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TheFinanceSection.com provides information for educational purposes only. Not financial advice. Data from FDIC, NCUA, CFPB. Health Grades are our editorial assessment. Verify information directly with your financial institution.

© 2026 TheFinanceSection.com

Privacy Policy

Effective and last updated: August 30, 2026

This Privacy Policy describes how TheFinanceSection, also styled TheFinance$ection (“TheFinanceSection,” “we,” “us,” or “our”), collects, uses, discloses, and retains personal information in connection with TheFinanceSection.com and its related features (the “Site”). TheFinanceSection is the controller of personal information described in this Policy.

1. Personal Information We Collect

Depending on how you use the Site, we collect the following categories:

  • Account and authentication information: name, email address, profile image, email-verification status, Google account identifier, authentication tokens and related account records, account role, and subscription tier.
  • Subscription and alert information: email address, subscription status and dates, signup source and context, institutions selected for watchlists or grade alerts, and email-delivery and unsubscribe records.
  • User content: reviews, star ratings, category ratings, submission and update dates, and moderation or helpfulness information.
  • Saved CD organizer records: institution names, nicknames, principal amounts, APYs, opening and maturity dates, optional grace periods, and record update dates you choose to save in your TFS account.
  • Usage, device, and network information: pages and features used, interactions, referral information, browser and device type, approximate location, cookie or advertising identifiers, and IP address or similar network information in server, security, analytics, and advertising logs.
  • Communications: information you provide when contacting us or making a privacy, legal, support, or content-reporting request.
  • Consent records: the version of our Terms and Privacy Policy you accepted or acknowledged, the date of that action, and your analytics and advertising choices.

Private CD tools

CD withdrawal amounts are processed in your browser and are not submitted to us. When you use the CD organizer while signed in, records you save are sent to TFS and stored with your account so you can reopen them on other devices. Account saving uses your existing TFS sign-in and does not require a separate organizer password. These account records are not public. You can edit or remove them in the organizer. Guest entries remain in the current tab unless you explicitly save them to your account or export them; leaving or refreshing the tab can erase unsaved entries. Downloaded JSON and CSV backups are unencrypted; calendar exports disclose event details to any calendar service you choose to import them into.

If you used the earlier browser-only organizer, its encrypted local records are not automatically uploaded. You can unlock that existing copy with its old passphrase and choose to import it into your account. We do not receive that local passphrase and cannot recover it. Account saving does not use that passphrase or provide end-to-end encryption. Protect your TFS sign-in, unlocked tabs, and exported files.

Advertising and analytics scripts are disabled on private CD tool pages. Ordinary hosting and security logs may still record page requests, and existing sign-in may make a session request. Do not enter account numbers or bank login credentials. Calendar reminders require your own calendar app; TFS does not email or push maturity notifications from the organizer.

2. Sources of Personal Information

We collect personal information:

  • directly from you when you create an account, subscribe, submit content, or contact us;
  • from Google when you choose Google sign-in;
  • automatically from your browser or device when permitted by your privacy choices; and
  • from service providers that help us host, secure, measure, advertise, and deliver the Site.

3. How We Use Personal Information

  • Provide, authenticate, secure, troubleshoot, and improve the Site.
  • Create and administer accounts, saved CD organizers, watchlists, subscriptions, and alerts.
  • Publish and administer reviews and ratings.
  • Send requested newsletters, reports, service messages, and grade or institution alerts.
  • Measure Site usage and performance when analytics consent has been granted.
  • Serve and measure advertising when advertising consent has been granted.
  • Detect abuse, enforce our Terms, comply with law, and protect rights and safety.
  • Respond to questions, rights requests, disputes, and legal notices.

4. When We Disclose Personal Information

We disclose personal information to the following categories of recipients as necessary:

  • Hosting and database providers that operate infrastructure and store Site data.
  • Resend and related email providers that deliver newsletters, reports, and alerts.
  • Google for sign-in and, only according to your applicable choices, Google Analytics and Google AdSense. Google may act as our service provider or as a separate controller depending on the product and processing involved.
  • Professional advisers and authorities when reasonably necessary for legal, compliance, security, accounting, or dispute-resolution purposes.
  • A successor or transaction participant in connection with a merger, financing, reorganization, sale of assets, or similar transaction, subject to appropriate confidentiality protections.

We may also disclose information when required by law, to enforce our Terms of Service, or to protect TheFinanceSection, our users, or others.

5. Public Information

Reviews and ratings you submit are public. Unless the interface states otherwise, your Google display name and profile image are displayed with your review. Do not include account numbers, transaction details, government identifiers, or other sensitive or confidential information in a review. Public information may be copied, indexed, or redistributed by others outside our control.

