Merrill Lynch reports computer theft

NEW YORK, Aug 7 (Reuters) - Merrill Lynch & Co. Inc. MER.N said on Tuesday a computer with personal information on some employees had been stolen from one of its offices.

Merrill Lynch, the world's largest brokerage, said the theft did not involve client information.

It did not give other details and declined to say how many employees records were on the computer.

"We have no reason to believe at this point that anyone has gotten access to the protected information," Merrill Lynch said in a statement. "While we think the possibility of someone gaining access to the data is small, we have notified affected employees and offered free credit monitoring to them."

Merrill said it has reported the theft to law enforcement. (Reporting by Tim McLaughlin, editing by Jeffrey Benkoe);