Site Policies

The Texas Department of Banking (DOB) respects your privacy.

The DOB understands the importance of maintaining your privacy and will make every attempt to maintain your trust and confidence regarding the collection and use of your information.

We do not collect personal information about persons who visit our website unless the visitor provides personal information in an electronic mail message so that we may respond to the message or make further inquiries to third parties.

The DOB does, however, automatically collect certain technical information about your Internet connection when you visit our website to read or download information. We use this information to monitor the popularity of the various features of the website for general reporting and management purposes. This information can also be used to evaluate the accessibility of our website. As discussed in greater detail below, none of this information permits identification of personal information for any individual.

If you identify yourself or provide personal information when you contact us, as you would, for example, in requesting public information or submitting a complaint about a regulated entity, we will use the information only for the purpose it is submitted. The information will not be shared with anyone outside the DOB unless necessary for investigative purposes, or disclosure is compelled by law.

To understand in greater detail how we handle information about your Internet connection or personal information which you supply, consult the appropriate section below.

Recommended Browsers and Site File Formats

The DOB has specific browser recommendations for the optimal website experience. There is a required reader to view documents on the DOB’s websites.

Web Analytics Data

The DOB websites collect and store information each time you access them to enable us to measure the total number of visitors, and certain non-personal statistical information. This helps us make our websites more accessible and useful to visitors.

If you browse through our sites reading, printing, or downloading information, no sensitive information, or confidential information about you is collected.

The information we collect when you visit the DOB’s sites consists of:

  • The Internet Protocol (IP) address from which you are accessing the site(s)
  • The domain name of the Internet Service Provider (ISP) you are using to access the site(s)
  • The date and time you visited the site(s)
  • The web pages or services you accessed at the site(s)

The DOB uses Google Analytics to measure traffic on our websites. Review the Google Analytics Terms of Use or learn more about how Google uses, collects, and processes analytics data. To prevent Google Analytics from recognizing return visits to our websites you may disable cookies in your Web browser.

Email

If you communicate with the DOB by sending an email, your email address may be retained for further communication with you in connection with processing your request or as provided by law. Do not send any sensitive or confidential information in the body of, or as an attachment to, an electronic mail message unless the data is adequately encrypted. Data sent via email is not inherently secured or encrypted. Any information contained in an email message or attachment may be retained and stored by the DOB pursuant to the applicable retention period or as provided by law and may be provided to other state agencies to better serve your needs.

ZIX Message Center

The Department of Banking has a two-way secure email system called Zix. Zix is an industry leader in secure email. If you are interested in sending the DOB a secure email, you may do so by going to the Zix Secure Message Center.

Disclosure of Information

The DOB gathers your information through lawful means. Any subsequent use of the information is limited to purposes consistent with the purpose(s) given at the time of collection. Texas law states that some information submitted or accessed by you may be subject to public disclosure under the Texas Public Information Act. However, there are limitations that protect your sensitive personal information (SPI) from inclusion with public records.

You are responsible for protecting the confidentiality of any user ID or password used to access the DOB websites. If you give your user ID or password to anyone else, they will be able to access your sensitive and confidential information.

The DOB does not sell or distribute your information to any non-governmental third party without your consent or as authorized by law or regulation. DOB employees will only use sensitive and confidential information submitted by you on a need-to-know basis to provide information or services or carry out the duties of the office.

Further, we will not disclose information we collect from you to third parties without your permission except to the extent necessary including:

  • To fulfill your requests for services;
  • To protect ourselves from liability; or
  • To respond to legal process or comply with law.

Retention of Information

Information collected by or provided to the DOB will be retained and maintained as required by law or regulation such as Texas Government Code Section 441.180 et seq. There are several types of information that are required to be kept for different periods of time.

The DOB stores or uses sensitive and confidential information submitted by you only for the time necessary. Confidential information is destroyed via purging, shredding, and/or other means of authorized confidential destruction when no longer required and to prevent unauthorized access or use of the data. Regularly scheduled archiving, purging, and proper disposal of records and information is a standard practice throughout the DOB.

Links to Non-DOB Websites

DOB websites contain links to other websites for your information and convenience. The DOB has no control over the privacy practices or the content of such other websites. We recommend you review the privacy information provided by these third-party websites.

The responsibility for the content and accuracy of information on websites accessed by linking from our websites rests with the entities providing the information. This includes any responsibility for updating information.

The inclusion of links from our sites to others does not imply any endorsement by the DOB of any product, service, or vendor. Any mention of products, services, or vendors is for informational purposes only.

Contact Us

The DOB’s General Counsel serves as the Privacy Officer. If you have questions, comments, or concerns about the DOB’s Site Policy, please contact our General Counsel by phone or mail:

Texas Department of Banking
Attn: General Counsel/Privacy Officer
2601 N. Lamar Blvd.
Austin, Texas 78705

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