FINANCIAL PRIVACY NOTICE

A Story of Success

What We Did

• Worked with Interagency team comprising Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Federal Trade Commission, National Credit Union Administration, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, and the Securities and Exchange Commission.

• Used mixed methodology of 2 focus groups, 11 preference interviews, and a total of 35 one-on-one cognitive interviews across 5 sites.

• Developed a disclosure that was clear, conspicuous, technically accurate yet still allowed readers to understand what a financial institution does with their personal information.

Key Results

• The Model Privacy Notice has been implemented by nearly every financial institution in the U.S. from car finance companies to major credit cards like Visa to major banks like Citibank to credit unions and community banks.

• Six major principles emerged from the research:

  • Keep it simple

  • Good design matters

  • Careful design decisions ensure neutrality

  • A “whole to part” design is critical to comprehension

  • Standardization is highly effective