Prime Rate understands the importance of privacy and security when transmitting financial data over the Internet. Because of this importance, Prime Rate has taken the necessary steps to protect our customers' financial information. Total security is a joint effort, however; a joint effort that includes Prime Rate, your Internet Service Provider, and you, the Customer.

Encryption

Financial data transmitted via the Internet is preceded by a secure message to Prime Rate, which travels via Secure Sockets Layer (SSL). Prime Rate responds by sending a certificate that contains our public key. Your browser authenticates the certificate, then generates a session key which is used to encrypt data traveling between your browser and Prime Rate's server. The session key is encrypted using Prime Rate's public key, and sent back to us. We decrypt this message using our private key and then use the session key for the rest of the transaction. By exchanging messages using the public/private key pair, you can be assured that you are actually communicating with Prime Rate. A third party trying to intercept the transaction would be unable to access any data. This paired-key process allows for 128-bit encryption, which is an extremely effective way of protecting financial data transmitted via the Internet.

Firewall

Prime Rate provides additional security by using a primary firewall. Firewalls are used to verify the identity of inquirers accessing information from Prime Rate. This verification process enables Prime Rate to protect secure data from being violated by unauthorized inquiries.

Browser

For optimal security, Prime Rate recommends that Internet Explorer users utilize version 3.02 or higher. For those customers using Netscape, Prime Rate recommends version 3.04 or higher for optimal security. For customers accessing their Prime Rate account with browsers other than those listed, please consult with the distributor for security measures.

Internet Service Provider (ISP)

The security measures taken by Prime Rate are independent of the measures taken by your ISP. Prime Rate recommends using an ISP with strong security practices. Inquire with several ISPs about their security practices and choose one you believe has your security as a priority.

User ID and Password

Prime Rate provides additional security for your financial information by the mandatory use of User ID and Passwords to access account information. It is important that your User ID and Password be kept confidential.