At TIAA-CREF, we are concerned with safeguarding your personal information. You have entrusted us with an important role in your financial future. We are committed to keeping your personal information secure. We are committed to the principles stated in this notice for all our customers. This applies to past, present and future owners of our products.
Please read this policy carefully. It gives you important information about how we handle your personal information. We protect your privacy in accordance with the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), as amended by the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act of 2003 (FACT Act), the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Financial Services Modernization Act (GLB), and this Privacy Policy. In addition, when state privacy or other laws may require greater protections of customer information, or as provided by GLB, TIAA-CREF will comply with those requirements. The "TIAA-CREF Companies" are described in this notice. A separate notice describes the privacy practices related to health information for our Long Term Care Insurance customers, and should be read together with this notice.
The nonpublic personal information we collect may include, but is not limited to, your name, address, telephone number, e-mail address, social security number, and date of birth. We may use this information in connection with certain aspects of our business. For example, we may use this information to complete your requested transaction or to otherwise manage your relationship with the TIAA-CREF companies.
We may obtain this information from an application or other form you have completed, or from information you have given TIAA-CREF in a consultation. In addition, we may also collect information from consumer reporting agencies, which information may include your marital status, employment history, income, assets, credit score, credit history, open lines of credit, and the size of your household.
If you are applying for or own a life insurance policy or own a TIAA-CREF long-term care policy, we may also collect your health information. We will not disclose your health information to any other TIAA-CREF company or other person unless authorized by you or required by law or regulation.
When you visit our site, we may collect information about your use of our site through "cookies". Cookies are small bits of information transferred to your computer's hard drive that allow us to know how often a user visits our site and the activities they are most interested in performing. We require the acceptance of cookies to enable users to take full advantage of specific services offered. We may also require you to accept cookies placed by a third party supporting this activity on our behalf.
The cookies collect certain technical and navigational information only, such as computer browser type, internet protocol address, pages visited, and average time spent on our websites. In addition, we capture the paths taken as you move from page to page (i.e. your "click stream" activity). This information allows us to enhance your experience while on our site.
Finally, we use "cookies" to establish and maintain a logged-in connection while you are in the secure section(s) of our website. For example, when you visit your account, perform transactions, update contact information or perform other activity the "cookie" allows you to navigate from page to page in a secure fashion without having to repeatedly log-in.
Browsing to other sites:
When you use a link to go from TIAA-CREF.org to another web site, the TIAA-CREF.org Privacy Policy is no longer in effect. Your browsing and interaction on any other web site is subject to the rules and policies of that site. We encourage you to read the rules and policies of the sites you visit to further understand their procedures for collecting, using, and disclosing personal information.
We use your personal information primarily to provide you with products and services you request, and to conduct the business of the TIAA-CREF companies. As permitted by law, we may also share your personal information with select partners with whom we have joint marketing agreements in order to provide you with a variety of products and services. We require these companies to meet strict privacy standards described below. We may also use your personal information to determine your possible interest in products and services that the other TIAA-CREF companies offer. If you are a participant in an employer-sponsored pension plan that is funded with a TIAA-CREF annuity contract, we may share the information we collect with your employer for plan administration purposes.
We may share your personal information with other TIAA-CREF companies. We will not disclose your personal information to anyone outside of the TIAA-CREF companies unless: 1) we have received proper consent from you; 2) we are legally permitted to do so; or 3) we reasonable believe, in good faith, that we are legally required to do so. In order to protect the confidentiality of your personal information, including personal information that we have disclosed to a third party pursuant to this Privacy Policy, we take all appropriate measures, including requiring each third party to execute an appropriate confidentiality agreement governing the use of such information and only allowing access to the information for a limited purpose. For example, we may provide the information to assist us with various aspects of conducting our business, to comply with laws or industry regulations, and/or to effectuate any contract on your behalf, including the following:
We require that third parties with which we share your personal information protect such information by utilizing the same privacy and security safeguards as those used by TIAA-CREF.
TIAA-CREF strictly protects the personal information you provide against unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, destruction, loss or misuse. Your personal information is protected by physical, electronic and procedural safeguards in accordance with federal and state standards. These safeguards include appropriate procedures for access and use of electronic data, provisions for the secure transmission of sensitive personal information on our website, and telephone system authentication procedures. Additionally, we limit access to your personal information to those TIAA-CREF employees who need your personal information in order to provide products or services to you.
Providing us with access to your information permits us to offer you distinct advantages and better service. It enables us to provide you with more comprehensive financial guidance. In fact, we have established different TIAA-CREF companies to offer you various types of financial products and services. Using your information helps us tailor product offerings to you and eliminate those that may not interest you. This helps us keep expenses low. Unless you tell us otherwise, any TIAA-CREF company may use your nonpublic personal information from records maintained by one of the other TIAA-CREF companies for marketing purposes.
However, if you do not want other TIAA-CREF companies to use your personal financial information this way, you may simply let us know by opting out. If you opt out, we will not use your personal information to notify you of new products, services, or enhancements, nor will it be available to other TIAA-CREF companies for marketing purposes. It will, however, still be released as permitted or required by law. Please note that we cannot withdraw any previous disclosures made with your authorization.
