Lakeview Loan Servicing lakeviewloanservicing.com Lakeview Loan Servicing data breach: what happened and what to do
Lakeview Loan Servicing, a US mortgage servicer, notified 2,537,261 people that an unauthorized person accessed its files between October 27 and December 7, 2021. Reported data includes names, addresses, loan numbers and Social Security numbers. Letters went out in March 2022.
View all 13,115 breaches- Breach date
- 27 Oct 2021
- Affected
- 2,537,261
- Data exposed
- Names, Physical addresses, Social security numbers
- Last updated
What happened
Lakeview Loan Servicing manages home loans, so most people affected never chose the company. Their mortgage was sold to it or handed over for servicing. According to the company's notice to the Maine Attorney General, an unauthorized person gained access to files on its systems between October 27 and December 7, 2021. The notice puts the total at 2,537,261 people, with 9,511 of them in Maine.
Lakeview mailed notices on March 18, 2022. Press coverage reported that the company had identified the affected data only in early 2022, which is why the letters came months after the intrusion. Class actions followed and were consolidated in federal court in Florida, where the plaintiffs criticized the gap between the intrusion and the notices.
What was exposed
National Mortgage News and HousingWire report that the data included names, addresses, loan numbers and Social Security numbers. The Maine notice also lists financial account numbers.
A Social Security number is the part that matters most. Unlike a card number, you can't cancel it. With a name, address and SSN, a criminal can apply for credit, file a fake tax return or take over accounts, sometimes years later. Loan numbers add a second risk: a scammer who quotes your real loan number sounds like your servicer when they call or text about a "payment problem" or ask you to move your payment to a new account.
The company's response
Lakeview offered affected people one year of credit monitoring and identity theft protection through Kroll.
Why a mortgage breach is different
Most breaches expose an account at one company. A mortgage file is a summary of your financial life: your address, your loan balance, the account you pay from and your Social Security number, all in one place. It also stays useful to criminals for a long time, because people rarely change their address or their mortgage account quickly. That's why the advice here leans on freezing credit and watching your accounts rather than just changing a password.
The other thing to know is that borrowers often don't recognize the company. Servicers change when a loan is sold, so you may have received a letter from Lakeview about a loan you thought was with someone else. Letters like that are real, but scammers copy them, so verify through the phone number on your mortgage statement before you click, reply or call anything, and keep your own record of the date and amount of every payment.
What to do now
If you had a mortgage that Lakeview serviced, read the notice and use the monitoring offer, but don't stop there. Monitoring tells you after something happens. A credit freeze prevents new accounts from being opened in your name.
What to do if you were in it
- 1
Freeze your credit at all three bureaus
A freeze stops lenders from opening new accounts in your name. It's free and takes a few minutes each at Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. Lift it temporarily when you apply for credit yourself.
- 2
Take the free credit monitoring
Use the Kroll offer in your notice letter if you haven't already. It's free and the signup window can close.
- 3
Confirm any payment change with your servicer
Never move a mortgage payment because of an email, text or call. Look up your servicer's number on your statement and ask them directly.
- 4
Check your credit reports
You can get your reports free from each bureau at annualcreditreport.com. Look for accounts and inquiries you don't recognize.
- 5
File your taxes early and claim an IP PIN
The IRS issues an Identity Protection PIN to anyone who asks. It blocks someone else from filing a return with your Social Security number.
- 6
Check whether your email or phone is in this and other breaches
Run a free Serus scan to see which breaches your email address or phone number appear in. Serus monitors breach databases and the dark web and alerts you if your details show up again. It can't remove data that has already leaked.
Frequently asked
Was I affected by the Lakeview Loan Servicing breach?
Lakeview mailed notices on March 18, 2022 to the people affected. If you had a mortgage serviced by Lakeview around 2021 and got no letter, ask the company.
What data was exposed?
Press reports say names, addresses, loan numbers and Social Security numbers. The Maine notice also lists financial account numbers.
How many people were affected?
2,537,261 people in total, per the Maine Attorney General notice.
Is there a settlement?
Class actions were filed and consolidated in federal court in Florida. Check the court docket for the current status.
Sources
Something wrong or out of date? Tell us and we'll re-check it.
