Introduction
TIAA Bank uses Cookies and similar technologies (“Cookies”) to collect information about which devices and browsers access TIAABank.com, and to keep track of visitors as they move through TIAABank.com and third party websites that TIAA Bank has a business relationship with (“Service Providers”). Cookies enable TIAA Bank to provide a range of functions to website visitors, including Cookies that are critical to the operation and ongoing functionality of TIAABank.com (“Essential Cookies”). Cookies may also be used to provide website visitors with advertisements tailored to their interests, including website content personalization (“Marketing Cookies”).
What is a cookie?
A standard Cookie is a small text file that is placed on the visitor’s device that allows the website to remember a visitor’s previous web interactions by the same device.
Types of cookies used by TIAA Bank
First party cookies — These are Cookies set by TIAA Bank while you are visiting TIAABank.com and are used for a variety of reasons, including collecting analytic data and ensuring essential services and features available on TIAABank.com continue to operate as designed.
Third party cookies — Third party Cookies are set by someone other than TIAA Bank for purposes of collecting information on website visitor behavior, demographics, or personalized and targeted marketing. These Cookies can be set at the direction of TIAA Bank through the use of outside vendors, typically advertising agencies, to track visitor activity across TIAABank.com and other third party websites over a period of time and used to target website visitors with ads tailored towards their interests (“Targeted Advertising”).
When using TIAABank.com, visitors may encounter embedded content, such as videos, or may be directed to other websites for participation in surveys, to make payments, or to complete an application for a financial product or service. These websites and embedded content may use their own Cookies. TIAA Bank may not have control over the placement of Cookies by other websites, even if visitors are directed to them from our website.
Session cookies — Session Cookies allow TIAA Bank to link a visitor’s actions during a single browser session. These Cookies are only stored temporarily in a browser’s memory, so once a visitor closes their browser, the Cookie disappears. Session Cookies are used for essential functions such as website logins, and storing login credentials every time someone visits TIAABank.com. TIAA Bank may also use Session Cookies for other website functions like ensuring faster page loads.
Persistent cookies — In contrast to Session Cookies, Persistent Cookies stay on a visitor’s device longer, and are most commonly used for web analytics, including to track visitor behavior while on TIAABank.com. TIAA Bank typically uses data obtained from Persistent Cookies to understand what visitors prefer so they can adapt and improve the user experience.
Use of cookies by TIAA
TIAA Bank and our Service Providers use information obtained from Cookies and similar technologies for a number of reasons, including but not limited to:
- Ensuring that TIAABank.com continues to operate as necessary
- Delivering content specific to your interests
- Providing access to our secure banking functions
- Assisting with website traffic reporting
- Providing client support
- Responding to client inquiries (including using live chat or video session technologies)
- Measuring and reporting the level of engagement with TIAA Bank advertisements across our digital channels and on other websites
- Providing advertisements tailored to your interests (Targeted or Behavioral Advertising)
- To authenticate and/or remember user name upon login.
Additional information on third party targeted or behavioral advertising cookies
TIAA Bank places code on its website that permits a third party (the Behavioral Advertising network) to either (1) place a Cookie on the device of people who visit the website, or (2) receive information the visitor’s device transmits to the website that the visitor intends to visit. Third party Behavioral Advertising networks collect and aggregate information from Cookies to monitor TIAABank.com visitors (or at least a visitor’s computing device) across all of the websites that participate in the network and to build a profile from which the Behavioral Advertising provider can discern characteristics about the consumer to help deliver Targeted Advertising.
Ad choices — Many of TIAA Bank’s Service Providers who use Cookies and similar technologies to collect information about an individual’s online activities for the purposes of targeted advertising and ad measurement and reporting, on both TIAABank.com and third party websites with which they have a business relationship, offer the ability to opt out of that collection of that individual’s information. For more information about how to opt out of such collection, please visit aboutads.info/choices. TIAA Bank does not currently respond to web browser “do not track” signals. For more information on do not track, visit allaboutdnt.org.
Cookies used on TIAA’s websites
Essential cookies — These Cookies are essential for enabling user movement and operation of TIAABank.com and providing access to features such as a customer’s account information and other secure areas of the website. These Cookies do not gather information that is used for marketing purposes and do not remember where users have been on the internet. This category of Cookies cannot be disabled.
Analytics cookies — Analytics Cookies are used to collect information about how visitors use TIAABank.com. These Cookies collect information in the aggregate to give TIAA Bank insight into how our website is being used.
Marketing cookies — TIAA Bank uses Marketing Cookies for when a user interacts with a marketing communication, such as a marketing email or a marketing-based landing page on our website. This Cookie may collect personal information such as: your name, the pages you visit on our website, your history arriving at our website, and your products and services. Collected information may be used to evaluate the effectiveness of TIAA Bank’s marketing campaigns or to provide better targeted marketing.
How to opt out of cookies
Cookie opt out tool — As a visitor to TIAABank.com, you can opt out of certain types of Cookies TIAA Bank may place on your computing device when you visit TIAABank.com, including Analytics and Marketing Cookies, as described in Section 6 above. You cannot opt out of Essential Cookies using this tool.
Set your cookie preferencesWeb browser — If you choose, you may also set your web browser to warn you each time before it accepts a Cookie and allow you to choose whether you want to accept the Cookie. You may also choose to obtain software that operates in conjunction with your browser to control Cookie acceptance. Some portions TIAABank.com use Cookies to provide you with a secure environment for certain financial transactions. These features may not work properly if you restrict the use of Cookies on the website.