Privacy Notice

Last Reviewed: June 9, 2023

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INTRODUCTION

Sunstone Credit, Inc. (“Sunstone,” “we” or “us”) respects your privacy and expectation of security over your personal information and is committed to protecting it through compliance with this Privacy Notice. This Privacy Notice applies to you when you visit the Sunstone website or use any of the Sunstone online services (collectively, the “Services”) as an applicant for solar financing (“customer” or “you”), as a solar installation contractor/developer partnering with Sunstone (“contractor” or “you”), or as an investor, potential investor, or other user of our Services (“you” or “Services user”). This Privacy Notice is designed to inform you of the types of information we collect, how we use that information, and the circumstances under which we will share it with others.

If you do not agree with the practices described in this Privacy Notice, please do not use the Services. We reserve the right to change this Privacy Notice at any time. Unless otherwise stated, any modifications to this Privacy Notice will go into immediate effect after they have been posted, as indicated by the “Last Updated” date located at the beginning of this Privacy Notice. Your continued use of the Services after we change the Privacy Notice means you accept those changes, so please check this Privacy Notice for updates before using the Services.

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WE RESPECT YOUR PRIVACY

Sunstone respects your privacy and is committed to treating your information responsibly. We believe that you may appreciate receiving offers of products and Services that may be useful to you. At the same time, we understand the need to safeguard sensitive information that you have provided to us.

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INFORMATION COLLECTED

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From Customers

Sunstone collects information about you that we reasonably believe will be necessary or useful in processing or administering the products and Services you have requested.

We collect customer information from the following sources: (1) information we receive from you on applications or other forms, such as your company name, tax-identification number, address, assets, income, leasing/mortgage information and payment information; (2) information about your company’s key principals, guarantors, or other individuals relevant to your application, such as Social Security numbers and date of births; (3) information about your transactions with our lending partners, channel partners or others, such as your invoice amount, account balance, and payment history; (4) information we receive from third parties, including credit reporting agencies; (5) your IP address, computer or device information, and usage information when you use our Services or complete our loan documents; and (6) other information you may provide or which we collect about you throughout the course of our business relationship.  

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From Contractors

Sunstone collects information about you that we reasonably believe will be necessary or useful in processing or administering the products and Services which you, as a contractor, engage in providing to customers.

We collect contractor information that includes the following: (1) contractor legal entity name and information, including individual personnel contact information and tax-identification number; (2) information about transactions originated through an individual contractor; (3) information we receive from third parties, such as from commercial credit reporting agencies, regarding contractor creditworthiness and credit history; (4) your IP address, computer or device information and usage information when you use our Services; and (5) other information you may provide or which we collect about your business when you register as a contractor with us.

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From Services Users

Sunstone collects information about you that we reasonably believe will be necessary or useful in improving the user experience when using our Services.

We collect Services user information that includes the following: (1) information automatically collected when you visit or interact with the Services, through technology such as cookies (described below) and other technologies, which information often includes computer or device information, IP address, and usage information; and (2) information that you provide to us, which may include when you use our Services, register or create an online account with us, request information from us, sign up for newsletters or our e-mail list, enter into sweepstakes or other promotions, fill out a survey, request customer support, or otherwise communicate with or contact us, such as your name, address, e-mail address, telephone number, referrals, information about your solar activities, or demographic information.

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Internet Technologies

Our server recognizes and records the IP address and/or domain name from which visitors to our Services accessed the Internet and the names of the pages visited while using our Services. It does not, however, collect and store your electronic mail address or other nonpublic personal information. Our Services do not collect personally identifiable information about our users’ online activities over time and across different websites when you use our Services.

Our online Services may also use Internet features, such as “cookies.” Cookies are files that are placed in your computer’s browser memory or placed on your hard drive. We may use these features on our Services to verify your identity and remember personal settings, including your preferences, to offer you additional options or enhance your online experience, and to improve our products and Services. For more information about cookies, please visit www.allaboutcookies.org. You may be able to opt out of certain cookies directly through your web browser. However, please note that disabling cookies may prevent you from taking advantage of certain features of our Services.

