Bricks & Mortgages

Effective date: September 2026
Last reviewed: September 2026

Next scheduled review March 2027

Purpose. This policy explains how Bricks & Mortgages uses approved artificial intelligence tools to record, transcribe and summarise client conversations. These tools help us keep accurate records, prepare follow-up actions and provide mortgage and financial advice. AI supports our advisers and staff; it does not replace professional judgement or determine whether a client is eligible for lending.

1. Our approved AI note-taking services

We may use the following services during telephone calls, online meetings or in-person meetings, depending on the meeting format and the work required.

Provider	Service used	How we use it
Microsoft	Microsoft Teams and Microsoft 365 Copilot features	Meeting transcription, recordings where enabled, meeting recaps, summaries and action items.
Zoom	Zoom Meetings and Zoom AI Companion features	Meeting transcription, recordings where enabled, meeting summaries and action items.
AffordX	AffordX AI Meeting Notes and Documents	Turning client conversations into structured diary notes and mortgage-related documents.

2. Notice and your choice

We will tell participants when an AI note-taking, recording or transcription function is being used. This may be communicated verbally, in the meeting invitation, through an on-screen notice or by an automated meeting notification. Where recording or transcription is used, we will seek permission before it begins.

You may ask us not to use AI note-taking, or ask us to stop recording or transcription at any time. Declining will not affect your ability to receive advice or services from Bricks & Mortgages. We will take notes manually instead. If other people are participating from your location, please make sure they know that AI-assisted note-taking may be used.

3. Information that may be processed

Depending on the meeting and the features enabled, the services may process:

• your name, contact details and meeting participant information;
• your voice, statements and any audio or video recording where recording is enabled;
• a transcript, meeting summary, diary note or list of follow-up actions;
• questions, instructions, decisions and documents discussed during the meeting;
• information about your mortgage, income, expenses, assets, liabilities, banking activity and financial goals;
• information about co-applicants, family members, dependants, guarantors or other relevant people; and
• meeting details such as the date, time, duration and participants.

Mortgage discussions can contain sensitive personal and financial information. We limit the information processed to what is reasonably necessary for the meeting, our advice and our legal or regulatory obligations. We may pause or disable an AI service if particularly sensitive or unrelated information is discussed.

4. How we use AI generated notes

Authorised Bricks & Mortgages advisers and staff may review, correct and use AI-generated transcripts, summaries, diary notes and documents to provide and administer our services, confirm client instructions, prepare advice, follow up agreed actions and meet our record-keeping obligations.

AI systems can misunderstand words, omit context or produce an inaccurate summary. An adviser or authorised staff member reviews important information and client instructions before relying on them. We do not use these services to make solely automated decisions about mortgage eligibility, lender selection, loan approval or financial advice.

5. Our service providers and overseas processing

Microsoft, Zoom and AffordX process information for us as technology service providers. Their services may use cloud infrastructure, subprocessors and data centres in New Zealand or overseas. The location can depend on our account configuration, the service feature, system capacity and the provider’s current arrangements.

Where personal information is disclosed to or processed by an overseas provider, we assess the provider’s privacy, security and contractual safeguards and take reasonable steps to ensure the information is protected in a way that provides comparable safeguards to the New Zealand Privacy Act 2020.

Microsoft Teams and Microsoft 365

Microsoft Teams may create recordings, transcripts, meeting recaps, summaries and action items when the relevant features are enabled. Microsoft states that prompts, responses and organisational data accessed through Microsoft Graph are not used to train the foundation large language models used by Microsoft Copilot. Microsoft stores and processes Copilot interaction data in accordance with its Microsoft 365 contractual commitments. For customers outside the European Union, some Copilot processing may occur in the United States, European Union or other regions.

Zoom

Zoom may process meeting audio, transcripts and related content to provide transcription, recording and AI Companion features. Zoom states that it does not use customer audio, video, chat, screen sharing, attachments or other customer content to train Zoom’s or third-party artificial intelligence models without the customer’s consent. Zoom may use third-party model providers to deliver AI features, subject to its contractual, privacy and security controls.

AffordX

AffordX uses secured, privately hosted AI models to turn client conversations into structured diary notes and mortgage-related documents. AffordX states that it uses AWS cloud infrastructure, encryption and secure authentication. Its privacy notices say information may be stored or processed outside New Zealand and is retained only for as long as necessary for the stated purposes, unless a longer period is required by law.

6. Storage and retention

AI-generated notes and documents that form part of a client record may be transferred to our approved client-management or document-storage systems. Access is limited to authorised staff and service providers who need the information to perform their duties.

Recordings, transcripts, summaries and AI interaction data are retained in accordance with our configured Microsoft, Zoom and AffordX settings, our provider agreements and our legal, regulatory, professional and business record-keeping obligations. We delete or anonymise information when it is no longer reasonably required, unless it must be retained by law or is needed to establish, exercise or defend a legal claim.

7. Information security

We take reasonable safeguards to protect information processed through AI note-taking services, including:

• using approved business accounts and authorised providers;
• access controls, secure authentication and multi-factor authentication where available;
• limiting access to authorised advisers, staff and service providers;
• reviewing provider privacy, security and contractual commitments;
• using encrypted transmission and secure cloud storage arrangements;
• staff privacy, confidentiality and appropriate-use requirements; and
• procedures for identifying, containing and responding to privacy incidents.

No internet-based service can be guaranteed to be completely secure. If a privacy breach occurs that has caused, or is likely to cause, serious harm, we will notify affected individuals and the Office of the Privacy Commissioner as required by law.

8. Sharing information

We do not sell personal information collected through AI note-taking. We may disclose information where reasonably necessary to:

• provide and administer the services you have requested;
• work with lenders, insurers, technology providers, administrators or professional advisers involved in your matter;
• comply with a legal, regulatory or professional obligation;
• respond to a lawful request from an authorised agency; or
• prevent or investigate suspected fraud, unlawful activity or a serious threat to health or safety.

Any disclosure will be made in accordance with the Privacy Act 2020 and our wider privacy policy.

9. Information about other people

If you provide personal information about another person during a recorded or transcribed meeting, please ensure you are authorised to provide it and, where appropriate, that the person knows how their information may be collected and used. We may take reasonable steps to notify that person where required by the Privacy Act 2020.

10. Accessing or correcting your information

You may ask whether we hold personal information about you and request access to or correction of that information. You may also tell us if you believe an AI-generated transcript, meeting summary, diary note or document is inaccurate or incomplete. We will review it and make an appropriate correction or attach a statement of correction where required. We may need to verify your identity before responding to a request.

11. Privacy questions and complaints

Privacy Officer
Bricks & Mortgages
Email: beryl@bricksandmortgages.co.nz
Phone:  021 243 1135

Please contact us first if you have a question or concern about our use of AI-assisted note-taking. We will investigate and respond within a reasonable time. If you are not satisfied with our response, you may contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner at privacy.org.nz or on 0800 803 909.

12. Changes to this policy

The Bricks & Mortgages Privacy Officer will formally review this policy at least once every six months. Each review will consider our approved AI tools, provider privacy and security terms, data-processing locations, model-training practices, retention settings, access controls, staff procedures, privacy incidents and relevant legal or regulatory guidance. The review date and any approved changes will be recorded.

We will review the policy earlier if we introduce or materially change an AI service, a provider changes how it handles information, a privacy or security incident occurs, or a legal, regulatory or business change affects the policy. The current approved version will be published on our website with its effective date and last review date.