Provision record
Plaid · Plaid Terms of Use (Legal Index) · View original document ↗

Data Retention and Deletion Policy

Medium severity Common · 275 of 352 platforms
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Document Record

What it is

Plaid retains your financial data for defined periods and outlines under what circumstances it will delete data, including when you disconnect an app or submit a deletion request.

This analysis describes what Plaid's agreement states, permits, or reserves. It does not constitute a legal determination about enforceability. Regulatory applicability and practical outcomes may vary by jurisdiction, enforcement context, and individual circumstances. Read our methodology

ConductAtlas Analysis

Why it matters (compliance & governance perspective)

The clause defines the operational framework for data retention by anchoring the duration of storage to functional necessity and regulatory compliance rather than indefinite retention. This establishes a periodic review mechanism as the procedural basis for determining ongoing data necessity.

Recent Activity

This document changed recently

Medium Apr 21, 2026

Developers who use Plaid's services now face expanded accountability for all activities on their accounts and stricter rules around who can access end-user financial data. If developers allow employees, contractors, or other agents to access their accounts, they must ensure those users only access data for approved business purposes and in compliance with Plaid's terms; Plaid reserves the right to monitor this activity through session replay and activity monitoring. Developers should audit which team members have account access, document the business need and approved use case for each, and ensure all authorized users understand their obligations under Plaid's terms.

View change record →
Medium Apr 19, 2026

Plaid's updated terms shift its business model from primarily connecting your accounts to third-party apps toward also providing direct consumer services, including account monitoring and alerts through a new web-based platform called Plaid Web-App. The terms now specify that your Plaid Account can store your financial and identity information, and that Plaid can use this data to provide its own streamlined services (like alerts and notifications) in addition to facilitating third-party app connections. This is not a privacy reduction, but a clarification that Plaid is now a service provider in its own right, not just an intermediary. You may want to review what the Plaid Web-App monitoring service entails and what data it collects, since it is a new direct service from Plaid rather than a third-party app feature.

View change record →
Medium Apr 16, 2026

Plaid has reframed its service model to emphasize a direct relationship between you and Plaid, rather than positioning itself primarily as a bridge to third-party apps. This means Plaid now states it provides services directly to you when you request them. Additionally, Plaid has introduced a new account monitoring and alerts service available via a web application directly to consumers, separate from third-party app integrations. The terms clarify that your Plaid Account remains non-transactional and does not store funds or enable direct payments, but now explicitly mentions it helps third-party apps initiate payments to or from you. You may wish to review the new web-based monitoring service offering and understand what account data it accesses and how it uses that data.

View change record →

Clause Stability Stable

0
Changes
5
Months Monitored
Apr 3, 2026
First Seen
Apr 17, 2026
Last Seen
This clause type exists across 1630 other provisions on other platforms.

Consumer impact (what this means for users)

Consumers who disconnect apps or request data deletion should be aware that Plaid may retain financial data beyond the point of disconnection for legitimate business or legal purposes. The retention period and scope of what data is retained materially affects consumer privacy.

What you can do

⚠️ These actions may provide transparency or partial mitigation but may not fully address the underlying issue. Effectiveness varies by jurisdiction and individual circumstances.
  • Delete Your Data
    To request deletion of your financial data, first disconnect all apps at my.plaid.com, then submit a formal data deletion request via the consumer portal or by emailing privacy@plaid.com with your request.

How other platforms handle this

Affirm Medium

Affirm will retain your information in accordance with our Privacy Policy and any applicable state or federal law, rule or regulation.

Palantir Medium

We collect and keep personal data only as needed or allowed for the purposes set out in this Statement, based on the reason we collected the personal data in the first instance and what is permitted under the laws that apply to the processing.

Mistral AI Medium

Mistral AI shall retain the Customer Exportable Data and Assets for a period of thirty (30) days from the earlier between (a) the expiration of the Transitional Period or (b) Customer's notification under Section 2.2.2 (b) of these Additional Terms.

See all platforms with this clause type →
▸ View Original Clause Language DOCUMENT RECORD
"
We retain your data only as long as it is needed. To determine whether the data is needed, we consider the reason your data was collected and used and any legal requirements to hold onto your data. We review your data periodically to ensure it is still needed to fulfill the purpose for which it was collected or any other legal requirements.

Excerpt from Plaid's Terms of Use (Legal Index)

ConductAtlas Analysis

Institutional analysis (regulatory & governance intelligence)

Data retention policies must align with GLBA recordkeeping requirements, CCPA deletion obligations, and applicable state financial data laws.

Insight

Unlock the full institutional analysis

Enforcement risk, jurisdiction flags, contract triggers, and due diligence action items.

Applicable agencies

  • Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (cfpb)
    Regulates consumer financial products and services. Can investigate companies for unfair, deceptive, or abusive financial practices including improper fees, billing errors, and data misuse.
    Who can file: Anyone who has used a consumer financial product or service in the US
    What you need: Account number or details, dates of transactions or events, description of the issue, and any supporting documents
    What to expect: The company must respond within 15 days. The CFPB forwards your complaint and may use it in enforcement actions. Individual compensation is possible in some cases.
    File a complaint →

Applicable regulations

CCPA/CPRA
California, USA
FCRA
United States Federal
GDPR
European Union
GLBA
United States Federal
Indiana Consumer Data Protection Act
US-IN

Provision details

Document information
Document
Plaid Terms of Use (Legal Index)
Entity
Plaid
Document last updated
May 5, 2026
Tracking information
First tracked
March 20, 2026
Last verified
March 20, 2026
Record ID
CA-P-000936
Document ID
CA-D-00170
Evidence Provenance
Source URL
Wayback Machine
Content hash (SHA-256)
67a00a54f78151f9002809d9fe30b260207684c021a931813b1db2e9645e46ae
Analysis generated
March 20, 2026 05:38 UTC
Methodology
Evidence
✓ Snapshot stored   ✓ Hash verified
Citation Record
Entity: Plaid
Document: Plaid Terms of Use (Legal Index)
Record ID: CA-P-000936
Captured: 2026-03-20 05:38:33 UTC
SHA-256: 67a00a54f78151f9…
URL: https://conductatlas.com/platform/plaid/plaid-terms-of-use-legal-index/provision/CA-P-000936/data-retention-and-deletion-policy/
Accessed: Sept. 8, 2026
Permanent archival reference. Stable identifier suitable for legal filings, compliance documentation, and research citation.
Classification
Severity
Medium
Categories

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Frequently Asked Questions

What does Plaid's Data Retention and Deletion Policy clause do?

The clause defines the operational framework for data retention by anchoring the duration of storage to functional necessity and regulatory compliance rather than indefinite retention. This establishes a periodic review mechanism as the procedural basis for determining ongoing data necessity.

How does this clause affect you?

Consumers who disconnect apps or request data deletion should be aware that Plaid may retain financial data beyond the point of disconnection for legitimate business or legal purposes. The retention period and scope of what data is retained materially affects consumer privacy.

How many platforms have this type of clause?

ConductAtlas has identified this type of provision across 275 platforms. See the full comparison.

Is ConductAtlas affiliated with Plaid?

No. ConductAtlas is an independent monitoring service. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Plaid.