Privacy Policy

This is the web site of Summit A•R (Summit Account Resolution), (“SAR”). SAR’s website is located at https://summitar.wpenginepowered.com (its “website”) is not intended for individuals less than the age of eighteen and SAR does not knowingly collect data relating to individuals less than the age of eighteen. 

Nothing in this privacy statement is intended to contradict your rights under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.  SAR will not disclose any information to third parties that is otherwise prohibited by the FDCPA.

Data Controller

SAR is the data controller and responsible for your personal data.

Questions, comments, and complaints about SAR’s data practices or this privacy policy can be submitted to:

PO Box 131
Champlin, MN 55316

We can be reached via e-mail at info@summitcollects.com or you can reach us by telephone at 1-888-212-2021.

Protecting your privacy is extremely important to SAR. We strive to keep your personal information confidential. By ensuring that you are aware of and understand the SAR Privacy Policy, we can provide you with better service. Please take a moment to read the following policy to learn how we handle your personal information.

Information We Collect

We may have collected the following categories of personal information from consumers within the last 12 months:

Categories of Personal Information	Examples of Specific Types of Personal Information Collected	Collected
Identifiers	A real name, alias, postal address, email address, telephone numbers, , account number, Social Security number, date of birth, or other similar identifiers.	Yes
Personal Information categories	A name, signature, Social Security number, physical characteristics or description, address, telephone number, passport number, driver’s license or state identification card number, insurance policy number, education, employment, employment history, bank account number, credit card number, debit card number, or any other financial information, medical information, or health insurance information. Some personal information included in this category may overlap with other categories.	Yes
Protected classification characteristics	Age (40 years or older)	Yes
Commercial information	Records of personal property, products or services purchased, obtained, or considered, or other purchasing or consuming histories or tendencies.	Yes
Professional or employment-related information	Current or past job history.	Yes

Why we collect personal information

Personal information is collected for the purpose of debt recovery in a lawful manner and remains part of our records until we determine the information is no longer needed, or we are required by law to delete such information.  We will collect the minimum amount of data necessary to collect a debt. 

We will not collect additional categories of personal information or use the personal information we collected for materially different, unrelated, or incompatible purposes without providing you notice.  We do not sell and will not sell your personal information.

How we collect personal information

We collect most of this personal information directly from our clients for whom we provide services to, as well as from you by telephone, written correspondence through the mail, email or fax, by viewing public media/network pages, or other information available online. However, we may also collect information:

• From publicly accessible sources (e.g., property records or court records);
• From your transactions with us;
• From our service providers (e.g., letter vendor, payment processing vendors, call analytics vendor, and/or electronic signature service provider); 
• Directly from a third party (e.g., third parties contacted during location activities pursuant to 15 U.S.C. §1692b, such as your friends, neighbors, relatives, and/or employer);
• Consumer reporting agencies (CRAs)
• From a third party with your consent (e.g., your authorized representative and/or attorney); and
• From activity on our website.

When we disclose personal information

SAR may share personally identifiable information it collects with its employees who need to know that information to provide services to you. Except as provided below, SAR does not share or disclose any personally identifiable information to any company or marketing group external to SAR.  SAR may, however, share aggregate information with other persons or entities for purposes determined by SAR to be appropriate under the law. For example, SAR may share your personal information with third parties to the extent it is reasonably necessary to manage or service your account, process payment, fulfill a transaction, provide customer service, or as otherwise authorized by law. 

Further, SAR may disclose personally identifiable information (i) to another entity with which SAR enters or reasonably may enter into a corporate transaction, such as, for example, a merger, consolidation, acquisition, or asset purchase, (ii) to a third party pursuant to a subpoena, court order, or other form of legal process or in response to a request by or on behalf of any local, state, federal, or other government agency, department, or body, whether or not pursuant to a subpoena, court order, or other form of legal process, or in connection with litigation brought against, or on behalf of, SAR, where appropriate, (iii) to a third party if determined by SAR in its sole judgment that such disclosure is appropriate to protect the life, health, or property of SAR or any other person or entity, all in compliance with applicable law, (iv) to third parties as authorized or designated by you, or (v) to conduct any other legitimate business activity not otherwise prohibited by law The foregoing is not intended to obviate or displace any legal obligations or duties applicable to SAR.

E-mail posted or sent to SAR may not be secure against interception by unauthorized individuals. To protect against interception by unauthorized individuals, or because we cannot verify your identity, we may be unable to respond to e-mail requests concerning accounts placed for collection unless you have requested or authorized us to do so. 

Sharing your information with Consumer Reporting Agencies 

Consumer Reporting Agencies (CRAs) collect and maintain information on consumer and business credit profiles on behalf of organizations in the United States. We share information about you with CRAs and may carry out periodic searches with them to verify your identity or manage your account.

