Hometown Bancorp, Ltd.

Regarding The Privacy Of Our Financial Information

The Federal Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act requires us to tell our customers about the kinds of information we collect and the types of businesses that may be provided that information. This new law has created an opportunity for you to balance your right to privacy with our need to share information for normal business purposes. This privacy notice is intended to help you decide whether you are comfortable with that information-sharing arrangement.

We recognize that our customers expect that information provided to us or obtained by us will be safeguarded. The purpose of this notice is to describe how we collect and disclose customer information, and how you can choose to “opt out” or say “no” to information sharing under certain circumstances.

If you have any questions, comments or concerns about the privacy of information about you please contact us at:

How We Collect and Disclose Information

We collect information about our customers as a regular part of our business of providing products and services. However, we do not sell this information to third parties nor do we share such information except when needed to complete transactions at your request. The following are examples of the kinds of nonpublic personal information we may collect and disclose:

• Information we receive from you on an application or other form, such as your name, phone number, address, social security number, employment, income and other details about your assets.
• IInformation about your transactions with our affiliates, others, or us such as your account balances, loan balances, overdraft history and your payment history.
  
• We may also obtain additional information from a consumer reporting agency, such as your credit history or the DMV.

We may also share the customer information we collect as described above with our affiliates, with those nonaffiliated third parties with whom we have entered into joint marketing agreements, with third parties as required or permitted by law, or with parties contracted to provide services on our behalf. Examples of companies providing services include:

• Check printing companies
• Secondary market purchasers of loans.
• Settlement agents (title companies if you have a mortgage or personal property loan, brokerage firms if you have a brokerage account, etc.)

We may also provide information to third parties if you request us to provide such information. Examples include:

• Insurance companies, but only if you have applied to us for insurance.
• Other creditors, but only if we have a signed approval by you.
• Other financial institutions, but only if you ask us to transfer assets from the other institution to us.

In all cases, we will only provide the information necessary to complete the requested transactions.

Any third party to which we deliver information must also agree to keep the information confidential, except as necessary to perform the service for which the information was provided.

Notice of Your Opportunity to Opt Out of Information Sharing With Companies in Our Corporate Family

Unless you tell us not to, the companies listed in this notice as the Hometown Bancorp, Ltd., family of companies may share nonpublic personal information about you.

Companies in our corporate family who may receive this information are financial service providers such as investment brokers, insurance agents, retail bankers and mortgage bankers.

You may limit our affiliates from marketing their products or services to you based on information that we share with them, such as your income, account history with us, and your credit score. You may direct us not to share this information by contacting us at the address or phone numbers listed in this notice.

This limitation does not apply in certain circumstances; such as if you currently do business with one of our affiliates of if you ask to receive information or offers from them.

Note: Your direction in this paragraph covers certain information about you that we might otherwise share with our corporate family. We may share other information about you with our corporate family as permitted by law.

Confidentiality and Security

We maintain physical, electronic, and procedural safeguards that comply with federal standards to protect your nonpublic personal information. Information is retained in such a way that it is accessible only to those employees who need to know that information in order to provide products or services to you.

We adhere to the highest standards of ethics and integrity as we conduct business with our customers, and keeping your customer information confidential and secure is part of that commitment. Your right to financial privacy is important. If you have any questions regarding our Privacy Notice, please contact us, and we will help you in making decisions that are right for you!

The Hometown Bancorp, Ltd. family of companies includes:

• Hometown Bank
• Hometown Mortgage and Finance, Inc.
• Phoenix Group of Wisconsin, Inc.
• Phoenix Group of Illinois, Inc.
• FWG Insurance, LLC
  
  

Don’t Become a Victim of Identity Theft!

Manage your Mailbox

• Don’t leave bill payment envelopes clipped to your mailbox or inside with the flag up; thieves can steal your mail and change your address.
  
• Know your billing cycles and watch for any missing mail. Follow up with creditors if bills or new cards don’t arrive on time.
  
• Carefully review your monthly accounts, credit card statements and utility bills for unauthorized charges as soon as you receive them. If you suspect unauthorized use, contact the provider’s customer service and fraud departments immediately.
  
• When you order new checks, ask when you can expect delivery. If your mailbox is not secure, then ask to pick up the checks instead of having them delivered to your home.
  
• Don’t have your Social Security Number printed on your checks and don’t allow merchants to write your Social Security Number on your checks. If a business asks for your Social Security Number, request that they use an alternate number.
  
• Never give your Social Security Number, account numbers or personal credit information to anyone who calls you.
  

Check Your Purse or Wallet

• Don’t leave your purse or wallet unattended.
  
• Protect your PINs (don’t carry them in your purse or wallet) and passwords.
  
• Carry only identification and credit cards you actually need.
  
• If your ID or credit cards are lost or stolen, notify the credit bureaus to place a “fraud alert” in your file.
  

Keep Your Personal Numbers Safe and Secure

• When creating passwords and Personal identification numbers don’t use anything that a thief could easily figure out or find.
  
• Shield the keypad when using ATMs or placing calling card calls.
  
• Never keep your passwords or PINs in your purse, wallet, Rolodex or electronic organizer
  
• Get your Social Security Number out of circulation and release it only when necessary (tax filing, employment, etc.)
  

Bank, Shop and Spend Wisely

• Store personal information in a safe place and shred or tear up documents you don’t need.
  
• Destroy charge receipts, copies of credit applications, insurance forms, bank checks and statements, expired charge cards and credit offers you get in the mail before you put them out in the trash.
  
• Cancel your unused credit cards so their account numbers will not appear on your credit report.
  
• When you fill out a loan or credit application, be sure the business shreds the applications or stores them in locked, secure files.
  
• Tear up receipts, bank statements, and unused pre-approved credit card offers and convenience checks before throwing them in the trash.
  
• When possible watch your credit card as the merchant completes your transaction.
  
• Never throw credit card, ATM or debit card receipts in a public trash can.
  
• Choose to do business with companies you know are reputable, particularly online.
  
• When conducting business online, use a secure browser that encrypts or scrambles purchase information and make sure your browser’s padlock or key icon is activated.
  
• Don’t open email from unknown sources or include personal or financial information in emails, particularly upon request by the sender. “Phishing” is a scam where bogus emails that appear legitimate take advantage of unwary customers by requesting private information.
  

Review Your Information

Contact one of the three major credit bureaus and request a copy of your credit report to review for fraudulent accounts that may have been opened without authorization. Check the section of your report that lists “inquiries” to ensure that unauthorized applications for credit have not been submitted. If you discover unusual activity have the credit bureau place a “fraud alert” on your file and a victim’s statement asking creditors to call you before opening new accounts or changing existing ones. The credit bureaus and phone numbers are:

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