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Huntington Protecting Customers From Third-Party Card Processor
Breach CONTACT: COLUMBUS, Ohio -- June 27, 2005 -- Huntington Bancshares
Incorporated (Nasdaq: HBAN) has determined that approximately 30,000
Huntington customer check cards were potentially exposed during a security
breach at a company -- not affiliated with Huntington -- that processes
credit and debit card transactions for numerous businesses throughout
the country. Of those customer check cards, Huntington identified 107
as being at potential risk for fraud, notified these customers by phone,
closed their cards and opened new cards. Huntington is also sending letters to the remaining customers
whose cards were potentially exposed in the breach. This letter outlines
steps Huntington is taking, as well as actions customers can take to
protect their accounts from possible fraud. "We felt it was important to act quickly and proactively
to protect our customers," said Thomas E. Hoaglin, Huntington's
chairman, president, and chief executive officer. "Service is our
top priority, and we owe it to our customers to keep them informed of
the situation. We also want customers to know if they do not receive
a letter from us, they are not impacted." Risk for future fraud low, but customers protected According to Jeff Brown, Huntington's senior vice president
of payment strategies, the risk of future fraud from the breach is relatively
low and Huntington stands behind its customers. "Should fraudulent charges occur on a customer's
account, that customer will not be liable for the losses and will receive
100 percent of their money back," Brown stated. Huntington's security director Richard Harp said, "Huntington
has always had measures in place to monitor customer accounts for suspicious
activity. Yet, we are employing additional security measures to help
identify any possible problems related to this particular situation." What customers can do to protect themselves Customers are always encouraged to monitor their account
balances and histories. This monitoring can be done: (1) online at huntington.com
for online customers, (2) via phone by calling 1-800-480-2265, or (3)
by visiting any Huntington banking office. Customers suspecting fraudulent
activity should immediately visit their nearest banking office or contact
Huntington at 1-800-480-BANK. Breach occurred at third-party processor There have been numerous news reports related to the third-party
processor breach that was first reported by MasterCard the week of June
17, 2005. The victimized company processes consumer credit and check
card transactions for merchants across the country. Information Huntington has received about the incident
indicates that only card information was breached, which might include
the card number, expiration date and cardholder name. Identity theft unlikely According to Larry Seibel, Huntington's director of information
security, "The fact that the third-party company did not have additional
personal information makes the chance of identity theft small. Still,
customers should always be on the alert for parties who may try to use
such security breaches as an opportunity to commit fraud. Remember,
Huntington will never ask for sensitive information like Social Security
numbers, account numbers or passwords by phone, fax or mail unless it
is a correspondence initiated by the customer." Seibel also suggests that customers regularly obtain a
copy of their credit report. He reminds consumers that federal law gives
them the right to receive a free copy of their credit report once every
12 months from each of the three nationwide consumer-reporting companies
-- Equifax, Experian and TransUnion -- by calling 1-877-322-8228 or
going online to www.annualcreditreport.com. About Huntington Huntington Bancshares Incorporated is a $32 billion regional bank holding company headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. Through its affiliated companies, Huntington has more than 139 years of serving the financial needs of its customers. Huntington provides innovative retail and commercial financial products and services through more than 300 regional banking offices in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia. Huntington also offers retail and commercial financial services online at huntington.com; through its technologically advanced, 24-hour telephone bank; and through its network of approximately 700 ATMs. Selected financial service activities are also conducted in other states including: Dealer Sales offices in Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, and Arizona; Private Financial Group offices in Florida; and Mortgage Banking offices in Florida, Maryland, and New Jersey. International banking services are made available through the headquarters office in Columbus and an office located in the Cayman Islands and an office located in Hong Kong.
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