6. Cookies, Analytics, and Advertising Choices

We use necessary browser storage for sign-in, security, saved privacy choices, and basic Site functionality. Google Analytics and Google AdSense are not loaded through our Site until you grant the corresponding analytics or advertising permission. You can reject non-essential technologies or change your choices at any time using Privacy choices in the Site footer. Withdrawing permission stops future loading after the preference is applied; it does not require third parties to delete data they previously processed under an earlier valid choice.

When advertising is enabled, Google and its advertising partners may use cookies or similar technologies to serve, limit, personalize, and measure ads, including based on activity over time and across sites. Learn more about how Google uses information from partner sites and manage advertising through Google Ads Settings.

The Site honors a browser Global Privacy Control signal by disabling advertising that may constitute sale or sharing for cross-context behavioral advertising. Because there is no consistent industry standard for legacy “Do Not Track” signals, we do not separately respond to those signals. Other parties may collect activity over time and across sites only when the relevant advertising technology has been enabled.

7. Sale and Sharing

We do not sell personal information for money. When enabled, disclosure of identifiers and Internet activity to advertising partners may be considered a “sale,” “sharing,” or targeted advertising under some privacy laws. You can opt out by rejecting advertising in Privacy choices; we also honor Global Privacy Control as described above.

8. Retention

We use the following retention criteria:

  • Account, watchlist, and review records are retained while the account is active and until deletion is requested, subject to legal and security exceptions. Saved CD records remain until you remove them in the organizer or your account is deleted; deletion from infrastructure backups may take longer as described below.
  • Active subscription and alert records are retained until unsubscribe or deletion; limited suppression records may be retained to honor opt-outs.
  • Authentication and security records are retained for their validity period and as reasonably needed to investigate abuse and protect the Site.
  • Analytics and advertising information is retained according to the settings and policies of the applicable provider.
  • Legal, consent, and request records may be retained as needed to document compliance, resolve disputes, and enforce agreements.
  • Deletion from backups may be delayed until those backups rotate out of ordinary use.

When information is no longer reasonably needed, we delete or deidentify it.

9. Your Rights and Choices

Subject to applicable law and verification, you may request that we:

  • provide access to or a copy of your personal information;
  • correct inaccurate personal information;
  • delete personal information associated with you;
  • provide portable information where applicable; or
  • restrict or stop certain processing or withdraw consent.

Submit a request to [email protected] from the email address associated with your account. We may request information reasonably necessary to verify your identity and authority. To delete an account, include “Account deletion” in the subject line. Deletion may remove your reviews from public display, but we may retain limited records where permitted or required for security, legal compliance, dispute resolution, or suppression purposes. You may unsubscribe from marketing emails through the link in each email.

California and other U.S. state rights

If a state comprehensive privacy law applies to our processing, residents of that state may have additional rights to know, correct, delete, obtain a copy, and opt out of sale, sharing, targeted advertising, or certain profiling, and to appeal a denied request. We do not use personal information to make automated decisions producing legal or similarly significant effects about individuals. To exercise or appeal a request, contact [email protected]. We will not discriminate against you for exercising an applicable right. An authorized agent may submit a request where permitted by law, subject to verification.

EEA, UK, and Swiss rights

Where applicable, our lawful bases are: performance of our agreement with you for accounts and requested features; consent for newsletters and non-essential technologies; our legitimate interests in operating, securing, improving, and defending the Site; and compliance with legal obligations. You may have rights to access, rectify, erase, restrict, object, and obtain portability, and to withdraw consent without affecting earlier lawful processing. You may also complain to your local data-protection authority.

10. International Transfers

The Site is operated from the United States. If you access it from another country, your information may be transferred to and processed in the United States and other countries where our providers operate. Where required, providers use recognized transfer safeguards, such as adequacy decisions or standard contractual clauses.

11. Children

The Site is intended for adults and is not directed to children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided personal information, contact us so we can investigate and delete it as required.

12. Security

We use reasonable administrative, technical, and organizational safeguards designed to protect personal information. No security measure is perfect, and we cannot guarantee absolute security. You should not submit sensitive financial information through reviews or ordinary email.

13. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Policy as our practices or legal obligations change. We will post the revised Policy and update the effective date. If a change materially affects how we use information already collected, we will provide additional notice through the Site, account, or email when appropriate and obtain consent where required.

14. Contact

For privacy questions or requests, contact [email protected], or write to:

TheFinanceSection
5013 S Louise Ave #545
Sioux Falls, SD 57108
United States