Cookies
This page explains how we use cookies and similar technologies on our websites to help provide you with the best possible online experience.
Your online privacy
Gatehouse Bank will only process personal data from you for specified and lawful purposes and any personal data that is obtained will be processed fairly and lawfully.
When we ask you for personal information online it will only be in response to you actively applying for or using one of our online products or services.
You can find full details of how we use customer information here.
What cookies are
Our Site uses cookies to deliver Gatehouse Bank's services. A cookie is a small text file stored on a user's computer which can be used by a browser to help a website recognise repeat users, facilitate the user's ongoing access to and use of the Site and allows a site to track usage behaviour and compile aggregate data, all of which allow internet services to make content improvements and, in some cases, target advertising.
Some cookies are deleted when you close down your browser. These are known as session cookies. Others remain on your device until they expire or you delete them from your cache. These are known as persistent cookies and enable us to remember things about you as a returning visitor.
This website uses both session and persistent cookies.
If you do not want information collected through the use of cookies, most browsers contain a function that allows a user to deny the cookie feature. You can also delete cookie files from your computer at your discretion. Disabling the cookie feature on your browser or deleting cookie files from your computer may render you unable to access the Site and may impair your ability to utilise our services. Cookies may also be necessary to provide you with certain features such as customised delivery of information.
Gatehouse Bank uses cookies to provide its services, to deliver content specific to your interests and for other purposes. You can manage your cookie settings for this website by clicking on the link below.
Essential cookies
Cookies that are essential for us to provide a product or service you have requested and to provide a secure online environment. Without cookies we are unable to provide some products or services that you might request. Other 'essential' cookies keep our website secure. Even if you say “No” to cookies on this website we'll continue to use these 'essential' cookies.
The essential cookies we use on our website are:
| Name | Duration | Description |
| cc_cookie | 182 days | Used to store your cookie preferences for your next visit, so we don't have to ask you again. |
Analytics cookies
These cookies collect aggregated information and are not used to identify you.
We use this type of cookie to understand and analyse how visitors use our online services and look for ways to improve them. For example, a cookie might tell us that lots of people give up on an application process at a particular step – so we can try to make that step easier to complete. Although we use cookies to record behaviour patterns on our site, we collect this information in a way which does not personally identify anyone.
The analytics cookies we use on our website are:
| Name | Duration | Description |
| _ga | 2 years | This cookie is used to distinguish unique users by assigning a randomly generated number as a client identifier. It is included in each page request in a site and used to calculate visitor, session and campaign data for the sites analytics reports. Used to distinguish users. |
| _ga_<Tracking code ID> | 2 years | Unique User Identifier used by Google Analytics to provide insights on our site. Used to persist session state. |
| _gaexp | Set by customer; max of 93 days | Cookies are used to help us personalise and test content to help us improve your overall experience on our website. |
| _gaexp_rc | 10 seconds | Cookies are used to help us personalise and test content to help us improve your overall experience on our website. |
| gtag | 30 days | To help us understand user behaviour on site and record interactions that will be attributed back to marketing activity on the platform. |
| _gat_* | 1 minute | Cookie is used to throttle the request rate, which means that it limits the collection of data on high traffic sites. This cookie does not store any user information. |
| _gid | 1 day | Cookie is used for Google Analytics to store and update a unique value for each page visited. |
| _opt_awcid | 24 hours | Cookies are used to help us personalise and test content to help us improve your overall experience on our website. |
| _opt_awmid | 24 hours | Cookies are used to help us personalise and test content to help us improve your overall experience on our website. |
| _opt_awgid | 24 hours | Cookies are used to help us personalise and test content to help us improve your overall experience on our website. |
| _opt_awkid | 24 hours | Cookies are used to help us personalise and test content to help us improve your overall experience on our website. |
| _opt_utmc | 24 hours | Cookies are used to help us personalise and test content to help us improve your overall experience on our website. |
| _opt_expid | 24 hours | Cookies are used to help us personalise and test content to help us improve your overall experience on our website. |
| _hjSessionUser_{site_id} | 365 days | Set when a user first lands on a page. Persists the Hotjar User ID which is unique to that site. Ensures data from subsequent visits to the same site are attributed to the same user ID. JSON data type. |
| _hjid | 365 days | Set when a user first lands on a page. Persists the Hotjar User ID which is unique to that site. Ensures data from subsequent visits to the same site are attributed to the same user ID. UUID data type. |
| _hjFirstSeen | Session duration | Identifies a new user’s first session. Used by Recording filters to identify new user sessions. Boolean true/false data type. |
