Merchants Bank Data Breach Affects 6,113 Americans

On February 24, 2025, Merchants Bank discovered a data breach involving unauthorized access to an employee email account. The breach occurred earlier, on September 11, 2024, when an unauthorized individual temporarily gained access to this single email account.

After discovering the breach, Merchants Bank immediately launched an investigation with the assistance of external cybersecurity specialists. Through forensic analysis and extensive manual review, the bank confirmed that the compromised email account contained sensitive personal information belonging to customers.

The breach impacted a total of 6,113 individuals across the United States, including two residents of Maine. The compromised information included personally identifiable information (PII), specifically customers' full names. At this time, there is no evidence that any protected health information (PHI) was exposed or that the compromised data has been misused.

Merchants Bank officially notified affected customers by written notice on March 25, 2025. Additionally, the bank formally disclosed the incident to the Maine Attorney General's office on April 10, 2025. You can view the official disclosure posted on the Maine Attorney General's website.

Merchants Bank's response

To help protect affected customers, Merchants Bank is offering complimentary identity protection services through Experian IdentityWorks. This service includes credit monitoring, identity restoration assistance, and identity theft insurance coverage. Instructions on how to enroll in these services were provided in the written notification sent to affected individuals.

Although Merchants Bank has found no evidence that the information has been misused, they recommend that affected customers take precautionary measures. Customers are encouraged to remain vigilant by regularly reviewing their financial account statements and credit reports for any unusual activity. Additionally, Merchants Bank advises customers to consider placing a fraud alert or security freeze on their credit files and obtaining a free credit report to monitor their credit history.

For further guidance and detailed instructions, affected individuals can review the full notice provided by Merchants Bank, available in PDF format at the bottom of this article.

For more information about Merchants Bank and their services, visit their official website at Merchants Bank.