PRIVACY POLICY

Last Modified: February 15, 2022

Introduction

We at Distinguished Group and its affiliates (herein referred to as "Distinguished”), want you to understand how we collect, use, safeguard, and disclose personal information about you and your customers.

This Privacy Policy describes the types of information we may collect from you or that you and/or your insurance agent/broker may provide and our practices for collecting, using, maintaining, protecting, and disclosing that information.

This Policy supersedes any prior privacy policy by providing you with information concerning our practices and procedures as they relate specifically to the information we collect.

If you are an agent or broker and wish to register and apply for our insurance products on behalf of your clients, we may ask you to provide some personal information for the procurement of commercial insurance coverage. Visitors to our website who are not agents or brokers can only view the information on our public web pages. For all visitors, this site uses Google Analytics to collect data to improve our site and provide you with a better experience (see the Information We Collect Through Automatic Data Collection Technologies Section below).

This Policy applies to information we collect:

  • On this Website; and
  • In email, text, and other electronic messages between you and this Website or directly to us.
  • In a written or electronic application for insurance submitted to us by you through your insurance agent/broker.

Please read this Policy carefully to understand our policies and practices regarding your information and how we will treat it. If you do not agree with our policies and practices, do not use our Website. By accessing or using this Website, you agree to this Privacy Policy. This Policy may change from time to time (see Modifications to Our Privacy Policy Section). Your continued use of this Website after we make changes is deemed to be acceptance of those changes, so please check the policy periodically for updates.

What type of information do we collect?

We collect information for the purposes of administering our business and supplying the appropriate insurance product you have requested in an application. This information could vary based on the insurance product you intend to purchase or have purchased from Distinguished. The following are examples of some of the information (public information and nonpublic information) we collect when you apply for insurance coverage:

  • First and Last Name
  • Email Address
  • Physical Address
  • Telephone Number
  • Characteristics of protected classifications under state or federal law (for example, gender)
  • General Financial Information (commercial businesses related only)
  • Payment Information (including account numbers for processing ACH payments)
  • Particulars of the operations and/or premises for which insurance is sought
  • Prior loss information related to the premises for which insurance is being sought (including names and claim information of people injured on the premises)
  • Consumer’s ownership and management history, and
  • Details concerning your internet connection (including IP address, the equipment you use to access our Website, and usage details, such as browser type, domain names, time and date of visit, referring website, landing page, search terms, web pages viewed, time spent on a web page, and links clicked).

Also, if you choose to email us, in addition to your email address, we may collect any information you choose to provide in your email as well as any additional data associated with the email itself.

This information is not used to create a profile about you or your activities.

Where do we get this information from?

We may receive personal information from you pertaining to you or your customers when:

  • You communicate with our Sales Executive team
  • You apply for our insurance products
  • Insurance agencies register to conduct business with us through our online service
  • Insurance brokers send us prior loss information related to the premises for which insurance is being sought
  • You pay for your insurance product, and
  • Automatically as you navigate through the website. Information collected automatically may include usage details, IP addresses, and information collected through cookies, web beacons, and other tracking technologies.

The information we collect from you, for the purposes of administering our business or supplying the appropriate insurance product, may be information of persons other than the entities or individual(s) applying for our insurance product.

Information We Collect Through Automatic Data Collection Technologies

This website uses Google Analytics. Google Analytics uses tracking technologies, including cookies to collect anonymized data, which may include IP address, browser type, domain names, time and date of visit, referring website, landing page, search terms, web pages viewed, time spent on a web page, and links clicked. This data is used to improve our site and provide you with a better experience. You may prevent Google Analytics from recognizing you when you visit our site by disabling cookies on your browser. Please review Google Analytics’ terms of use and privacy policy to learn more about how Google Analytics may collect and use information.

As you navigate through and interact with our Website, Google Analytics’ automatic data collection technologies may collect certain information about your equipment, browsing actions, and patterns, including:

  • Details of your visits to our Website, including traffic data, location data, logs, and other communication data and the resources that you access and use on the Website.
  • Information about your computer and internet connection, including your IP address, operating system, and browser type.

