Wis. Admin. Code Office of the Commissioner of Insurance Ins 25.15

Current through October 28, 2024
Section Ins 25.15 - Information to be included in privacy notices
(1) GENERAL RULE. The initial, annual and revised privacy notices that a licensee provides under ss. Ins 25.10, 25.13, and shall include 25.20 all of the following items of information, in addition to any other information the licensee wishes to provide, that applies to the licensee and to the consumers to whom the licensee sends its privacy notice:
(a) The categories of nonpublic personal financial information that the licensee collects.

Note: See sample clause A-1 in Appendix A

(b) The categories of nonpublic personal financial information that the licensee discloses.

Note: See sample clauses A-2 and A-3 in Appendix A

(c) The categories of affiliates and nonaffiliated third parties to which the licensee discloses nonpublic personal financial information, other than those parties to whom the licensee discloses information under ss. Ins 25.55 and 25.60.

Note: See sample clauses A-2, A-3 and A-4 in Appendix A

(d) The categories of nonpublic personal financial information about the licensee's former customers that the licensee discloses and the categories of affiliates and nonaffiliated third parties to whom the licensee discloses nonpublic personal financial information about the licensee's former customers, other than those parties to whom the licensee discloses information under ss. Ins 25.55 and 25.60.

Note: See sample clauses A-2 and A-3 in Appendix A

(e) If a licensee discloses nonpublic personal financial information to a nonaffiliated third party under s. Ins 25.50 (and no other exception in ss. Ins 25.55 and applies 25.60 to that disclosure), a separate description of the categories of information the licensee discloses and the categories of third parties with whom the licensee has contracted.

Note: See sample clauses A-5 in Appendix A

(f) An explanation of the consumer's right under s. Ins 25.30(1) to opt out of the disclosure of nonpublic personal financial information to nonaffiliated third parties, including the methods by which the consumer may exercise that right at that time.

Note: See sample clauses A-6 in Appendix A

(g) Any disclosures that the licensee makes under Section 603(d)(2)(A)(iii) of the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (15 USC 1681 a(d)(2)(A)(iii)) (that is, notices regarding the ability to opt out of disclosures of information among affiliates).
(h) The licensee's policies and practices with respect to protecting the confidentiality and security of nonpublic personal financial information.