To opt out, please call the ATS Service Center at 1 877 518-9161. If you are a Trust Company client or own a tuition financing product (529 Plan) and wish to opt out, please follow the instructions provided below:
Customers of the TIAA-CREF Trust Company - If you are a client of TIAA-CREF Trust Company, FSB, you must call your Account Administrator to opt out. If you own a joint account with a co-owner, you and the co-owner will both be treated as opting out if either of you should opt out.
Account Owners of 529 Plans - If you are an account owner in a 529 Plan, you should read your plan's privacy notice separately. Please follow its direction if you decide to opt out.
You may receive more than one privacy notice from the TIAA-CREF companies depending on the products you own.
If you own a life insurance contract or a TIAA-CREF Mutual Funds account with a co-owner, you and the co-owner may:
Your opt-out becomes effective as soon as practicable. It remains in effect until you revoke it in writing. No further action is needed. Even if you have opted out, you will receive our privacy notice each year as required by law.
The disclosure of personal information among TIAA-CREF companies and affiliates is authorized under Montana's Insurance Information and Privacy Protection Act, MCA 33-19-306 (12)(a) and (b), which allows for disclosure without written authorization where i) the personal information is used in connection with an audit or to enable TIAA-CREF to perform an insurance function and ii) an appropriate agreement is executed with the affiliate to limit the affiliate's use and disclosure of the personal information.
We may disclose personal information among TIAA-CREF companies and affiliates without written authorization pursuant to New Mexico's Privacy Rule, 13.1.2.1 through 13.1.3.23 NMAC. However, any such disclosure will be only to the extent necessary to effect, administer or enforce a transaction that you have requested or authorized.
NDCC 26.1-02-27 permits TIAA-CREF to disclose personal information pursuant to NDCC 45-14-01-11, which sets forth North Dakota's rules promulgated in accordance with NAIC's Privacy of Consumer Financial and Health Information and allows for disclosure where appropriate opt-out notice and opportunity has been given.
TIAA-CREF is authorized to disclose personal information under Vermont's Privacy of Consumer Financial and Health Information Regulation Article IV, Sections 14(A), (B) and (C), which provide an exception to the general "opt-in" rule (which requires consumers to affirmatively agree to disclosure) where TIAA-CREF executes an appropriate agreement with the third party that limits the third party's use and disclosure of the personal information. TIAA-CREF is further authorized to disclose personal information under Sections 15(A) and (B) which provide an exception to the "opt-in" requirement where the disclosure of personal information is necessary to effect, administer or enforce a transaction that the customer authorizes. Our release of personal information is also authorized where permitted by law under Section 16(A).
This website is not directed toward children. We do not knowingly collect or post information from children under the age of 18.
TIAA-CREF periodically reviews its policies. We reserve the right to amend them. If we amend this Privacy Policy, we will continue our commitment to maintaining the security and privacy of your personal information. We will notify you of any changes before they take effect.
To change personal information such as your name, address, retirement start date, telephone number or email address, log in to your account. Your new information will be effective immediately. You can also call our National Contact Center at 1 800 842-2776 Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. (ET), and on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. (ET).
Note that certain changes cannot be processed over the phone. Address changes for payout contracts must be mailed. Also, to change your or your spouse's name on a contract, you must send us a letter with the following information:
You may send letters to:
TIAA-CREF
P.O. Box 1259
Charlotte, NC 28201
If your customer relationship with TIAA-CREF ends, we will not destroy your personal information. We will continue to treat your personal information in accordance with this Privacy Policy and applicable laws.
As described in this notice, the "TIAA-CREF companies" include but are not limited to the following:
Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America (TIAA) and TIAA-CREF Life Insurance Company, are insurance companies. They provide products such as life insurance and annuities.
College Retirement Equities Fund (CREF), is an investment company that is the companion organization to TIAA. CREF provides retirement annuities.
TIAA-CREF Mutual Funds and TIAA-CREF Institutional Mutual Funds are investment companies.
Teachers Advisors, Inc. is an investment advisor. It provides services for our mutual funds and personal annuities.
TIAA-CREF Investment Management, LLC, is the investment advisor to CREF.
Teachers Personal Investors Services, Inc. (TPIS), is the principal underwriter for TIAA-CREF Mutual Funds, Institutional Mutual Funds, Life Funds, and interests in tuition savings products.
TIAA-CREF Individual & Institutional Services, LLC, is the principal underwriter for CREF and the TIAA Real Estate Account and is authorized by agreement to sell and service TIAA-CREF Mutual Funds, Institutional Mutual Funds, Life Funds, and interests in tuition savings products.
TIAA-CREF Tuition Financing, Inc., (TFI) is an investment advisor. It provides investment management and administrative services for qualified tuition programs (529 Plans). TFI receives customer information from other TIAA-CREF companies. However, it only discloses information about tuition program customers as set forth in its separate privacy policy for the tuition program.
TIAA-CREF Trust Company, FSB (Trust Company) is a federally chartered savings bank. It provides asset management and fiduciary services and acts as custodian for individual retirement accounts.
Kaspick & Company, LLC, is an investment advisor that provides advisory services to private clients, who are individuals, through separately managed accounts. Their clients are subject to their own privacy notice, policies and procedures.
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© 2007 and prior years, Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association - College Retirement Equities Fund (TIAA-CREF), New York, NY 10017
