Privacy Policy
1. Who We Are
Business Loans IQ operates the website located at https://businessloansiq.com (the “Platform”). We are a financial marketing and comparison service that helps small business owners explore, compare, and connect with business loan products and lenders. We are not a bank, credit union, or licensed lender. We do not make lending decisions and we do not extend credit.
When this Privacy Policy refers to “Business Loans IQ,” “we,” “us,” or “our,” it refers to the company operating the Platform and any affiliated entities that process data on our behalf.
Our principal place of business is in the United States. If you have questions about this policy or our data practices, please contact us using the information in Section 13.
2. Information We Collect
We collect information in three main ways: information you provide directly, information collected automatically when you use our Platform, and information received from third parties.
Information You Provide Directly
When you complete a loan inquiry form, request a lender comparison, create an account, subscribe to our newsletter, or contact our support team, we may collect:
- Your full name and contact information, including email address and phone number
- Business name, industry, time in business, and business structure
- Annual revenue, monthly revenue, and estimated funding amount
- Intended use of funds
- Personal credit score range and business credit information
- State of business operation and business address
- Any additional information you voluntarily include in messages or form fields
Information Collected Automatically
When you visit or interact with the Platform, we and our technology partners automatically collect:
- IP address and approximate geographic location derived from it
- Browser type, version, and operating system
- Device type and device identifiers
- Pages visited, time spent on each page, and navigation path through the Platform
- Search terms used within the Platform
- Referring URL and the source through which you arrived at our Platform
- Cookie identifiers and similar tracking data (see Section 5 for details)
Information From Third Parties
We may receive information about you from:
- Lending partners and financial institutions in our network when they report on lead quality or application outcomes
- Data enrichment providers who supplement the information you have provided with additional business or contact data
- Advertising and analytics platforms such as Google Analytics and Meta Pixel
- Credit reporting agencies in limited circumstances where permitted by law
3. How We Use Your Information
We use the information we collect for the following purposes:
- To match your business profile with relevant loan products and lenders in our network
- To present you with lender options, rates, and terms tailored to your stated needs and qualifications
- To transmit your application information to lenders you select or consent to be contacted by
- To communicate with you about your inquiry, including follow-up calls, emails, and SMS messages if you have consented to these
- To improve the accuracy and relevance of our loan matching algorithms and editorial rankings
- To send marketing communications, newsletters, and product updates if you have opted in
- To analyze user behavior and optimize the content, design, and functionality of our Platform
- To detect, investigate, and prevent fraudulent activity or misuse of our Platform
- To comply with applicable legal obligations and respond to lawful requests from regulators or law enforcement
- To enforce our Terms of Use and other agreements
We do not use your information to make automated lending decisions. All credit and approval decisions are made independently by the lenders you are matched with, not by Business Loans IQ.
6. Data Retention
We retain your personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes described in this policy, unless a longer retention period is required by law. Specifically:
- Loan inquiry data is retained for up to 36 months to support lender matching, follow-up communications, and regulatory compliance
- Account data is retained for the duration of your active account and for up to 24 months following account closure
- Marketing preference and opt-out records are retained indefinitely to honor your communication preferences
- Analytics and usage data in aggregated, non-identifiable form may be retained indefinitely
- Data subject to a legal hold or regulatory request will be retained for the duration required by that obligation
When your information is no longer needed, we securely delete or anonymize it in accordance with industry-standard data disposal practices.
7. Your Rights and Choices
Depending on your state of residence, you may have the following rights with respect to your personal information:
- Right to Know: You may request a copy of the personal information we hold about you and information about how we use and share it.
- Right to Correct: You may request that we correct inaccurate or incomplete information we hold about you.
- Right to Delete: You may request that we delete your personal information, subject to certain legal exceptions.
- Right to Opt Out of Sale: We do not sell personal information in the traditional sense, but you may opt out of certain data sharing activities that may qualify as a “sale” under applicable state law.
- Right to Non-Discrimination: We will not discriminate against you for exercising any of your privacy rights.
- Right to Withdraw Consent: Where we process your data based on consent, you may withdraw that consent at any time by contacting us.
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at privacy@businessloansiq.com or use the contact form on our website. We will respond to verifiable requests within 45 days.
Marketing Communications
You may opt out of receiving marketing emails by clicking the unsubscribe link in any email we send. To opt out of SMS marketing, reply STOP to any text message from us. Please allow up to 10 business days for opt-out requests to take effect.
8. Data Security
We implement industry-standard technical and organizational security measures to protect your personal information from unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, and destruction. These measures include:
- TLS encryption for all data transmitted between your browser and our servers
- Encryption of sensitive data fields at rest using AES-256 or equivalent standards
- Role-based access controls limiting employee access to personal data on a need-to-know basis
- Regular security assessments and penetration testing of our Platform infrastructure
- Employee training on data protection and security practices
- Vendor security review processes for all third-party service providers
No method of transmission over the internet or method of electronic storage is 100% secure. While we strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect your information, we cannot guarantee absolute security. In the event of a data breach that affects your rights, we will notify affected individuals and relevant regulators as required by applicable law.
9. Third-Party Links and Services
Our Platform contains links to third-party websites, including the websites of lenders, financial institutions, and other resources. When you click a link to a third-party site and leave our Platform, this Privacy Policy no longer applies. We encourage you to review the privacy policy of any third-party site you visit, as we have no control over their data practices and are not responsible for their privacy practices or content.
Some pages on our Platform embed third-party tools such as chat widgets, video players, social media buttons, and interactive calculators. These tools may collect information about your visit independently under their own privacy policies.
10. Children’s Privacy
Our Platform is intended solely for use by adults who are 18 years of age or older and who are operating or considering operating a business. We do not knowingly collect personal information from individuals under the age of 18. If you believe a minor has submitted personal information through our Platform, please contact us immediately at privacy@businessloansiq.com and we will take prompt steps to delete that information.
11. California Privacy Rights
California residents have specific rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA). In addition to the rights described in Section 7, California residents may:
- Request disclosure of the categories and specific pieces of personal information we have collected about them in the past 12 months
- Request disclosure of the categories of sources from which that information was collected
- Request disclosure of the business or commercial purpose for collecting that information
- Request disclosure of the categories of third parties with whom we share personal information
- Limit the use and disclosure of sensitive personal information
- Opt out of automated decision-making processes, where applicable
To submit a CCPA rights request, contact us at privacy@businessloansiq.com with the subject line “California Privacy Request.” We will verify your identity before processing your request and respond within 45 calendar days. You may also authorize an agent to submit a request on your behalf with written authorization.
We do not discriminate against California residents who exercise their CCPA rights.
12. Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our data practices, legal requirements, or Platform features. When we make material changes, we will update the “Last Updated” date at the top of this page and, where appropriate, notify you by email or through a notice on our Platform.
We encourage you to review this policy periodically. Your continued use of the Platform after any changes to this policy constitutes your acceptance of the updated terms.