Strauss Borrelli PLLC, a leading data breach law firm, is investigating Merchants Bank regarding its recent data breach. The Merchants Bank data breach involved sensitive personal information belonging to an undetermined number of individuals.
ABOUT MERCHANTS BANK:
Merchants Bank is a financial institution offering banking services to individuals and businesses. Accordingly, Merchants Bank provides business loans, mortgage and home loans, checking and savings solutions, and more. Founded in 1897, Merchants Bank has expanded in recent years through the acquisitions of the First Security Bank-West branch in Fairview, Montana, in 2011 and Western State Bank branches in Towner, Granville, and Upham, North Dakota, in 2018. Merchants Bank is a community bank that, to this day, continues to be owned by descendants of one of its original founders. Headquartered in Rugby, North Dakota, Merchants Bank offers banking services to community members in Rugy, Towner, Granville, and Upham, North Dakota, and Fairview, Montana.
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 872.263.1100 or sam@straussborrelli.com.
