implement or may create disruptions in our provision of services to customers. Our customers may refuse to agree to modifications to technology or infrastructure that we provide to them or that interoperate with the technology or infrastructure we provide to them that we may believe are desirable to improve the reliability, performance, efficiency or cost in delivering. Additionally, the improper implementation or use of Altisource technology, such as Equator, by customers could adversely impact the operation of that technology, and potentially cause harm to our reputation, loss of customers, negative publicity or exposure to liability claims or government investigations or actions.
We depend on our ability to use services, products, data and infrastructure provided by third parties to maintain and grow our businesses.
We rely on certain third parties to provide services, products and solutions including certain data, infrastructure, technology, systems and functionality including a third-party hosted and managed data center and operating environment (collectively, “Inputs”) critical to our services, including our Hubzu real estate marketing, Field Services, Equator, Trelix Connect, Vendorly, RentRange and other solutions. The failure of such third parties to provide or make available the Inputs in accordance with applicable requirements could negatively impact our ability to provide our services or perform transactions and to meet our obligations. In addition, these third parties could cease providing or reduce the availability, type, details or other aspects of the Inputs, and change the pricing, performance or functionality of the Inputs. If such Inputs become unavailable or too expensive and we are unable to obtain suitable alternatives and efficiently and effectively integrate these alternatives into our service offerings or infrastructure, we could experience service disruptions, increased costs and reduced quality of our services.
The Company’s databases contain our proprietary information, the proprietary information of third parties and personal information of our customers, consumers, vendors and employees. Our failure to comply with applicable information management requirements or best practices or the legal rights of individuals about whom we collect or process personal information, or an unauthorized disclosure of information, could subject us to adverse publicity, investigations, fines, costly government enforcement actions or private litigation and expenses.
As part of our business we collect, store, process, transfer and dispose in tangible and electronic forms customer, consumer, vendor and employee personal information (“PI”). We and our vendors rely on processes that are intended to provide necessary notices regarding the collection, storage, processing and destruction of PI, and to permit subjects to exercise their legal rights concerning their PI in our possession. If those processes are not sufficient or experience an error or other disruption, we or our vendors may fail to comply with applicable requirements concerning PI. In addition, we rely on the security of our facilities, networks, databases, systems and processes and, in certain circumstances, third parties, such as vendors, to protect PI. If our controls and those of our customers or vendors are not effective, are outdated or do not exist, or if we fail to detect or respond to attacks or intrusions, unauthorized parties may gain access to our networks or databases or information, or those of our customers or vendors with which we interconnect or share information, and they may be able to steal, publish, delete, or modify PI. In addition, employees may intentionally or inadvertently cause data or security breaches that result in unauthorized release of such PI. Further, our efforts to delete or destroy PI may not be consistent with our disclosed policies or may not be successful, resulting in the theft or unintentional disclosure of PI, including when disposing of media on which PI may be stored. In such circumstances, our business could be harmed and we could be liable to our customers, employees or vendors, or to regulators, consumers or other parties, as well as be subject to notification requirements or regulatory or other actions for breaching applicable laws or failing to adequately protect such information. This could result in costly investigations and litigation, civil or criminal penalties, large scale remediation requirements, operational changes or other response measures, significant penalties, fines, settlements, costs, consent orders, loss of consumer confidence in our security measures and negative publicity.
The insurance underwriting loss limitation methods we use could fail.
Altisource, through its subsidiary Association of Certified Mortgage Originators Risk Retention Group, Inc., provides certified loan insurance to its customers. Altisource reduces a portion of its risk of insurance loss through third-party reinsurance. The incidence and severity of claims against insurance policies are inherently unpredictable. Although we attempt to manage our exposure to insurance underwriting risk