On December 12, 2022, North Star Leasing, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Peoples Bancorp, reported a data breach with the Massachusetts Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation after discovering that certain information that consumers had entrusted to the company was accessible to an unauthorized party—possibly as a result of a cyberattack. According to North Star Leasing, the breach resulted in certain customers’ names, Social Security numbers, financial account numbers and driver’s license numbers being compromised. Recently, North Star Leasing sent out data breach letters to all affected parties, informing them of the incident and what they can do to protect themselves from identity theft and other frauds.
What We Know About the North Star Leasing Data Breach
The available information regarding the North Star Leasing breach comes from the company’s filing with the Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation, a division of the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office. Unfortunately, the information North Star Leasing provided to the Massachusetts AG provides little insight into the breach and how it was caused. However, we know that the incident involved a breach of electronically-stored information.
Upon discovering that sensitive consumer data was made available to an unauthorized party, North Star Leasing began to review the affected files to determine what information was compromised and which consumers were impacted. While the breached information varies depending on the individual, it may include your name, Social Security number, financial account numbers and driver’s license number.
On December 12, 2022, North Star Leasing sent out data breach letters to all individuals whose information was compromised as a result of the recent data security incident.
More Information About North Star Leasing
Founded in 1979, North Star Leasing is an equipment-financing company based in Burlington, Vermont. North Star Leasing works with small and large companies to finance a wide range of business-related equipment, including automotive equipment, brewery equipment, construction equipment, distillery equipment, general business equipment, HVAC equipment, landscaping equipment, maple syrup production equipment, manufacturing equipment, medical equipment, pet equipment, plumbing and sewer equipment, restaurant equipment, transportation vehicles & accessories, and warehouse equipment.
North Star Leasing is a division of Peoples Bancorp (“Peoples Bank”). Founded in 1902, Peoples Bank is a financial institution based out of Marietta, Ohio, which offers a wide range of banking, trust and investment, insurance, premium financing and equipment leasing solutions through its subsidiaries. Peoples Bank has approximately $7 billion in assets under management and operates 113 branches in Ohio, West Virginia, Kentucky, Virginia, Washington D.C. and Maryland. The company’s subsidiaries include Peoples Investment Services, Peoples Premium Finance, North Star Leasing, Peoples Insurance Agency, LLC and Vantage Financial. Peoples Bancorp employs more than 1,245 people and generates approximately $264 million in annual revenue.
If you received a data breach notification, it is essential you understand what is at risk and what you can do about it. To learn more about how to protect yourself from becoming a victim of fraud or identity theft and what your legal options are in the wake of the North Star Leasing data breach, please see our recent piece on the topic here.
