Privacy Notice & Data Compliance

1. Information We Collect

In operating our commercial loan brokerage and capital advisory platform, Business First Consulting, Inc. ("BFC," "we," "us," or "our") collects non-public personal and commercial information, including:

• Identifying Information: Full legal name, business entity name, corporate address, home residential address, email address, and telephone numbers.
• Tax and Government Records: Federal Employer Identification Number (EIN), Social Security Number (SSN) of principals, dates of birth, and copies of government-issued driver's licenses.
• Financial & Operating Statements: Business bank operating statements (typically last 4 months), federal and state tax returns, balance sheets, profit and loss statements, and debt schedules.
• Property Records (CRE): Commercial real estate purchase contracts, rent rolls, lease agreements, and appraisal documentation.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the collected information exclusively to evaluate commercial funding eligibility, match requests with appropriate institutional lending programs, verify applicant identities in compliance with federal anti-money laundering (AML) and Know Your Customer (KYC) mandates, and communicate transaction statuses.

3. How We Share Information

Disclosures are strictly limited to authorized third-party funding syndicate partners (such as Creditfy, Velocity Mortgage Capital, Silverhill Capital, and ARF Financial), consumer reporting agencies (TransUnion, Experian, Equifax), and essential technical service providers necessary to process your transaction.

4. Data Security (FTC Safeguards Rule Compliance)

BFC maintains administrative, physical, and technical safeguards engineered to protect consumer data in full compliance with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Standards for Safeguarding Customer Information (16 C.F.R. Part 314). All online sessions and document transmissions utilize 256-bit Transport Layer Security (TLS) encryption.

5. Sensitive Information Safeguards

Social Security Numbers, federal tax returns, and operating bank statements are contained in encrypted repositories with role-based access restrictions. Only credentialed underwriting specialists with authorized security clearances can view unredacted records.

6. Document Uploads Protocol

Files transmitted through our Document Upload Center are processed through isolated, secure ingestion pipelines. Files are screened for malware and archived in access-controlled financial storage repositories.

7. Cookies & Website Tracking

We use session cookies and diagnostic logs to safeguard online form submissions and prevent automated cross-site forgery. We do not sell tracking cookies to data brokers.

8. Data Retention Policies

Records are retained in accordance with federal commercial lending compliance mandates, statutory audit requirements, and dispute resolution guidelines, after which files are securely scrubbed and destroyed.

9. Consumer Rights & Choices

You have the right to request access to the personal records BFC holds regarding your file, request corrections to erroneous entries, or request removal of non-essential marketing communications by emailing our Data Privacy Officer.

10. Email & SMS Communications

By providing your business telephone number and email address on our application or contact forms, you consent to receive transaction alerts, document requests, and underwriting notices. Expected message frequency is approximately 10 messages per month. You may opt out of SMS alerts at any time by replying STOP.

11. Third-Party Platforms & External Links

Our website interfaces with external scheduling software (Google Calendar) and our sister diagnostic application (Bank-Ready). We encourage users to inspect the individual privacy policies of external platforms.

12. Children's Privacy Protection

Our commercial financing services are exclusively designed for adult business owners and entrepreneurs aged 18 and older. We do not knowingly solicit or collect information from minors under 13.

13. Updates to this Notice

We may modify or revise this Privacy Notice periodically to reflect changes in regulatory standards or internal data handling. Any revisions will be published with an updated Effective Date.

14. Data Privacy Officer Contact

For questions or requests concerning your data privacy rights, contact our compliance team directly: