Privacy Notice

Who We Are

Bryant and Bell Finance Ltd is an independent commercial finance broker. We are committed to protecting your personal data and ensuring transparency in how we use it.

Data Controller: Bryant and Bell Finance Ltd

Address: 38/1 Jordan Lane, Edinburgh, EH10 4QY

Bryant and Bell Finance Ltd is an Appointed Representative of AFS Compliance Limited which is Authorised and Regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority No. 625035. AFS Compliance Ltd acts as the principal firm under the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) Appointed Representative (AR) regime. They are responsible for overseeing compliance through a network of Appointed Representatives (ARs) who operate under our regulatory permissions.

They provide access to our bespoke compliance platform, BIPS, which is used to process finance applications, enforce compliance workflows, and manage deal flow securely. BIPS logs user activity, automates regulatory checks, and ensures consistent adherence to legal and financial standards.

Email: info@bryantandbell.co.uk

What Personal Data We Collect

We may collect and process the following categories of personal data:

Type	Category
Identity & Contact Data	Name, date of birth, address, phone numbers, email address, ID documentation (passport, driving license)
Financial & Credit Data	Income, expenditure, credit history, employment details, Bank details, financial commitments, and credit reports
Transactional Data	Details about the finance products or services you’ve engaged with
Usage Data	IP address, browser type, interaction with our website or services
Special Category Data	Health information (e.g., if disclosed as part of accessibility or vulnerability declarations)Only collected with explicit consent

BIPS, our compliance platform, automatically logs deal-related activity, time-stamps key compliance events, and tracks access to sensitive data. These logs are used for regulatory supervision and internal auditing.

How We Collect Your Data

We collect data:

Directly from you – via forms, phone, email, or our website
From third parties – including credit reference agencies, introducers, franchisees, and fraud prevention bodies
Via automated technology – such as cookies and web analytics tools

Why We Process Your Data (Purposes & Lawful Bases)

We will only use your personal data when the law allows us to. Most commonly, we will use your personal data in the following circumstances:

Consent: the individual has given clear consent for you to process their personal data for a specific purpose
Contract: the processing is necessary for a contract you have with the individual, or because they have asked you to take specific steps before entering into a contract
Legal obligation: the processing is necessary for you to comply with the law (not including contractual obligations)
Public task: the processing is necessary for you to perform a task in the public interest or for your official functions, and the task or function has a clear basis in law
Legitimate interests: the processing is necessary for your legitimate interests or the legitimate interests of a third party unless there is a good reason to protect the individual’s personal data which overrides those legitimate interests. (This cannot apply if you are a public authority processing data to perform your official tasks.)

Purpose	Legal Basis	Explanation
To assess and arrange finance products	Contractual necessity (Art. 6(1)(b))	To take steps at your request prior to entering a finance agreement
To carry out credit and fraud checks	Legitimate Interests (Art. 6(1)(f))Contractual necessity (Art. 6(1)(b))	These checks are required by financial crime laws and to assess your suitability for finance.To take steps at your request prior to entering a finance agreement.
To communicate with you about your application or finance options	Contractual necessity (Art. 6(1)(b)) & Legitimate Interests (Art. 6(1)(f))	To ensure clear service delivery and client care
To refer your application to lenders or franchisee brokers	Legitimate Interests (Art. 6(1)(f)) & Contractual necessity (Art. 6(1)(b))	To fulfil your finance enquiry effectively
To meet legal and regulatory obligations	Legal obligation (Art. 6(1)(c))	To comply with UK financial and data protection laws
To monitor service quality and handle complaints	Legitimate interests (Art. 6(1)(f))	To improve service and resolve disputes
Marketing communications	Consent (Art. 6(1)(a))	We will only send marketing communications with your explicit opt-in
Processing special category data (e.g., health)	Explicit Consent (Art. 9(2)(a))	Only processed if freely given by you for specific support needs
To monitor compliance via the BIPS platform	Legal obligation (Art. 6(1)(c)) & Legitimate interests (Art. 6(1)(f))	To ensure ARs meet FCA regulatory standards and prevent misuse of the platform or financial crime exposure

Credit Checks:

To facilitate the performance of the contract with you, Bryant and Bell may need to conduct credit checks, either on our behalf or directly through a lender. By continuing your application for credit, you acknowledge and consent that credit checks may be carried out, which could impact your credit file.

Legitimate interests:

Where we rely on Legitimate Interests, we have completed a Legitimate Interests Assessment (LIA) to ensure that processing is proportionate and does not override your rights.

Who We Share Your Data With

We may share your data with the following third parties, where appropriate:

Lenders and Financial Product Providers
Franchisee firms within our broker network
Credit Reference Agencies (e.g. Experian, Equifax, TransUnion)
Fraud prevention agencies (e.g. CIFAS)
Regulators, such as the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) or Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO)
IT service providers, hosting and document management systems

All data-sharing partners are subject to appropriate data protection contracts and safeguards.

Automated Decision-Making

Some lenders may use automated decision-making (e.g., credit scoring) to assess your eligibility. You will be informed directly if this occurs and can request human intervention or express your point of view.

Profiling

We may use limited profiling to help match you with finance providers that best suit your circumstances or business needs. This involves evaluating financial information and preferences to support product suitability decisions.

We do not make decisions solely based on automated profiling that produce legal or similarly significant effects. If profiling is used, you have the right to object and request human involvement in any decision-making process.

International Transfers

Your data is primarily stored in the UK. If it must be transferred outside the UK/EEA, we ensure:

Appropriate standard contractual clauses (SCCs) are in place
Or the transfer is to a country with adequate data protection laws

How We Protect Your Data

We take the protection of your personal data seriously. We use a combination of technical and organisational measures to safeguard it. These include:

Encryption and secure cloud storage
Role-based access controls
Firewalls, antivirus protection, and intrusion detection
Two-factor authentication where appropriate
Regular training for staff and Appointed Representatives (ARs)
Logging and audit trails through our BIPS platform

These safeguards are designed to protect your data against loss, misuse, unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction.

Data Retention

We retain personal data for up to 6 years after your case is closed, in line with FCA requirements and to support legal claims or audits. Specific retention periods may vary depending on the data type:

Finance application data: 6 years after case closure
AML/KYC documentation: 6 years from end of relationship
Call/email records and case correspondence: 3–6 years
Marketing preferences: Until you withdraw consent

In some cases, we may retain data longer if legally required (e.g., under HMRC rules).

Your Rights

You have the following rights under the UK GDPR:

Right to access – get a copy of your personal data
Right to rectification – correct inaccurate or incomplete data
Right to erasure – request deletion in certain cases
Right to restrict processing – in limited situations
Right to data portability – receive your data in a structured format
Right to object – to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing
Right to withdraw consent – at any time for processing based on consent

To exercise any of these rights, contact: info@bryantandbell.co.uk

If you’re unsatisfied with our response, you can complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO):

www.ico.org.uk | Tel: 0303 123 1113

For questions related to your specific finance application, please contact your broker directly. For questions about how your data is processed on the BIPS platform or about Bryant and Bell Compliance’s role, contact info@bryantandbell.co.uk

Cookies and Online Tracking

We use cookies and similar tracking tools to:

Enhance website functionality
Measure traffic and performance
Improve your user experience

We use cookies and tracking tools in compliance with the UK Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR) and UK GDPR. Where required, we request your consent before placing non-essential cookies.

You can manage cookie preferences through our Cookie Policy or browser settings.