Who runs this site

Rate Otter is run by Winston Wang, a California licensed real estate broker and mortgage loan originator. This page explains what the site collects, what it is used for, who it may be shared with, and how to have it removed.

What we collect

You can read the rate tables and forecast without giving us anything.

Rate alerts. Your name, email address, phone number if you give one, your current rate, loan amount and the loan products you want to watch.

Loan inquiries. Your name, email address, phone number, what you are looking to do, your timeline, and optionally a property zip code, a loan amount and a message. We also record the time you gave consent to be contacted.

Home value updates. If we have talked and you ask for them, a property address, purchase price and purchase date, which we use to estimate your home's value from public zip-level data.

Automatically. Standard server logs such as your IP address and browser type, which our hosting provider keeps briefly for security and reliability. The forms include simple checks to keep out automated submissions; these do not collect anything about you.

What we use it for

• Sending the rate alerts and home value updates you asked for.
• Replying to your inquiry by phone or email, as you agreed to on the form.
• Keeping the site secure and working.

We do not sell personal information and we do not use it for advertising.

Email

Our email provider reports back whether a message was delivered, opened or bounced. We use that to fix delivery problems and to see whether alerts are useful. Every alert email has an unsubscribe link.

Who we share it with

We share personal information only with the service providers that run the site, and only as needed to do the work described above:

• An email delivery provider, to send alerts, confirmations and replies.
• An address lookup provider. When you type an address on a form, what you type is sent to it as you type so it can suggest matches.
• Hosting providers that run the site.

The rate tables come from lenders' public websites. Nothing you give us goes to a lender unless you decide to apply for a loan through Winston Wang. Then, with your permission, the information needed for that loan goes to the lender and to the companies involved in processing, underwriting and closing it, such as credit reporting and verification services, the appraiser, the title company, and other third parties required to complete the loan. We may also disclose information if the law requires it.

How it is protected

We take reasonable steps to protect your information, including encrypting personal details such as names, email addresses, phone numbers and addresses. Access is limited to the people who need it to help you. No method of storage or transmission is completely secure, so we cannot promise absolute security.

Cookies and local storage

We do not use advertising trackers. The site remembers your light or dark theme choice in your browser. If we add analytics to understand how the site is used, this page will say so.

How long we keep it

We keep your details while your alerts are active and while an inquiry is open, and as long as the law requires for any loan you apply for. Unsubscribing stops the emails. To have your information deleted, reply to any email from us or write to Winston Wangand we will remove what we are not required to keep.

Your choices

• Unsubscribe from alerts using the link in any alert email.
• Ask what we hold about you, ask us to correct it, or ask us to delete it.
• Tell us not to contact you about an inquiry, at any time.

This site is for adults arranging home loans. We do not knowingly collect information from anyone under 18.

Changes

If this page changes, the date at the top changes with it. Material changes to how we use your information will be noted here before they take effect.