CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Consumers didn't win this time around, as Lending Tree's TV ads proclaim, when banks compete for business because employees funneled leads to lenders who were not approved.
Lending Tree, which operates an online mortgage service (www.lendingtree.com), said that the employees have been fired for the data breach and the company filed a lawsuit in California against three mortgage lending companies that received customers' private financial information and followed up on it.
Lending Tree sent a letter to its mortgage clients stating that their Social Security numbers and other vital information may have been accessed but did not believe the disclosure led to any identity theft or fraud. The letter said the company uncovered the breach internally and had taken measures to prevent any possible repeat.
--cburger@cutimes.com