The information we collect automatically may include personal information, or we may maintain it or associate it with personal information in other ways. It helps us to improve our Website and to deliver a better and more personalized service, including by enabling us to:

  • Estimate our audience size and usage patterns.
  • Store information about your preferences, allowing us to customize our Website according to your individual interests.
  • Speed up your searches.
  • Recognize you when you return to our Website.

The technologies we use for this automatic data collection may include:

  • Cookies (or browser cookies). A cookie is a small file placed on the hard drive of your computer. You may refuse to accept browser cookies by activating the appropriate setting on your browser. However, if you select this setting you may be unable to access certain parts of our Website. Unless you have adjusted your browser setting so that it will refuse cookies, our system will issue cookies when you direct your browser to our Website.
  • Flash Cookies. Certain features of our Website may use local stored objects (or Flash cookies) to collect and store information about your preferences and navigation to, from, and on our Website. Flash cookies are not managed by the same browser settings as are used for browser cookies.
  • Web Beacons. Pages of our Website and our emails may contain small electronic files known as web beacons (also referred to as clear gifs, pixel tags, and single-pixel gifs) that permit the Company, for example, to count users who have visited those pages or opened an email and for other related website statistics (for example, recording the popularity of certain website content and verifying system and server integrity).


How We Use Your Information
We use information that we collect about you or that you provide to us, including any personal information:

  • To present our Website and its contents to you
  • To provide you with information, products, or services that you request from us
  • To fulfill any other purpose for which you provide it
  • To provide you with notices about your account, including expiration and renewal notices
  • To carry out our obligations and enforce our rights arising from any contracts entered into between you and us, including for billing and collection
  • To notify you about changes to our Website or any products or services we offer or provide though it
  • To allow you to participate in interactive features on our Website
  • In any other way we may describe when you provide the information, and
  • For any other purpose with your consent.

We may also use your information to contact you about goods and services that may be of interest to you. If you do not want us to use your information in this way, please adjust your user preferences in your account profile.

Who might receive the information we collect?

The information we collect from you for the purpose of providing insurance products is provided to our insurance providers to administer the insurance product you have requested in the application for insurance. For insurance on commercial properties, we may also share the address of a building and the name of the building’s owner with an inspection company for the purpose of inspecting the property prior to providing the insurance. The information may be disclosed in the event of a sale of all or substantially all of our assets or the merger of our company into another entity or any consolidation, share exchange, combination, reorganization, or like transaction in which we are not the survivor. The information we collect from you is not sold to any third parties.

If your information (public information and nonpublic information) is requested by the Department of Insurance, insurance regulatory authorities, law enforcement, or other judicial authorities to assist in a criminal proceeding, we will provide the information to them accordingly.

If you prefer that we not disclose nonpublic personal financial information about you to nonaffiliated third parties, you may opt-out of those disclosures, that is, you may direct us not to make those disclosures (other than disclosures permitted by law). If you wish to opt-out of disclosures to nonaffiliated third parties, you may call the following toll-free number: (888) 355-4626.

How do we protect the information provided to us?
For the security of you and your customers, orders on our website are encrypted with SSL Technology assuring visitors that they have reached our authentic site, thereby allowing communications to be encrypted. In order for SSL to work, though, you must have a browser that supports SSL technology. Please note that email may not be encrypted and cannot be considered a secure means of transmitting sensitive information. Distinguished advises that you and your customer should not submit financial account or other information you wish to protect via email.

We seek to restrict access to personal information collected to our employees, our affiliates' employees, or others who need to know that information to carry out our normal business operations. We use commercially reasonable security measures that are consistent with applicable law and regulations to protect and safeguard the personal information we collect under this Policy against unauthorized access or unauthorized alteration, disclosure, or destruction. No computer network or data transmission on the internet, including through or initiated on our site, can be guaranteed to be 100% secure and so you submit your information at your own risk.


