1. Introduction

Bear Business Finance Ltd (“we”, “us”, “our”, “Bear”) takes data protection seriously and is committed to protecting the personal data we process.

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store and share personal data when we act as a data controller, including in relation to customers, prospective customers, business partners (introducers and lenders), suppliers, business contacts, website visitors and job applicants.

We process personal data in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

By using our services or providing us with your personal data, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this policy

 

 

2. Who we are

Bear Business Finance Ltd is a company registered in England and Wales.

• Company name: Bear Business Finance Ltd
• Company number: 10614202
• Registered address: 41 Commerce Road, Lynch Wood, Peterborough, PE2 6LR
• ICO registration: ZB115431

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or how we handle personal data, please contact us at:
operations@bearbusinessfinance.com | 01832 770 273

 

3. The personal data we collect

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

Identity data

Name, title, username or similar identifiers, date of birth.

Contact data

Email address, residential postal addresses and home telephone and mobile numbers.

Financial and business data

Including funding requirements, business information, bank statements, filed accounts, VAT returns, payment details and, where relevant (e.g. sole traders), personal financial information necessary to assess finance applications. This may include credit information, property equity, homeowner status, pension values and county court judgments.

Transaction data

Details of payments to and from you and products or services provided.

Profile data

Preferences, feedback, survey responses and communications history.

Usage data

Information about how you use our website, systems and services.

Marketing and communications data

Your preferences for receiving marketing and communications from us.

We do not generally process special category data (such as health, ethnicity, political opinions or biometric data).

Please keep your information up to date by notifying us of changes at:
operations@bearbusinessfinance.com

 

4. Lawful bases for processing

We only process personal data where we have a lawful basis under UK GDPR, including:

• your consent (where required)
• performance of a contract or steps taken prior to entering a contract
• legal or regulatory obligations (including AML and fraud prevention)
• legitimate interests, where these are not overridden by your rights

Where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

 

5. How we collect personal data

We collect data through:

• Direct interactions (enquiries, applications, online forms, communications, marketing sign-ups)
• Third parties, including business partners, introducers, lenders, fraud prevention agencies, analytics providers and publicly available sources (e.g. Companies House, CreditSafe)
• Website technologies, including cookies (see section 6)

 

6. Cookies

Our website uses cookies to improve functionality and user experience.
Details of cookies used and how to manage them are available via our cookie notice on the website.

 

7. How we use your data

We use personal data to:

• assess and arrange finance and credit-related services
• liaise with lenders, introducers and partners
• comply with legal, regulatory and fraud prevention obligations
• manage accounts and recover debts where applicable
• improve our services and website
• provide marketing communications where permitted
• manage our business operations

We do not sell personal data to third parties.

 

8. Marketing

If you are an existing customer, we may contact you with information about similar products or services, where permitted by law. You can opt out at any time using unsubscribe links or by contacting us.

We do not identify individuals to advertisers but may use aggregated or anonymised data for marketing analysis.

 

9. Data sharing

We may share personal data with:

• lenders and finance providers (with your knowledge and where required, consent)
• business partners, introducers and professional partners
• service providers (e.g. CRM, IT, compliance systems such as HubSpot)
• fraud prevention, credit reference and law enforcement agencies
• professional advisers and regulators

All third parties are required to handle data securely and lawfully.

 

10. International transfers

Where personal data is transferred outside the UK or EEA, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, such as adequacy regulations or approved contractual protections, in accordance with UK GDPR.

 

11. Data security and retention

We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data.

Personal data is retained only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including legal and regulatory requirements. Our general retention period is up to 7 years, subject to our internal Data Retention Policy and applicable law.

 

12. Your rights

Under UK GDPR, you have the right to:

• access your personal data
• request correction or deletion
• restrict or object to processing
• data portability
• withdraw consent (where applicable)
• complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO)

Requests can be made via:

operations@bearbusinessfinance.com

We aim to respond within one month, which may be extended by up to a further two months for complex requests.

 

 

13. Automated Decision-Making

We may use automated processing, including profiling, to assess eligibility for certain financial products and services.

This automated processing may analyse information such as financial data, credit data, business performance information, and other relevant details provided by you or obtained from third-party data sources (such as credit reference agencies).

Automated decision-making helps us:

• Assess initial eligibility for funding
• Conduct risk assessments
• Prevent fraud
• Streamline our application process

Where an automated decision produces a legal effect or similarly significant effect (for example, where an application is declined), you have the right to:

• Request human intervention
• Express your point of view
• Request a review of the decision

If you would like to request a review of an automated decision, please contact us using the details provided in this Privacy Policy.

 

14. Links to other websites

Our website may contain links to third-party sites. We are not responsible for their privacy practices and recommend reviewing their privacy policies.

 

15. Complaints

If you have concerns about how we handle personal data, please contact us first.
If unresolved, you may complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office:
🌐 www.ico.org.uk

 

16. Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Any changes will be published on our website.

Last updated: March 2026