Cookie Policy

Why and how do we use cookies on our website?

We are committed to protecting your personal data (anonymous or otherwise) that we collect about you online. This section tells you how we use cookies, why, and how this allows us to improve our service. It also tells you how you can manage what cookies are stored on your device.

We call it our Cookies Notice.

When using our websites and mobile services (through any device), this Cookies Notice applies to that use.

We reserve the right to make changes to our Cookie Notice. Any such changes shall appear on all our websites and mobile services and become effective immediately.

What are cookies?

Cookies are small pieces of data that websites and applications store on your device when you visit them. Cookies enable website operators to recognise your device and to track your use of websites. There are other technologies such as tracking pixels and plugins which perform a similar function. In this Cookies Notice when we refer to "cookies" we are referring to all such tracking technologies.

Cookies do lots of different and useful jobs, such as remembering your preferences, and generally improving your online experience. We use necessary cookies to ensure our website and mobile services are able to function properly. We also use cookies as part of our application processes, and when you access your online account for fraud prevention and detection purposes.

With your consent, we also use cookies to help us analyse and improve our website and for marketing purposes.

Types of cookies

We use cookies for a number of different purposes:

• Strictly necessary cookies: Strictly necessary cookies ensure that our website functions properly. They include cookies that help you log in, provide core services and features, keep our website secure and help us detect fraud or crime.

• Optional Cookies: We use cookies to provide optional features, improve our website, and support our marketing. Where relevant, our trusted partners will help us make use of these optional cookies. Our optional cookies include both analytics cookies and marketing ookies, as explained further in the following sections.

• Analytics Cookies: We use digital tools to study how you interact with our website and to improve it accordingly. This is known as website analytics. These cookies help us understand the number of visitors we have to the website, how many times they visited, and how many times they viewed specific webpages throughout our site.

  Although these cookies allow us to gather specific information about the pages that you visited and even if you visited the site multiple times, we cannot use them to acquire details, such as your name or address.

• Marketing Cookies: We and our partners use these cookies to understand what you are interested in on our website and on social media. These cookies are used, so that we or our partners can tailor the marketing and advertisements that you receive.

How we implement these cookies?

The cookies are implemented in various ways or have different properties. Please read the following sections to find out more:

• Session cookies: Session cookies last until the duration of your visit and are deleted when you close your browser. These cookies facilitate various tasks such as allowing a website to identify the pages a user is navigating to from a particular device, and support website security or basic functionality. For example, they help us ensure the security of your online account servicing session, and can also keep you signed in while you move between pages or services within your account. Our session cookies used for security are designed in a manner that they are very difficult to read, change, access, or use, except by us — when you have an active online account manager session.

• Persistent cookies: Persistent cookies last after you have closed your browser and allow a website to remember your actions and preferences. Sometimes persistent cookies are used by websites to provide targeted advertising, based upon the browsing history of the device. We use persistent cookies in a few ways, for example, they remember your log in username; so you don't have to enter it in your next session.

We also use persistent cookies to analyse customer visits to our site, for example our cookie named \_ga. These cookies help us understand how customers arrive at and use our site, so that we can improve the service.

• First and third party cookies: Whether a cookie is a first or third party cookie, it depends on the website from where it comes. First party cookies are those that are set by or on behalf of the website visited. All other cookies are third party cookies. We use both first party and third party cookies.

  Third party cookies are set for the following third parties:

  • Google (analytics, performance management, and advertising)
  • Facebook (targeting and advertising), Yahoo (targeting and advertising)
  • Bing (targeting and advertising)
  • Application Insights (analytics)
  • Live Person (web chat facility)
  • ThreatMetrix (fraud and threat assessment)
  • Incapsula (security protection)

  Depending on the cookie consent options that you choose, different cookies from these businesses may be deployed.

How can you restrict cookies?

If you wish to restrict or block the cookies that are set by our website or mobile services, you should do this through the initial cookie options screen. These will need to be refreshed every three months.

Why do you have to accept some cookies?

Please be aware that some of our services, for example online account management will not function if your browser does not accept necessary cookies. You can allow cookies from specific websites by making them "trusted websites" in your internet browser.

Additional information

Refer to the Information Commissioner's office website for more comprehensive information on cookies and how you can control them on a wider variety of browsers.