Access or Correct Your Information

If you have a question or would like to access and correct the personal information you have submitted to us kindly send a letter or email to the address below:

Distinguished Programs
Consumer Privacy Inquiry
1180 Avenue of the Americas, 16th Floor
New York, NY 10036
Privacy@Distinguished.com

In your request, please identify your name, address, and telephone number.

Do Not Track

Web browsers include a “Do Not Track” feature that allows the user to select whether or not to send a “Do Not Track” request to websites visited by the user. If this feature is enabled, a request will be sent to the websites disabling them from collecting your browsing data.

Our Website does not respond to your “Do Not Track” signals from your web browsers.

Other than Google Analytics, we do not allow third-parties to track your online activities on our Website.

Governing Law

This Policy is governed by the laws of the State of New York. You agree that any proceeding relating to use of this site or this Policy must be filed exclusively in the appropriate courts located in New York County, New York, and you submit to the jurisdiction of those courts and waive any objection to venue in those courts based on an inconvenient forum or any other reason.

Children Under the Age of 13

Our products are not intended to be used by or in connection with children under the age of 13. Distinguished does not market any products or services to children under the age of 13 or knowingly collect personal information from children under the age of 13. If Distinguished obtains actual knowledge that it has obtained personal information from a child under the age of 13, that information will be immediately and permanently deleted from our records. If you believe we might have any information from or about a child under 13, please contact us at:

Distinguished Programs
Consumer Privacy Inquiry
1180 Avenue of the Americas, 16th Floor
New York, NY 10036
Privacy@Distinguished.com

Children Under the Age of 16

Our Website is not intended for children under 16 years of age. No one under age 16 may provide any information to or on the Website. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 16. If you are under 16, do not use or provide any information on this Website or on or through any of its features. If we learn we have collected or received personal information from a child under 16 without verification of parental consent, we will delete that information. If you believe we might have any information from or about a child under 16, please contact us at:

Distinguished Programs
Consumer Privacy Inquiry
1180 Avenue of the Americas, 16th Floor
New York, NY 10036
Privacy@Distinguished.com


Links to External Sites
For your convenience, we may provide links to other websites and web pages that we do not control. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of any websites or pages not under our control, and we do not endorse any of these websites or pages, the services or products described or offered on such sites or pages, or any of the content contained on those sites or pages. We encourage visitors to our Website to be aware of when they leave our Website and to read the privacy statements of each and every website that may collect personal information. This Privacy Policy applies solely to the information collected by our Website.


Modifications to Our Privacy Policy
We may change this Privacy Policy from time to time. The most recent version of the Privacy Policy will be reflected at the bottom of this Policy.

This Privacy Policy is not intended to and does not create any contractual or other legal rights in or on behalf of any party.


California Residents

This section supplements the Privacy Policy set forth above for California residents.

Under the California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”), California residents have the right to the following:

  • The right to request the categories and specific pieces of personal information that we have collected;
  • The right to request that we delete any personal information about you that we have collected, subject to the exclusions listed below;
  • The right to opt-out of the sale of your personal information; and
  • The right not to be discriminated against for exercising your rights under the CCPA.

The CCPA excludes information subject to the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (“GLBA”) and certain other regulated data. Accordingly, the rights described in this Section do not apply to any personal information we receive that is subject to the GLBA.

The personal information that we collect and how we use it as set forth above. If you, a California resident in the past 12 months, request to receive or delete the information that we have collected about you through the methods listed above, we may need to obtain specific information from you to confirm your identity and ensure that you have the right to access the information you are requesting. Once your identity is verified, we will disclose to you the following that we have collected in the past 12 months:

  • The categories of personal information about you that we have collected;
  • The specific pieces of personal information about you that we have collected;
  • The categories of sources from which we have collected your personal information;
  • The business or commercial purpose(s) for collecting your personal information;
  • The categories of third parties with whom have shared your personal information; and
  • If we disclose personal information about you for a business purpose, the categories of information that each category of recipient received.

