Overview and scope
This Privacy Policy ("Policy") explains how ZelleApply ("ZelleApply", "we", "us", "our") collects, uses, discloses and protects personal information in connection with your visit to zelleapply.com (the "Site"), submissions you make through any form on the Site, and your use of any associated services. By accessing the Site, you acknowledge the practices described in this Policy.
This Policy applies only to the Site. It does not cover the practices of any third-party website, financial product provider or lending partner you reach by clicking a link from the Site. Each such third party operates under its own privacy policy, which you should review before submitting any information.
We are not a bank, broker, lender or regulated financial institution. We are an independent editorial publisher. We do not make lending decisions; we route eligible submissions to our matching partner (APIdiamond.com), which in turn routes them to third-party lenders and account providers.
Information we collect
Information you provide directly
When you fill out the application form on our Apply page, use our calculator, or email us, you may provide information such as:
- Full name
- Email address
- U.S. mobile phone number
- Street address, city, state and ZIP code
- Date of birth
- Employment status, employer name and income range
- Bank account type and routing/account numbers (collected only by our matching partner, never stored by us)
- Loan or account characteristics you are seeking (amount, term, purpose)
- Any content you include in email correspondence
We do not knowingly collect Social Security numbers, full driver's license numbers or similar high-sensitivity identifiers directly on the Site. Our matching partner may collect additional sensitive identifiers after you leave the Site; its handling is governed by its own privacy policy.
Information collected automatically
When you visit the Site, we or our analytics providers automatically collect:
- IP address and approximate geographic location derived from it (city/region level)
- Browser type, version and language
- Operating system and device type
- Pages viewed, time spent on each page, scroll depth
- Referring URL and search terms where available
- Date and time stamps of each visit
- Interactions with on-page tools (such as our calculator)
Cookies and tracking technologies
We use a limited set of cookies and similar technologies:
- Strictly necessary cookies. Required for Site functionality — for example, remembering that you have dismissed a notice. These cannot be disabled without breaking the Site.
- Analytics cookies. Set by Statcounter to measure aggregated traffic patterns. We use these to understand which articles are useful and which load slowly. Analytics cookies are first-party when possible and expire within 24 months.
- Partner cookies. When you submit the application form, our matching partner (APIdiamond.com) may set cookies to maintain your submission state across its pages. These are governed by APIdiamond's privacy policy.
You can disable cookies in your browser settings. Note that doing so may limit Site functionality — particularly the Apply form, which relies on partner cookies to work.
We do not use advertising cookies, remarketing pixels or cross-site tracking identifiers.
How we use your information
We use the information above for the following purposes:
- Service delivery. To route your application form to our matching partner so it can match you with eligible lenders and account providers.
- Communication. To respond to inquiries you submit by email.
- Site improvement. To analyze aggregated traffic patterns, improve article content, fix bugs, and optimize load performance.
- Legal compliance. To comply with applicable laws, respond to lawful requests from authorities, enforce our Terms of Use, and protect our legal rights.
- Fraud and security. To detect and prevent fraud, abuse, bot traffic and security incidents.
We do not use your personal information for advertising profiling, and we do not use automated decision-making to make legal or similarly significant decisions about you.
How we share your information
We share personal information only in these specific scenarios:
- With our matching partner (APIdiamond.com) when you submit the application form, in exchange for which we may receive compensation. APIdiamond processes your information under its own privacy policy to determine lender eligibility and route your submission to its lender network.
- With service providers that help us operate the Site — including hosting, email delivery, and analytics. These providers process data strictly on our instructions and under written data-processing agreements where applicable.
- To comply with the law or respond to valid legal process such as subpoenas, court orders or government investigations.
- To enforce our rights or protect the safety of our users, the public or ZelleApply.
- In connection with a corporate transaction such as a merger, acquisition, financing or asset sale, subject to standard confidentiality protections and notice to affected users where required by law.
Sale and sharing of personal information. When you submit the application form, we disclose the information you provide to our matching partner, APIdiamond.com, which may share it with lenders and account providers in its network, and we may receive compensation for that referral. Under the California Consumer Privacy Act as amended by the CPRA, and similar laws in other states, this may be considered a "sale" or "sharing" of personal information. You can opt out at any time; see Your privacy choices. We do not knowingly sell or share the personal information of consumers under 16.
Third-party services we use
The following service providers may process limited data when you visit the Site:
| Service | Purpose | Data processed |
|---|---|---|
| Statcounter | Aggregated web analytics | IP address, user agent, page URLs, timestamps |
| APIdiamond.com | Loan/account matching on the Apply page | Form submission data (name, contact, financial info) |
| Our hosting provider | Serving the Site | Request logs including IP and user agent |
Data retention
We retain personal information only as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes described above, resolve disputes, enforce agreements and comply with legal obligations.
- Analytics data is retained for up to 24 months in aggregated form.
- Email correspondence is retained for up to 36 months unless you request earlier deletion.
- Application submissions routed through APIdiamond are retained under APIdiamond's and the receiving lender's retention schedules.
