practices of The Center and understand how The Center treats the information we receive about you from your use of The Center web site located at firstgendpa.wpengine.com (the Site). By using, browsing, or accessing the Site, you agree to the terms of this Privacy Policy. Your visit to the Site and any dispute over privacy is subject to the Terms of Use, including limitations on damages and application of the law of the State of Minnesota. Use of this Site is strictly voluntary. If you do not agree to the Site’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Use, you must immediately log off the Site and may not use the Site.

B. The Information The Center Collects

Anonymous Electronic Information

In general, you can browse this Site without telling The Center who you are or revealing any personal information about yourself. The Center, however, collects your computer’s IP address, which you necessarily disclose when you visit the Site so that data (such as the web pages you request) can be sent to your computer. The Site utilizes “cookies,” which are anonymous, unique identifiers that web pages on the Site may use to store data on your computer or send data to our web server. The Center may use cookie data to “recognize” you when you visit the Site in the future, to troubleshoot how the Site operates, and for internal analysis of how people use the Site. Should you decide not to accept cookies from the Site, you will limit the functionality The Center can provide when you visit the Site.

Participating in Activities

When you engage in certain activities on the Site, such as locating services in a geographic area, sending feedback, filling out a survey, registering for an event, or participating in social media activities involving web sites such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, or YouTube, whether at this Site or the social media web site, The Center may ask you to provide personal and other information. In order to engage in such activities you will be required to provide information that lets The Center know the specifics of who you are or where you are, and may include, without limitation, your first and last name, mailing address, zip code, email address, telephone numbers, and other information. If you choose to share any personal information with The Center, you will see that the amount and type of personal information The Center requests depends on how you use the Site. It is completely optional for you to engage in these activities. Depending upon the activity, some of the information The Center asks you to provide is identified as mandatory and some is voluntary. If you do not provide the mandatory data with respect to a particular activity, you will not be able to engage in that activity. In addition, there may be instances where The Center will ask you for your permission to use certain of your personal information for various purposes, which might include, without limitation, to evaluate existing products and services, to assist in the development of new products or services, research, and to file reports with various government agencies, associations, or other organizations. You may decline the request to do so.

Advertising Service Providers

The Center may use third-party service providers to serve ads on behalf of The Center across the Internet. The providers may collect anonymous information about your visits to the Site, and your interaction with the products and services of The Center. They may use cookies and other online tools such as pixel tags and action tags to serve ads and personalize your web experience based on your prior visits to the Site. They may also use information about your visits to the Site and other web sites to target advertisements for products and services. This anonymous information is collected through the use of a cookie. No personally identifiable information is collected or used in this process. These third-party service providers do not know your name, phone number, address, e-mail address, or any other personally identifying information about you. Many third-party service providers are members of the National Advertising Initiative (NAI). If you would like more information about this practice or to opt out of having this anonymous information used by third-party service providers who are NAI members, visit the NAI consumer opt-out page by clicking here: www.networkadvertising.org/choices.

C. The Way The Center Uses Information Collected on this Site

The Center uses your IP address to, among other things: (a) help diagnose problems with The Center server, administer and improve the Site, and measure the use of the Site; (b) identify the type of web browsers used, the pages viewed, the web sites from which a visitor found this Site, and the search terms and search engines used to find this Site; and (c) gather other web analytics information relating to visitors’ use and navigation of the Site. This information does not identify you personally. On occasion The Center may aggregate this data with data on the pages visited by other users to track overall visitor traffic patterns and provide this aggregate information to vendors, business partners, or other parties to demonstrate the amount of interest in the Site and to help The Center plan for technical infrastructure requirements.

The Center may use your personal information for particular activities, including, without limitation, customer service, registration for events, marketing and research, providing service, promotional and other information to you, and to contact you regarding administrative notices. The Center may share this information with its affiliates or business partners in connection with any of the foregoing activities. Except as described in this Privacy Policy, The Center will not give or sell your personal information to any other company for its use in marketing or solicitation.

The Center may always use the information you provide in an anonymous or aggregated format that does not identify you personally, which uses might include, without limitation, to evaluate existing products, services, and systems; to assist in the development of new products or services; research; to identify trends and changes in relevant industries; and to prepare and file reports with various government agencies, associations, lenders, REALTORS®, or other organizations.

The Center may disclose personal information in any of the following circumstances: (a) in response to a subpoena, search warrant, court order, or other legal process or request, or as may otherwise be required by applicable law or regulation; (b) to protect and defend The Center’s rights or property or those of its affiliates or business partners, or others; or (c) as The Center, in its sole discretion, believes is appropriate under exigent circumstances in response to a perceived threat to the personal safety, property, or rights of any person or organization.

In addition, since The Center’s database is a business asset, in the event The Center is reorganized or becomes part of another organization, you consent to the sale, assignment, or transfer of your personal information to a successor that acquires substantially all of the business assets of The Center, or to an affiliate, as applicable.

The Center will never request your password, user name, credit card information or other personal information through e-mail. This practice, called ‘phishing,’ is a scam designed to steal your personal information. If you receive an e-mail that looks like it is from The Center asking you for your personal information, do not respond to the e-mail.

D. The Center’s Relationship to Other Sites that can be Accessed Through this Site

This Site may contain links to other web sites. Additionally, other web sites may contain links to this Site. The Center does not review or monitor the web sites linked to this Site and is not responsible for the contents or privacy policies related to any other web sites. If you visit one of these other web sites, you should review the privacy policy on that web site. Where this Site contains a link to another web site owned and/or operated by The Center, or affiliated with The Center, such web site use may be subject to different and additional terms of use and privacy policy terms and conditions.

E. Security of Your Personal Information

The Center takes what it believes to be reasonable precautions and has implemented managerial and technical procedures to try to protect the security of data and information, including personal information. However, The Center cannot guarantee against any loss, misuse, unauthorized disclosure, or alteration or destruction of data or personal information. While The Center strives to protect your personal information, The Center cannot guarantee the security of any information you transmit to or from this Site, by email or otherwise, and you provide such information at your own risk. You acknowledge that: (a) there are security and privacy limitations in computer systems and on the Internet which are beyond the control of The Center; (b) the security, integrity, and privacy of any and all information and data exchanged between you and The Center through the Site, including personal information, cannot be guaranteed; and (c) any such information and data may be viewed or tampered with by a third party while such information or data is being used, transmitted, processed, or stored.

F. Changes to Privacy Policy

The Center reserves the right to modify this Privacy Policy, in whole or in part, at any time without notice to you. You expressly waive any right to receive notice of any changes to this Privacy Policy. The Center encourages you to review this Privacy Policy regularly in your use of the Site to ensure you are aware of current practices. Any use of the Site following the date on which The Center implements changes to this Privacy Policy shall constitute your acceptance of all such changes.