Last Updated: September 16, 2025
Trade & Merchant Trade Services LLC ("Company," "we," "us," or "our") is committed to protecting the privacy and security of your personal information. This Privacy Policy outlines how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our website, lettercredit.com (the "Site"), or use our trade finance services (the "Services").
By accessing our Site or using our Services, you consent to the data practices described in this policy. We are dedicated to processing your data with transparency, integrity, and in compliance with applicable data protection laws, including the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA).
1. Information We Collect
We collect information that is necessary to provide our Services and to manage our relationship with you. The types of information we may collect include:
- Personal Identification Information: Name, email address, phone number, physical address, and government-issued identification.
- Professional Information: Company name, job title, and other business-related details.
- Financial Information: Information related to your business transactions, financial history, and details required to facilitate trade finance instruments. This is collected only as necessary for a specific transaction.
- Technical Data: IP address, browser type and version, time zone setting, operating system, and platform when you access our Site.
- Usage Data: Information about how you use our Site and Services, including pages visited and services utilized.
2. How We Collect Information
We use different methods to collect data from and about you, including:
- Direct Interactions: You may give us your identity, contact, and financial data by filling in forms on our Site or by corresponding with us by phone, email, or otherwise. This includes information you provide when you apply for our Services or request information.
- Automated Technologies: As you interact with our Site, we may automatically collect Technical Data about your equipment and browsing actions. We collect this data by using cookies and similar technologies. Please see our Cookie Policy for further details.
- Third Parties: We may receive personal data about you from various third parties, such as analytics providers (e.g., Google), and from publicly available sources as part of our due diligence process.
3. How We Use Your Information
We use the information we collect for the following purposes:
- To Provide and Manage Services: To process your application, facilitate the issuance of trade finance instruments, and fulfill our contractual obligations to you.
- To Communicate With You: To respond to your inquiries, provide support, and send you service-related updates.
- For Due Diligence and Compliance: To verify your identity and perform necessary background checks to comply with legal and regulatory obligations, including Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Know Your Customer (KYC) requirements.
- To Improve Our Services: To analyze how our Site and Services are used, enabling us to enhance user experience and develop new offerings.
- For Marketing: To provide you with information about services that may be of interest to you, where we have your consent or a legitimate interest to do so.
4. Data Sharing and Disclosure
We do not sell your personal information. We may share your data with trusted third parties only in the following circumstances:
- With Financial Partners: To facilitate the issuance of Letters of Credit and other trade finance instruments, we must share your transactional information with our partner banks and financial institutions.
- With Service Providers: We engage third-party companies and individuals to perform services on our behalf, such as website hosting and data analytics. These providers are contractually obligated to protect your data.
- For Legal and Regulatory Compliance: We may disclose your information if required to do so by law, or in response to valid requests by public authorities (e.g., a court or government agency).
- For Business Transfers: In connection with any merger, sale of company assets, or acquisition of all or a portion of our business by another company.
5. Your Data Protection Rights
Depending on your location, you may have the following rights regarding your personal data:
- The Right to Access: You have the right to request copies of your personal data.
- The Right to Rectification: You have the right to request that we correct any information you believe is inaccurate or complete information you believe is incomplete.
- The Right to Erasure (Right to be Forgotten): You have the right to request that we erase your personal data, under certain conditions.
- The Right to Restrict Processing: You have the right to request that we restrict the processing of your personal data, under certain conditions.
- The Right to Data Portability: You have the right to request that we transfer the data that we have collected to another organization, or directly to you, under certain conditions.
- The Right to Object to Processing: You have the right to object to our processing of your personal data, under certain conditions.
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details below.
6. Data Security and Retention
We implement robust administrative, technical, and physical security measures designed to protect your information from unauthorized access, use, or disclosure.
We will retain your personal data only for as long as is necessary for the purposes set out in this Privacy Policy, including for the purposes of satisfying any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements.
7. International Data Transfers
Your information may be transferred to—and maintained on—computers located outside of your state, province, country, or other governmental jurisdiction where the data protection laws may differ. We will take all steps reasonably necessary to ensure that your data is treated securely and in accordance with this Privacy Policy.
8. Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new policy on this page and updating the "Last Updated" date. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically for any changes.
9. Contact Us
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or our data protection practices, please contact us.