Note: See sample clauses A-7 in Appendix A

(i) Any disclosure that the licensee makes under sub. (2).
(2) DESCRIPTION OF PARTIES SUBJECT TO EXCEPTIONS. If a licensee discloses nonpublic personal financial information as authorized under ss. Ins 25.55 and 25.60, the licensee is not required to list those exceptions in the initial or annual privacy notices required by ss. Ins 25.10 and 25.13. When describing the categories of parties to whom disclosure is made, the licensee is required to state only that it makes disclosures to other affiliated or nonaffiliated third parties, as applicable, as permitted by law.
(3) EXAMPLES.
(a) Categories of nonpublic personal financial information that the licensee collects. A licensee satisfies the requirement to categorize the nonpublic personal financial information it collects if the licensee categorizes it according to all of the following sources of the information:
1. Information from the consumer.
2. Information about the consumer's transactions with the licensee or its affiliates.
3. Information about the consumer's transactions with nonaffiliated third parties.
4. Information from a consumer reporting agency.
(b) Categories of nonpublic personal financial information a licensee discloses.
1. A licensee satisfies the requirement to categorize nonpublic personal financial information it discloses if the licensee categorizes the information according to source, as described in par. (a), as applicable, and provides at least one example, and additional examples as are reasonably appropriate, to illustrate the types of information in each category. Examples may include any of the following:
a. Information from the consumer, including application information, such as assets and income and identifying information, such as name, address and social security number.
b. Transaction information, such as information about balances, payment history and parties to the transaction.
c. Information from consumer reports, such as a consumer's creditworthiness and credit history.
2. A licensee does not adequately categorize the information that it discloses if the licensee uses only general terms, such as transaction information about the consumer.
3. If a licensee reserves the right to disclose all of the nonpublic personal financial information about consumers that it collects, the licensee may simply state that fact without describing the categories or examples of nonpublic personal financial information that the licensee discloses.
(c) Categories of affiliates and nonaffiliated third parties to whom the licensee discloses.
1. A licensee satisfies the requirement to categorize the affiliates and nonaffiliated third parties to which the licensee discloses nonpublic personal financial information about consumers if the licensee identifies the types of businesses in which they engage.
2. Types of businesses may be described by general terms only if the licensee uses at least one example, and additional examples as are reasonably appropriate, to illustrate the significant lines of business. For example, a licensee may use the term financial products or services if it includes appropriate examples of significant lines of businesses, such as life insurer, automobile insurer, consumer banking or securities brokerage.
3. A licensee also may categorize the affiliates and nonaffiliated third parties to which it discloses nonpublic personal financial information about consumers using more detailed categories than those described in this paragraph.
(d) Disclosures under exception for service providers and joint marketers. If a licensee discloses nonpublic personal financial information under the exception in s. Ins 25.50 to a nonaffiliated third party to market products or services that it offers alone or jointly with another financial institution, the licensee satisfies the disclosure requirement of sub. (1) (e) if it does all of the following:
1. Lists the categories of nonpublic personal financial information it discloses, using the same categories and examples the licensee used to meet the requirements of sub. (1)(b), as applicable.
2. States whether the third party is any of the following:
a. A service provider that performs marketing services on the licensee's behalf or on behalf of the licensee and another financial institution.
b. A financial institution with whom the licensee has a joint marketing agreement.
(e) Simplified notices. If a licensee does not disclose, and does not wish to reserve the right to disclose, nonpublic personal financial information about customers or former customers to affiliates or nonaffiliated third parties except as authorized under ss. Ins 25.55 and 25.60, the licensee may simply state that fact, in addition to the information it shall provide under sub. (1) (a), (h), and (i) and (2).
(f) Confidentiality and security. A licensee describes its policies and practices with respect to protecting the confidentiality and security of nonpublic personal financial information if it does all of the following:
1. Describes in general terms who is authorized to have access to the information.
2. States whether the licensee has security practices and procedures in place to ensure the confidentiality of the information in accordance with the licensee's policy. The licensee is not required to describe technical information about the safeguards that it uses.
(4) SHORT-FORM INITIAL NOTICE WITH OPT-OUT NOTICE FOR NON-CUSTOMERS.
(a) A licensee may satisfy the initial notice requirements in ss. Ins 25.10(1) (b) and 25.17(3) for a consumer who is not a customer by providing a short-form initial notice at the same time as the licensee delivers an opt out notice as required in s. Ins 25.17.
(b) A short-form initial notice shall comply with all of the following:
1. It shall be clear and conspicuous.
2. It shall state that the licensee's privacy notice is available upon request.
3. It shall explain a reasonable means by which the consumer may obtain that notice.
(c) The licensee shall deliver its short-form initial notice according to s. Ins 25.25. The licensee is not required to deliver its privacy notice with its short-form initial notice. The licensee instead may simply provide the consumer a reasonable means to obtain its privacy notice. If a consumer who receives the licensee's short-form notice requests the licensee's privacy notice, the licensee shall deliver its privacy notice according to s. Ins 25.25.
(d) Examples of obtaining privacy notice. The licensee provides a reasonable means by which a consumer may obtain a copy of its privacy notice if the licensee does any of the following:
1. Provides a toll-free telephone number that the consumer may call to request the notice.
2. For a consumer who conducts business in person at the licensee's office, maintains copies of the notice on hand that the licensee provides to the consumer immediately upon request.
(5) FUTURE DISCLOSURES. The licensee's notice may include any of the following:
(a) Categories of nonpublic personal financial information that the licensee reserves the right to disclose in the future, but does not currently disclose.
(b) Categories of affiliates or nonaffiliated third parties to whom the licensee reserves the right in the future to disclose, but to whom the licensee does not currently disclose, nonpublic personal financial information.
(6) SAMPLE CLAUSES. Sample clauses illustrating some of the notice content required by this section are included in Appendix A of this chapter.

Wis. Admin. Code Office of the Commissioner of Insurance Ins 25.15

Cr. Register, June, 2001, No. 546, eff. 7-1-01.