On February 2, 2024, Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation (“Fairway”) filed a notice of data breach with the Attorney General of Massachusetts after discovering that an unauthorized user had accessed a third-party system utilized by Fairway. In this notice, Fairway explains that the incident resulted in an unauthorized party being able to access consumers’ sensitive information, which includes their names, Social Security number, dates of birth, addresses, bank account information and credit card account numbers. Upon completing its investigation, Fairway began sending out data breach notification letters to all individuals whose information was affected by the recent data security incident.

If you received a data breach notification from Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation, it is essential you understand what is at risk and what you can do about it. A data breach lawyer can help you learn more about how to protect yourself from becoming a victim of fraud or identity theft, as well as discuss your legal options following the Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation data breach. For more information, please see our recent piece on the topic here.

What Caused the Fairway Data Breach?

The Fairway data breach was only recently announced, and more information is expected in the near future. However, Fairway’s filing with the Attorney General of Massachusetts provides some important information on what led up to the breach. According to this source, on December 4, 2023, Fairway’s information security team was notified that an unauthorized user had successfully accessed a third-party system utilized by Fairway. Fairway’s data breach letter does not mention the name of the vendor.

However, in response, Fairway installed a patch to eliminate the vulnerability and then began working with outside cybersecurity professionals to investigate the incident and determine whether any consumer was affected.

Ultimately, Fairway’s investigation confirmed that an unauthorized party had exploited the vulnerability and obtained access to confidential consumer data that had been provided to Fairway.

After learning that sensitive consumer data was accessible to an unauthorized party, Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation reviewed the compromised files to determine what information was leaked and which consumers were impacted. While the breached information varies depending on the individual, it may include your name, Social Security number, date of birth, address, bank account information and credit card account numbers.

On February 2, 2024, Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation sent out data breach letters to anyone who was affected by the recent data security incident. These letters should provide victims with a list of what information belonging to them was compromised.

More Information About Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation

Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation is a mortgage lender headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin and Carrollton, Texas. Fairway provides a variety of mortgage loan options, including FHA loans, conventional loans, renovation loans, reverse mortgages, jumbo mortgages, fixed-rate and variable-rate mortgages and more. The company operates more than 650 locations and completed loans on nearly 130,000 properties in 2022. Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation employs more than 6,000 people and generates approximately $5.9 billion in annual revenue.