National mortgage lender offering affected customers free credit monitoring and identity theft protection after hackers accessed Social Security numbers in August data breach.
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More than 170,000 customers of AnnieMac Home Mortgage, whose names and Social Security numbers were exposed to hackers in August, are being offered free credit monitoring and identity theft protection, the company said Monday.
Joe Panebianco
“Unfortunately, no organization is immune to the growing threat of cybercrime, and AnnieMac was recently targeted by cybercriminals attempting to breach sensitive information,” AnnieMac CEO Joe Panebianco said, in a statement. “However, thanks to our team’s vigilance and expertise, we acted swiftly and decisively to contain the event, minimize potential harm, and notify those impacted.”
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AnnieMac notified the Office of the Maine Attorney General last week that “an unknown actor” gained access to systems on the company’s network between Aug. 21 and Aug. 23 and viewed or copied files from its systems.
After conducting “a time intensive and comprehensive review process” of the affected files, the company provided written notice to 171,074 affected customers, state and federal regulators, and the three major credit reporting agencies — Equifax, Experian and TransUnion.
Affected customers are being offered CyEx’s “Identity Defense Complete” service, which includes single bureau credit monitoring, monthly VantageScore 3.0 credit score and tracker, address change and dark web monitoring, and $1 million in identity theft insurance.
Based in Mount Laurel, New Jersey, AnnieMac sponsors 447 mortgage loan originators who work out of 74 branch offices nationwide, according to records maintained by the Nationwide Mortgage Licensing System and Registry.
AnnieMac is a trade name of American Neighborhood Mortgage Acceptance Company LLC, which also does business as Family First, Homecomings Mortgage & Equity, and OVM.
“Cyberattacks are an unfortunate reality for organizations across all sectors,” the company said. “Recent examples in the financial and mortgage industries highlight the importance of preparedness, transparency, and customer support in responding to these threats. AnnieMac remains committed to contributing to a safer and more secure industry through collaboration and shared learning.”
Last year, hackers breached the systems of the nation’s two largest title insurers, Fidelity National Financial and First American Financial and also targeted loan servicing giant Mr. Cooper and national mortgage lender loanDepot.
The State Department has blamed a transnational organized crime group, ALPHV/Blackcat, for ransomware attacks on more than 1,000 entities worldwide, including municipal governments, defense contractors and critical infrastructure organizations.
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