Anchor Bank ‘malfunction’ sends wrong mortgage statements to customers

Bank apologizes to affected customers

MADISON, Wis. — Anchor Bank is offering free fraud protection to approximately 175 people after sending part of their mortgage statements to other customers.

Joe Martin, a railroad engineer in Janesville, received page two of his March statement and page one of a Madison couple’s statement.

“My major concern is if I have someone else’s page one, who has mine?” Martin said. “I really don’t know the full ramifications of this. How does anybody know?”

The bank said the errors include loan numbers, the loan’s balance and payment information. However, a spokeswoman said they did not including checking or savings account information or Social Security numbers. Still, she said the company would offer one year of fraud protection to those impacted.

“I want to make it clear, we apologize for the inconvenience that (the customers) have experienced,” said Anchor Bank spokeswoman Jennifer Ranville. “The most important thing we want (customers) to know is we are taking aggressive measures to protect their information. Their accounts are safe and it won’t happen again.”

Ranville said a mailroom mechanical malfunction was to blame for the problem. She said the company identified the problem just after the statements went out and that customers had been contacted about it.

However, Martin said he is still waiting for a phone call back from the bank after trying to reach multiple people last week. He normally shreds all personal information and is hoping the homeowner who received the page one of his March statement will do the same to help prevent any form of identity theft.

“When you think about it, if your identity is stolen, what can these other people do with it,” he said. “It’s just not a good thing.”

Any Anchor Bank customer who remains concerned about the mailing can call 1-800-252-6246.