Privacy Policy · Podium Financing

1. Who We Are

Podium Financing, LLC ("Podium," "we," "us," or "our") operates a technology platform at podiumfinancing.com that connects consumers with independent specialty lenders for vehicle financing. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, and your rights with respect to your personal information.

By using the Platform or submitting a financing inquiry, you agree to the practices described in this Privacy Policy.

2. Information We Collect

Information You Provide Directly: When you submit a financing profile, we collect:

Identifying information: full legal name including middle name, date of birth, email address, mobile, home and work phone numbers, preferred contact method, and state of residence
Address information: street address, apartment or unit, city, state, ZIP code, exact time at your current address, and your previous address where you have moved recently
Housing information: housing status and monthly housing payment
Employment information: employment status, employer name, job title, employer address and phone number, and exact time with your employer
Financial information: gross income and the frequency it is stated in, monthly debt obligations, liquid assets, net worth, and down payment amount
Vehicle information: year, make, model, trim, VIN (if provided), condition, and purchase price
Identity verification: your full Social Security Number, driver’s license number and issuing state, and, if you are not a US citizen or permanent resident, your visa class and expiry date
Authorization: the full legal name you type as your electronic signature, together with the date, time and the exact disclosure text shown to you
Co-applicant or co-signer, if you add one: the same categories listed above about that person, including their full Social Security Number, driver’s license number and issuing state, date of birth, address, employment and income, and the full legal name they type as their own electronic signature
Credit profile: self-reported credit score range

Information Collected Automatically: When you visit the Platform, we may collect standard web analytics data including IP address, browser type, device type, pages visited, and referring URLs, used solely for platform performance and security.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information you provide to:

Review your financing inquiry for completeness and eligibility
Route your profile to selected specialty lenders for review
Communicate with you regarding your inquiry and lender responses
Fulfill our legal and regulatory obligations and maintain required transaction records
Improve the Platform and develop new features

4. How We Share Your Information

With Lenders: When you authorize lender review, your financing profile is shared with the specialty lenders selected to evaluate the deal. Each lender has signed a Lender Participation Agreement restricting use of your information to evaluating your financing inquiry only.

What a lender sees, and when. A lender is first shown the credit picture with your name and contact details withheld, so a lender who passes never receives your identity at all. Your name, contact details, date of birth and license details are released only when that lender opens your full file, which records who opened it and at what time. Your full Social Security Number is released to one lender only, and only after you select that lender's offer. A lender may also ask you to complete its own application directly; where it does, that form and the information you give on it are governed by that lender’s privacy policy, not ours.

We Do Not Sell Your Data: Podium does not sell, rent, trade, or otherwise transfer your personal information to any third party for marketing, advertising, or commercial purposes. Your information is shared only with verified lenders evaluating your specific financing inquiry.

Service Providers: We may share information with third-party service providers who assist in operating the Platform. These providers are contractually bound to use your information only as directed by Podium.

Legal Requirements: We may disclose your information if required to do so by law, regulation, court order, or governmental authority.

5. FCRA Notice and Credit Information

By submitting a financing inquiry, you authorize matched participating lenders to obtain your consumer report to evaluate your request and prepare an initial offer. Podium provides your profile to lenders whose stated criteria your request fits, releases your identifying information only to a lender that has accepted Podium's terms for handling it and has opened your file, and releases your full Social Security Number only to the lender whose offer you select. Podium does not obtain consumer reports and makes no credit decisions. Each lender decides whether the inquiry it makes is a soft or a hard inquiry, and Podium does not control that.

You have the right under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (15 U.S.C. § 1681 et seq.) to receive a free copy of your consumer report and to dispute inaccurate information.

6. Data Retention

We retain your personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes described in this Privacy Policy and comply with our legal obligations. Deal records are typically retained for a minimum of five years. You may request deletion of your information by contacting us at dylan@podiumfinancing.com, subject to our legal retention obligations.

7. Data Security

We implement reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect your personal information against unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. No method of transmission over the internet is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

Your Social Security Number. We collect it because no lender can obtain a consumer credit report without it. It is transmitted over an encrypted connection, is never included in any notification email we send ourselves, and is not displayed on your profile as a lender first sees it. A lender receives it only after that lender has opened your file and accepted terms restricting its use to your financing request, and we record which lender did so and when. Our own staff see only the last four digits in day-to-day handling.

If you add a co-applicant or co-signer. A lender underwrites a co-applicant on their own credit, so we collect the same information about them that we collect about you, and it is held and released under the same terms set out above. By adding someone you confirm they have agreed to it, and their credit is authorized by the name they type as their own electronic signature rather than by yours. Either of you may ask us what we hold about you, and we will remove a co-applicant from a financing request on request from either of you.

8. Your Rights

Depending on your state of residence, you may have the right to access, correct, delete, or receive a portable copy of your personal information. To exercise any of these rights, contact us at dylan@podiumfinancing.com. We will respond to verified requests within 30 days.

California Residents: You have additional rights under the CCPA (Cal. Civ. Code § 1798.100 et seq.), including the right to know, delete, and opt out of the sale of personal information. Podium does not sell personal information.

9. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The updated version will be posted on the Platform with the revised effective date. Your continued use of the Platform constitutes acceptance of the revised Privacy Policy.

10. Contact Us

Podium Financing, LLC
Dylan Ritchey, Founder
dylan@podiumfinancing.com
386.882.0867
podiumfinancing.com