- Server access logs are retained for up to 90 days for security purposes.
Security
We implement administrative, technical and physical safeguards designed to protect personal information against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure or destruction. These include HTTPS encryption on every page, access controls on admin tooling, principle-of-least-privilege for all human access, and routine security review.
No online system is 100% secure, however. If a data breach occurs that materially affects you, we will notify you in accordance with applicable law.
U.S. state privacy rights
Residents of certain U.S. states have specific rights regarding their personal information. We honor these rights for all U.S. residents regardless of state of residence, as a matter of policy. To exercise any right, email [email protected] with the subject line "Privacy request" and specify your state and the right you wish to exercise.
| Right | What it means | Response time |
|---|---|---|
| Right to know / access | Receive a copy of the personal information we hold about you. | Within 45 days |
| Right to correct | Request we correct inaccurate personal information. | Within 45 days |
| Right to delete | Request we delete your personal information, subject to legal exceptions. | Within 45 days |
| Right to portability | Receive your information in a portable, machine-readable format. | Within 45 days |
| Right to opt out of sale/sharing | Direct us not to sell or share your information. See Your privacy choices below. | Within 15 business days |
| Right to limit sensitive data use | Restrict our use of sensitive personal information. (We do not use for secondary purposes.) | Within 15 business days |
| Right to non-discrimination | Not be denied service, charged different prices or receive lower quality for exercising a right. | Always honored |
| Right to appeal | Appeal our decision on a rights request. (VA, CO, CT, UT and others) | Within 45 days of appeal |
Residents of California, Virginia, Colorado, Connecticut, Utah, Oregon, Texas, Montana, Iowa, Delaware, Tennessee, Indiana, New Jersey, Minnesota, Maryland, New Hampshire, Kentucky, Rhode Island and other states with comprehensive privacy laws can exercise all applicable rights above.
You may designate an authorized agent to make a rights request on your behalf. We may require written proof of the authorization and your identity.
Verification. We may ask you to confirm information you have previously provided to us so we can verify your identity before fulfilling a request. We will not use that information for any other purpose.
Your privacy choices
Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. To opt out of the sale or sharing of your personal information, email [email protected] with the subject line "Do Not Sell or Share" and include the email address and phone number you used on our form. We will stop disclosing your information for these purposes within 15 business days of receiving your request.
Global Privacy Control. If your browser sends a Global Privacy Control (GPC) signal, we treat it as a request to opt out of sale and sharing for that browser.
Information already shared. Opting out stops future disclosures by us. Information shared before your request is handled under the privacy policies of our matching partner and the lenders that received it; you can contact them directly to exercise your rights with them.
You will not be charged, denied service or otherwise treated differently for making a privacy choice.
EU, UK and global rights
If you are located in the European Economic Area (EEA), United Kingdom or Switzerland, the EU/UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) applies. In addition to the rights listed above, you have the right to:
- Withdraw consent at any time where processing is based on consent
- Lodge a complaint with your supervisory authority
- Object to processing based on our legitimate interests
- Restrict processing in certain circumstances
Our legal bases for processing personal data under GDPR are: your consent (for optional analytics), performance of a contract (when you submit the Apply form), compliance with legal obligations, and our legitimate interests (fraud prevention, Site improvement).
We do not have an EU establishment and do not currently appoint an EU/UK representative; however, we honor GDPR/UK GDPR rights for applicable visitors.
Children's privacy
The Site is intended for adults aged 18 and older. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 (or under 16 in the EEA/UK). If you believe a child has provided us personal information, email [email protected] with the subject "COPPA request" and we will promptly delete it.
International data transfers
The Site is hosted by, and uses, service providers that may store or process information in the United States and other countries. If you access the Site from outside the U.S., your information may be transferred to and processed in the U.S., which may have data protection laws different from those in your jurisdiction.
For transfers from the EEA, UK or Switzerland, we rely on Standard Contractual Clauses or equivalent transfer mechanisms where applicable.
Do Not Track signals
Some browsers transmit a "Do Not Track" (DNT) signal. Because there is no industry standard for interpreting DNT, the Site does not currently respond differently to DNT signals. However, we honor Global Privacy Control (GPC) signals as a universal opt-out of sale/sharing for U.S. visitors from states that recognize GPC.
Third-party links
The Site contains links to third-party websites, including lending partners, bank websites and reference sources. We are not responsible for the privacy practices, content or terms of third parties. Review each third party's privacy policy before submitting any information to them.
Changes to this policy
We may update this Policy from time to time. When we do, we will post the revised version on this page and update the "Last updated" date at the top. Material changes will be announced with additional notice (such as a prominent Site banner) for at least 30 days before taking effect, where required by law.
Contact us
For privacy-related questions, requests or complaints:
- Email: [email protected]
- Subject line: use "Privacy request" so we can route your message quickly
- Response time: typically within 10 business days for acknowledgment and 45 days for completion
If you are unsatisfied with our response, you may contact your state Attorney General's consumer protection division, the California Privacy Protection Agency, or your EU/UK supervisory authority.