How we handle your information

1. Scope of this policy

This Privacy Policy explains how Winter Leaf Financial ("Winter Leaf," "we," "us," or "our") collects, uses, discloses, and protects your personal information when you interact with our website, fill out our forms, request a consultation, or communicate with us by phone, SMS, or email.

By using our services or submitting your information to us, you agree to the practices described in this policy.

2. Information we collect

We collect information you voluntarily provide and information that is generated automatically when you interact with us.

Information you give us

• Contact details: first name, last name, phone number, email address.
• Referral & purchase context: the dealership that referred you, the vehicle you are interested in, and your self-reported credit tier or score range.
• Communication content: messages, call notes, and documents you send us in the course of receiving our services.
• Consent records: a time-stamped record of the TCPA/SMS consent checkboxes you select when submitting our forms.

Information collected automatically

• Device & browser data: IP address, browser type, operating system, referral URL, pages viewed, and timestamps.
• Cookies & similar technologies: see Cookies & tracking below.

We do not pull your credit report without your separate written authorization. We do not purchase personal data from third-party data brokers to market to you.

3. How we use your information

We use your information to:

• Contact you to schedule and conduct your free credit consultation.
• Provide, operate, and improve our credit-repair and dealer-referral services.
• Send transactional and service-related SMS, voice calls, and emails (e.g. appointment confirmations, dispute updates, service status).
• With your separate opt-in, send marketing or promotional messages.
• Prevent fraud, enforce our Terms, and comply with legal obligations (including the Credit Repair Organizations Act, TCPA, and applicable state laws).
• Keep records required by law, including records of your express written consent to receive communications.

4. Who we share it with

We share information only with:

• Service providers that help us operate our business. These include our CRM and messaging platform (HighLevel / LeadConnector), our telephony provider (GoTo Connect), email delivery, hosting (Vercel), and analytics tools. These providers are contractually bound to use your information only to perform services for us.
• Credit bureaus (Experian, Equifax, TransUnion) when you expressly authorize us to dispute items on your behalf.
• The dealership that referred you, solely to confirm your referral status — and only if you have identified the dealer on our form. We do not share your credit tier or financial details with the dealership without your separate permission.
• Law enforcement or regulators when required by subpoena, court order, or applicable law, or to protect our rights, property, or the safety of others.
• A successor entity in the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, subject to the same protections described here.

5. SMS & voice communications

What you can expect

• Program description: Winter Leaf Financial sends account notifications, appointment reminders, dispute updates, and (only with a separate opt-in) promotional messages.
• Message frequency: varies — typically 1–8 messages per month depending on where you are in the process.
• Message & data rates: standard message and data rates from your carrier may apply.
• Carriers: Carriers (including T-Mobile, AT&T, Verizon, and others) are not liable for delayed or undelivered messages.

How to stop or get help

• Reply STOP to any text message to unsubscribe. You will receive one final confirmation message.
• Reply HELP to any text message or email tevin@winterleaf.financial for assistance.
• You can opt out of phone calls at any time by telling the caller or emailing us.

Consent is not a condition of purchase

You do not have to agree to receive marketing SMS or calls in order to purchase any service from us. Transactional messages directly related to a service you have requested may still be sent as necessary to complete that service.

6. Your rights & choices

Depending on your state of residence, you may have the right to:

• Request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
• Ask us to correct inaccurate information.
• Ask us to delete your personal information, subject to legal retention obligations.
• Opt out of the "sale" or "sharing" of personal information — which, as stated above, we do not do.
• Appeal a decision we make about your privacy request.

To exercise any of these rights, email tevin@winterleaf.financial with the subject line "Privacy Request." We will respond within 30 days.

Residents of California (CCPA/CPRA), Virginia (VCDPA), Colorado (CPA), and other states with comprehensive privacy laws have additional rights under those laws. We honor all applicable state requirements.

7. Data security & retention

We use administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to protect your information — including encryption in transit (TLS), encryption at rest where supported by our providers, role-based access controls, and vendor risk review. No method of transmission or storage is 100% secure; we cannot guarantee absolute security.

We retain your personal information only as long as needed to provide our services and to comply with legal obligations — including our record-keeping duties under the CROA and federal/state consumer-protection rules. Consent records for SMS and calls are retained for at least four (4) years from the date of last contact.

8. Cookies & tracking

Our site uses cookies and similar technologies to remember your preferences (e.g. the referring dealership URL parameter), to measure site performance, and to help us understand how visitors use our site. We may also use Meta (Facebook) Pixel or Google Analytics for conversion measurement.

You can disable cookies in your browser settings. Doing so may cause parts of the site to work less well.

9. Children's privacy

Our services are intended for adults 18 years of age or older. We do not knowingly collect information from anyone under 18. If you believe a minor has submitted information to us, please contact us and we will delete it.

10. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top. If changes are material, we will notify you by email or a prominent notice on our site before the changes take effect.

11. Contact us

For any privacy question, complaint, or request, please contact:

Company

Winter Leaf Financial

Email

tevin@winterleaf.financial

Phone

(985) 205-8475

Mailing address

🔁 ADD MAILING ADDRESS — required by FTC for CROA-regulated businesses.