Once we have verified your identity and that you were a California resident in the past 12 months, you can also request that we delete the personal information that we have collected from you. There are certain exceptions to the CCPA’s right to have certain data deleted and we reserve the right to deny your request if your personal information is necessary to:

  • Complete the transaction for which we collected your information, provide a service requested by you, continue the ongoing business relationship with you within the reasonably anticipated context of that relationship, or perform a contract between you and the Distinguished;
  • Detect security incidents, protect against malicious, deceptive, fraudulent, or illegal activity, or prosecute those responsible for that activity;
  • Debug to identify and repair errors that impair existing intended functionality;
  • Exercise free speech, ensure the right of another California resident to exercise his or her right of free speech, or exercise another right provided for by law;
  • Comply with the California Electronic Communications Privacy Act;
  • Engage in public or peer-reviewed scientific, historical, or statistical research in the public interest that adheres to all other applicable ethics and privacy laws;
  • Enable solely internal uses that are reasonably aligned with the expectations of you based on your relationship with us;
  • Comply with legal obligations;
  • Provide employment and related benefits; or
  • Otherwise use your information, internally, in a lawful manner that is compatible with the context in which you provided the information.

California residents also have the right to opt-out of their personal information being sold to third parties. As stated above, Distinguished does not sell information to third parties and has not done so in the past 12 months. As described above in this notice, we may share your personal information with other entities for business or commercial purposes.

Distinguished may not discriminate against a California resident because the resident exercised rights under the CCPA, including, but not limited to, by:

  • Denying you goods or services;
  • Charging you different prices or rates for goods or services, including through granting discounts or other benefits, or imposing penalties;
  • Providing you a different level or quality of goods or services; or
  • Suggesting that you will receive a different price or rate for goods or services or a different level or quality of goods or services.

You have the right to appoint an agent to make requests under the CCPA to obtain or delete information about you. If you would like to designate an agent, your agent must register as such with the California Secretary of State and submit a copy of this registration along with your consumer request to us. We may need to contact you directly to verify the request. Distinguished may deny a request if the agent does not submit sufficient proof that you authorized the agent to act on your behalf.

To exercise any of your rights under the CCPA, kindly submit a written request to the address or email address shown in the Contact Information below or submit a request through our website by clicking this link. You may also contact us by toll-free telephone number: (888) 355-4626. You may make a request up to two times every 12 months.

Distinguished Programs
CCPA Inquiry
1180 Avenue of the Americas, 16th FL
New York, NY 10036
Email: Privacy@Distinguished.com

To verify your identity, we will ask that you provide the following information when you submit your request:

  • Your first and last name
  • Your full address
  • State of your primary residence
  • Your telephone number
  • Your email address

Depending on your type of request or the information requested by you, we may require additional information in order to verify your identity and fulfill your request. If we cannot successfully verify your identity, we will inform you of that fact.

We will respond to your request within forty-five (45) days. However, in certain circumstances, we may require additional time to process your request, as permitted by the CCPA or other applicable law. We will advise you within forty-five (45) days after receiving your request if such an extension is necessary and why it is needed. Any disclosures we provide will only cover the twelve (12)-month period preceding our receipt of your request. If we cannot fulfill your request, our response to you will also explain the reason why we cannot fulfill your request.


Contact Information
If you have any questions or concerns with respect to this Privacy Policy or would like to request more information, you may contact us by sending a written request to the address listed below. We may not be able to provide information relating to investigations or litigation. We will respond to your request within a reasonable timeframe.

Please send requests to:
Distinguished Programs
Consumer Privacy Inquiry
1180 Avenue of the Americas, 16th FL
New York, NY 10036

You may also contact us at Privacy@Distinguished.com

We may share your written request or email message with others within our organization, such as our personnel who are most capable of addressing the issues contained therein. We may retain copies of your written request or email message and may archive your written request or email message for a certain period of time or discard it.

Affiliates to which this Policy applies to:
Distinguished Programs Insurance Brokerage LLC, and Distinguished Prize Indemnity LLC d/b/a American Hole ‘N One.

Effective Date: February 15, 2022
DPPP Ed. 01.22
The information on this and any other page of our Website is provided subject to the Distinguished Terms Of Use.

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