Turke & Strauss LLP, a leading data breach law firm, is investigating Merchants Bank, NA regarding its recent data breach. The Merchants Bank data breach involved sensitive personal information belonging to an undetermined number of individuals.
ABOUT MERCHANTS BANK, NA:
Merchants Bank is a financial institution offering a wide range of banking services for individuals and businesses. Accordingly, Merchants Bank provides business loans, mortgage and home loans, wealth management services, checking and savings solutions, and more. Founded in 1875, Merchants Bank has continued to expand through a series of acquisitions, including the addition of multiple First National Bank and Central Bank offices. Headquartered in Winona, Minnesota, Merchants Bank operates over 20 ATMs and branch locations throughout southern Minnesota and west-central Wisconsin.
WHAT HAPPENED?
On March 27, 2023, Merchants Bank discovered that it had experienced a data breach in which the sensitive personal information in its systems may have been accessed. Through its investigation, Merchants Bank determined that an unauthorized actor may have accessed this sensitive information through an employee email account between March 21 and March 27, 2023. On June 21, 2023, Merchants Bank began contacting individuals whose information may have been impacted. The exact type of information has not been made publicly available by Merchants Bank. However, according to state reporting guidelines, “personal information” can include the following types of information:
- Social Security number
- Driver’s license number
- Financial information
- Medical record information
- Taxpayer information
- Personal identification number issued by the United States IRS
If you received a data breach notification letter from Merchants Bank:
We would like to speak with you about your rights and potential legal remedies in response to this data breach. Please fill out the form, below, or contact us at (608) 237-1775 or sam@turkestrauss.com.
If you were impacted by the Merchants Bank data breach, you may consider taking the following steps to protect your personal information.
- Carefully review any breach notice and retain a copy;
- Enroll in any free credit monitoring services provided by Merchants Bank, NA;
- Change passwords and security questions for online accounts;
- Regularly review account statements for signs of fraud or unauthorized activity;
- Monitor credit reports for signs of identity theft; and
- Contact a credit bureau(s) to request a temporary fraud alert.