Our Services do not respond to browser “Do Not Track” signals.    

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INFORMATION DISCLOSED AND TO WHOM

Sunstone does not share your information with any affiliated or nonaffiliated third parties except: (a) when it is required to complete your transaction; (b) for everyday business purposes; (c) when you authorize us to do so; or (d) as permitted by law.

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For Customers

Examples of when Sunstone may share your information to complete a transaction you requested would be to (a) verify information submitted on a commercial loan application, (b) submit your information to the lender on your loan, or (c) process a payment on your behalf to your contractor. Other examples of how we use your information would be to report account information to credit reporting agencies and to protect your account against, identifying, and preventing fraud and other crime, claims, and other liabilities. Sunstone does not sell your information. We may disclose your information to third-party companies for those third parties to market their products and services to you only if you consent to such sharing.  

For direct payments to contractors by credit or debit card or by electronic funds transfer from a bank account (ACH), Sunstone partners with third-party servicers to process payments to your contractor on your behalf. Sunstone shares information with third-party services and its affiliates to process these payments.

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For Contractors

We may share information about your business to complete a payment transaction on your behalf. We may also share information with third parties who we or you conduct business with, such as referral partners and for internal business analysis or other business purposes.  

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For Services Users

We may share information about you and your usage of the Services to personalize your experience with the Services, target our communications regarding products, services, or other offers, and for internal business analysis or other business purposes.

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With Third Party Service Providers

Sunstone may disclose the information we collect, as described above, to companies that perform services, such as marketing, on our behalf. The third-party service providers who receive this information are required to use the information we share with them only to provide services to us, or as otherwise permitted by law.

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Mobile Device Information

No mobile device information will be shared with third parties or affiliates for marketing or promotional purposes. All other “INFORMATION DISCLOSED AND TO WHOM” categories above exclude text messaging originator opt-in data and consent. This information will not be shared with any third parties.

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CALIFORNIA RESIDENTS

The California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”) provides California residents with certain rights with respect to the collection, use, and disclosure of their personal information, including the right to request access to, delete, and opt out of the sale of their personal information.

The above rights are subject to various exceptions. For example, certain provisions of the CCPA do not apply to business transactions or to the provision of financial products or services.

Even if we are not required to comply with your CCPA requests, we will not discriminate against you if you attempt to exercise any applicable rights under the CCPA.  

If you would like to exercise any of the CCPA rights as described in this section, to the extent such rights are applicable, please contact us at info@sunstonecredit.com. To verify your request, please provide us with your name and email address. We will verify your identity by comparing the personal information you submit with your request against our business records. We may also need to contact you to verify your request.

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CONFIDENTIALITY AND SECURITY

We restrict access to your loan application, payment information, business information, or usage information to those teammates (persons employed by Sunstone) who have a business reason for knowing such information. We educate our teammates about the importance of confidentiality and privacy of your information.  

We maintain commercially reasonable physical, electronic, and procedural safeguards that comply with industry standards to protect your information from unauthorized access. We do not allow our teammates, independent contractors, or third-party service providers to use this information or to share it for any purpose other than to provide services on our behalf or as permitted by law or regulation. Sunstone may provide documentation about your transaction in response to a court order or subpoena, for example. If you discontinue the use of our Services, we will retain historical information about your transactions, including your information, as per our record retention requirements.

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THIRD PARTY LINKS

Our Services may link to or contain links to other third-party websites that we do not control or maintain, such as in connection with purchasing products referenced on our Services. We are not responsible for the privacy practices employed by any third-party website. We encourage you to note when you leave our Services and to read the privacy statements of all third-party websites before submitting any information.

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AGE RESTRICTIONS

Our Services are not intended for use by children or minors, and we do not partner with or provide funding to children or minors. We do not knowingly solicit information from children under the age of 13 years, and we do not knowingly market to children. Please notify us immediately if you believe that we may have collected personal information from a child, so that we can delete such information.

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IN SUMMARY

We appreciate your interest and want you to understand our commitment to maintaining the privacy of your information, as expressed in this Privacy Notice. If you have questions about this Privacy Notice, please contact us at info@sunstonecredit.com.