| _hjUserAttributesHash | Session duration | User Attributes sent through the Hotjar Identify API are cached for the duration of the session. Enables us to know when an attribute has changed and needs to be updated. Hash data type. |
| _hjCachedUserAttributes | Session duration | Stores User Attributes sent through the Hotjar Identify API, whenever the user is not in the sample. Collected attributes will only be saved to Hotjar servers if the user interacts with a Hotjar Feedback tool. Cookie used regardless of whether a Feedback tool is present. JSON data type. |
| _hjViewportId | Session duration | Stores user viewport details such as size and dimensions. UUID data type. |
| _hjSession_{site_id} | 30 minutes | Holds current session data. Ensures subsequent requests in the session window are attributed to the same session. JSON data type. |
| _hjSessionTooLarge | Session duration | If present, set to '1' for the duration of a user's session, when Hotjar has rejected the session from connecting to our WebSocket due to server overload. Applied in extremely rare situations to prevent severe performance issues. Boolean true/false data type. |
| _hjSessionResumed | Session duration | Set when a session/recording is reconnected to Hotjar servers after a break in connection. Boolean true/false data type. |
| _hjLocalStorageTest | Under 100ms | Checks if the Hotjar Tracking Code can use local storage. If it can, a value of 1 is set. Data stored in_hjLocalStorageTest has no expiration time, but it is deleted almost immediately after it is created. Boolean true/false data type. |
| _hjIncludedInPageviewSample | 30 minutes | Set to determine if a user is included in the data sampling defined by your site's pageview limit. Boolean true/false data type. |
| _hjIncludedInSessionSample | 30 minutes | Set to determine if a user is included in the data sampling defined by your site's daily session limit. Boolean true/false data type. |
| _hjAbsoluteSessionInProgress | 30 minutes | Used to detect the first pageview session of a user. Boolean true/false data type. |
| _hjTLDTest | Session duration | We try to store the _hjTLDTest cookie for different URL substring alternatives until it fails. Enables us to try to determine the most generic cookie path to use, instead of page hostname. It means that cookies can be shared across subdomains (where applicable). After this check, the cookie is removed. Boolean true/false data type. |
| _hjRecordingEnabled | Session duration | Set when a Recording starts. Read when the Recording module is initialized to see if the user is already in a recording in a particular session. Boolean true/false data type. |
| _hjRecordingLastActivity | Session duration | Set in Session storage as opposed to cookies. Updated when a user recording starts and when data is sent through the WebSocket (the user performs an action that Hotjar records). Numerical Value (Timestamp) data type. |
| _hjClosedSurveyInvites | 365 days | Set when a user interacts with a Link Survey invitation modal. Ensures the same invite does not reappear if it has already been shown. Boolean true/false data type. |
| _hjDonePolls | 365 days | Set when a user completes an on-site Survey. Ensures the same Survey does not reappear if it has already been filled in. Boolean true/false data type. |
| _hjMinimizedPolls | 365 days | Set when a user minimizes an on-site Survey. Ensures that the Survey stays minimized when the user navigates through your site. Boolean true/false data type. |
| _hjShownFeedbackMessage | 365 days | Set when a user minimizes or completes a Feedback widget. Ensures the Feedback widget will load as minimized if the user navigates to another page where it is set to show. Boolean true/false data type. |
Targeting & Marketing cookies
These cookies are usually third-party cookies from our Service and Marketing Partners.
Service Partners - Gatehouse Bank may provide links to a number of third-party service partners or suppliers (“Service Partners”) from our Site, and in some cases, may require the use of such services in accordance with our Terms of Use. In such cases, we may provide to the appropriate Service Partners some of your identifiable information. In some instances, the Service Partner may collect information directly from you. Although Gatehouse Bank generally requests that its Service Partners comply with our Privacy Policy with respect to information about our customers and website users that Gatehouse Bank provides to such Service Partners, Gatehouse Bank has no control over their actual privacy practices, and therefore disclaims all responsibility and liability for their use of your information.
Marketing Partners may use cookies to deliver adverts relevant to you and your interests. These cookies can track your browsing history across websites. If you wish to prevent this type of cookie, you may do so through your device’s browser security settings. Gatehouse Bank will not disclose, rent or sell any sensitive information about you to any third party.
| Name | Duration | Description |
| fbq | 30 days | To help us understand user behaviour on site and record interactions that will be attributed back to marketing activity on the platform. |
| li_fat_id | 30 days | To help us understand user behaviour on site and record interactions that will be attributed back to marketing activity on the platform. |
Cookies in emails
As well as the cookies we use on our website, we may use cookies and similar technologies in emails. These help us to understand whether you’ve opened an email and how you’ve interacted with it. Cookies may also be set if you click on a link within the email. If you don't want to accept cookies in emails, you can set your browser to restrict or reject cookies, or you can close the email before downloading any images or clicking on any links.