Hartford Financial Services Group said it appears to have "misplaced" computer tapes with sensitive personal information belonging to 237,000 property-casualty customers.
The Hartford, Conn.-based insurer said it noticed the data was missing Sept. 27 and notified the Ohio Department of Insurance of the data security breach.
In addition to searching for the three backup tapes, the company said it is investigating the incident and notifying all affected individuals.
Ohio Department of Insurance Director Mary Jo Hudson announced she had asked the carrier for more information about the missing data and for documentation of The Hartford's established security procedures. She asked for a written response by Nov. 16.
Shannon Lapierre, The Hartford spokesperson, said the company has no information that the tapes have been stolen or the information on them has been improperly accessed. She said the information on the tapes can only be accessed with sophisticated, expensive equipment.
She said that as a precaution, all the affected individuals are being given identity theft protection service at no cost, free credit file monitoring and $20,000 in identity theft insurance.
Ms. Lapierre added that "steps are being taken to insure the privacy of information with enhanced procedures for the shipment of backup tapes."
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