Details of your account(s) with us will be sent to CRAs and recorded by them. This information may be supplied by CRAs and may be used and searched by us and other organizations, such as debt collection agencies, in order to:

• consider applications for credit and credit related services;
• locate debtors and recover debts; and
• manage your accounts.

SAR may furnish account information to Experian, Equifax, and Trans Union. You have a right to obtain an annual copy of your credit file from CRAs by visiting https://www.annualcreditreport.com.

How we protect your personal information

SAR safeguards the security of the data you send us with physical, electronic, and managerial procedures. We urge you to take every precaution to protect your personal data when you are on the Internet. Change your passwords often, use a combination of letters and numbers, and make sure you use a secure browser.

We adopt appropriate data collection, storage and processing practices and security measures to protect against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure or destruction of your personal information, username, password, transaction information and data stored on our website. 

The confidentiality of any communication or material transmitted to or from SAR via the website or via e-mail cannot be, and is not, guaranteed.  You acknowledge that the technical processing and transmission of the website’s content may be transferred unencrypted and involve: (a) transmissions over various networks; and (b) changes to confirm and adapt to technical requirements of connecting networks or devices.  

Collecting other personal information

When you browse SAR’s web site, you are able to do so anonymously. Generally, we do not collect personal information when you browse — not even your email address. Your browser, however, does automatically tell us the type of computer and operating system you are using.

Like many web sites, the SAR’s web site uses “cookie” technology. When you first connect to our site, the cookie identifies your browser with a unique, random number. The cookies we use do not reveal any personal information about you. Cookies help us understand which parts of our web sites are the most popular, where our visitors are going, and how long they spend there. We use cookies to study traffic patterns on our site so we can make the site even better. Users may choose to set their web browser to refuse cookies, or to alert the user when cookies are being sent. If they do so, note that some parts of the website may not function properly.

How Long We Keep Your Information

SAR will retain your personal data for seven years, or as otherwise required by law. SAR thereafter deletes or anonymizes such information in accordance with applicable laws.

Third-Party Web Beacons

We use automated devices and applications, such as Google Analytics (see privacy policy and opt-out), to evaluate usage of our web site. We use these tools to help us improve our services, performance and user experiences. These entities may use cookies and other tracking technologies to perform their services. We do not share your personal information with these third parties.

Our company-wide commitment to privacy

To make sure your personal information remains confidential, we communicate these privacy guidelines to every SAR employee and staff member.

• SAR does not knowingly solicit personal information from children or send them requests for personal information.
• The SAR web site may contain links to other sites. SAR does not share your personal information with those web sites and is not responsible for their privacy practices. We encourage you to learn about the privacy policies of those companies.
• If we are going to use your personal information differently from that stated at the time of collection, we will try to contact you via email using the most recent information we have. If you have not given us permission to communicate with you, you will not be contacted, nor will we use your personal information in a new manner.

SAR’s Privacy Policy is subject to change at any time. We encourage you to review the privacy policy regularly for any changes.

California Residents – Your Legal Rights

• The right to access personal information – You have the right to request access to your personal information that we collected about you, subject to certain exceptions. 
• The right to delete personal information –You have the right to request that we delete your personal information, however, state and federal law or our clients may prohibit us from deleting personal information, which SAR or its clients will disclose to you.  
• The right to non-discrimination – We will not discriminate against you if you exercise any of these rights. 
• The right to an authorized agent – You can designate an authorized agent to make any of these requests by providing your express written authorization. We must be able to verify your identity and the authorization must include the authorized agent’s name, address, telephone number, and email address (for providing the personal information collected or to respond to a request for deletion). If you wish to exercise any of these rights, please contact SAR by doing one of the following: 

1. Submit online to info@summitcollects.com;
2. By mailing a request to:  

Summit AR, PO Box 131, Champlin, MN 55316;

3. Calling us at 888-212-2021

If you choose to contact directly by [email/phone/in writing], you will need to provide us with:

• Enough information to identify you [e.g., your full name, address and customer or matter reference number];
• Proof of your identity and address (e.g., a copy of your driving license and a recent utility or credit card bill); and
• Describe your request with sufficient detail that allows us to properly understand, evaluate and respond to it. 

We are not obligated to make a data access or data portability disclosure if we cannot verify that the person making the request is the person about whom we collected information, or is someone authorized to act on such person’s behalf.  SAR is not responsible for the security or confidentiality of any information once it has been provided to you.

Terms of Service

This web site is provided for information purposes only. It is not intended as legal advice and should not be relied upon as legal advice. Nothing transmitted from this web site establishes an attorney-client relationship between you and SAR. SAR is not a law firm.

The legal principles stated at this web site may vary for each individual or from state to state. Should you have legal questions, SAR recommends you consult an attorney.

This document was last updated on November 20, 2020.