Online Privacy Policy

About This Policy
This Online Privacy Statement is a supplement to our general privacy policy that we provide to our consumers and customers. This Online Privacy Policy applies specifically to visitors to our website. The Online Policy is provided for your general information. It does not constitute a contract or create legal rights. This policy is subject to change. We therefore suggest that you review this policy periodically.

At Northwest Community Bank we are committed to protecting your privacy.

Collecting And Using Information On Our Website
We recognize and respect your need for privacy and security as you visit our site. When you use our site to view any pages, read product information, or use our on-line calculators and tools, you do so without telling us who you are and without revealing any personal information.

Visitors to the Northwest Community Bank website will remain anonymous. We do not collect personal identifying information about visitors to our site unless you provide that information to us.

While we do not collect identifying information about visitors to our site, we do use standard software to collect information for the strict purpose of tracking activity on our site. Our servers collect standard non-identifying information about visitors to the site, such as date and time visited, IP address, city, state, and country. This information is used to compile standard statistics on site usage.

If you provide us with personal identification (such as name and address) via e-mail or information request forms, the information will only be used to communicate with you to handle your request. It is not sold or transferred to other parties.

Linking to Another Website
When you use a hyperlink to visit the website of another person or entity, you leave the Bank’s website. The content, accuracy, and opinions expressed and other links provided by these resources are not investigated, verified, monitored or endorsed by the Bank. You may be asked to provide personally identifying information by operators of other websites you visit. These website operators may also collect information through the use of cookies. Information collected by other website operators may be used by them in accordance with the website operator’s policies and procedures. If you have any questions about a website operator’s use of your personal information, you should review that website operator’s privacy policies and/or ask the website operator directly. We are not responsible for a website operator’s use of any information the website operator obtains about you.

Children’s Information
We do not knowingly collect or retain personally identifiable information about children under thirteen years old, and we comply with the provisions of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act.
 

Security

Internet Banking
If you are a customer and enroll in our Online Banking Service, we will verify your identity by the use of a Confidential User ID and Password. We will treat any information about your transactions that we receive through your use of our Online Banking Service in accordance with our general Privacy Policy that is provided to all of our customers.
 

We are committed to your financial well-being, and protecting the privacy and security of the information you share with us is included in that commitment. Because you trust us with your personal and financial information and we'll honor that trust by handling your information carefully and sensibly.

In Internet banking as with traditional banking methods, security is a primary concern. At Northwest Community Bank we have taken every precaution necessary to be sure your information is transmitted safely and securely. The latest methods in Internet banking system security are used to increase and monitor the integrity and security of the system.

The security of the Northwest Community Bank Internet banking application is addressed at three levels. The first concern is the security of customer information as it is sent from the customer's PC to the Web server. The second area concerns the security of the environment in which the Internet banking server and customer information database reside. Finally, security measures are in place to prevent unauthorized users from attempting to log into the online banking section of the Web site.

Data security between the customer browser and our Web server is handled through a security protocol called Secure Sockets Layer (SSL). SSL provides data encryption, server authentication, and message integrity for a Internet connection. In addition, SSL provides a security "handshake" that is used to initiate the connection. This handshake results in the client and server agreeing on the level of security they will use and fulfills any authentication requirements for the connection. Currently Northwest Community Bank's online banking application supports data encryption at the highest level (128 bit). In order to get this level of encryption, you will need a browser that supports it. Both versions 3 and 4 of the most popular browsers support 40-bit encryption as a default, and have complete versions as well as patches that will support the stronger 128-bit encryption. Check with your browser manufacturer's website for more information.

Requests for online banking information are passed on from the Web server to the Internet banking server. The Internet banking application is designed using a three-tiered architecture. The three-tiered architecture provides a double firewall, completely isolating the Web server from the customer information SQL database.

The World Wide Web interface receives SSL input and sends requests through a firewall over a dedicated private network to the Internet banking server. The World Wide Web interface is the only process capable of communicating through the firewall to the Internet banking server. Therefore, only authenticated requests communicate with the Internet banking server.

The customer information database is housed on a Microsoft SQL Server, which implements Microsoft NT security in addition to the firewall technology. The customer database is stored on a RAID-5 drive array, which provides uninterruptible data access, even in the event of a hard drive failure. Just as the World Wide Web interface is the only process capable of communicating with the Internet banking server, the Internet banking server is the only process able to send requests to the SQL database. Thus, the outside world is removed from the customer database by two dedicated private networks.

A security analyzer constantly monitors login attempts and recognizes failures that could indicate a possible unauthorized attempt to log into an account. When such trends are observed, steps will be taken automatically to prevent that account from being used.

Security concerns have been addressed from every angle within the architecture of the Internet banking application. Implementation of the SSL security protocol on the Web server and customer browser ensures authenticated data has been received from the customer. The three-tiered approach of the Internet banking application creates a double firewall which performs information requests over dedicated networks designed to handle specific functions. Placing all business logic and event logging within the Internet banking server creates a controlled environment which allows quick incorporation of Internet security technologies as they evolve. Finally, the security analyzer monitors login attempts in order to prevent unauthorized logins.
 

We hope you find our website useful and informative. We are always willing to answer questions and receive suggestions. If you have either, please e-mail us at onlineinfo@nwcommunitybank.com. Please do not send us any sensitive information such as account numbers, your Social Security number, user identification numbers or passwords through general e-mail. Please provide us with this type of information by writing to us at 86 Main St, PO Box 1019, Winsted, CT 06098-8019, or calling us at 860-379-7561.

Thank you.