A Special Message from
Eldredge & Lumpkin
Protecting your privacy these days can be very challenging. You need to guard your physical privacy, your health information, your identity, your financial information and your computer data; the list can be endless, and the steps needed to be taken exhaustive.
Large scale data security breaches in recent history, such as ones experienced at TJ Maxx, Bank of America and Ameritrade have moved federal and state governments to enact legislation to help protect consumer information. Laws such as HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) and the Federal Trade Commission Red Flag Rules were designed to protect information at health care provider locations and at financial institutions respectively.
Massachusetts has now entered the fray with a law that took effect March 1, 2010. New privacy regulations are good for the Massachusetts consumer; they are designed to protect your identity and financial information in all areas of business. Many insurance companies require personal information such as Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers and birth dates to correctly rate a policy. Personal checks and credit cards are usually used to purchase these policies.
How does all this apply to your insurance policies with Eldredge & Lumpkin? We have to protect your personal information once we receive it in our office. The law covers paper files, computer storage and e-mail and /or web site exchanges. Oddly enough, Postal Service mail, faxes and telephone calls are considered to be already “safe.” Of even more interest, government agencies are exempt from these regulations.
At Eldredge & Lumpkin, we have taken significant steps to protect your personal information. All paper is now under lock and key, and computers require more sophisticated password protection and encryption, as does the e-mail process. Our web site is now secure.
We want to make sure our customers recognize that these new procedures are being implemented to ensure your privacy. They may sometimes represent a change in the way we do business such as having a need for registered e-mails when personal information is included and putting away paper files before another client enters an office.
We have taken these measures to protect your personal information, but we also ask you to use caution in communicating your information to us. Working together is the best way to protect your privacy and ensure the security of your information.
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