LendingTree reports data breach
NEW YORK, April 28 (Reuters) - LendingTree LLC, an online mortgage unit of Barry Diller's Internet conglomerate IAC/InterActiveCorp (IACI.O), has reported a data breach in which several former employees gave mortgage lenders access to confidential customer records.
In an April 21 letter to customers, LendingTree said a "handful" of lenders obtained access to customer information such as Social Security numbers and income and employment data and used it to market their own mortgages.
LendingTree said it believed the lenders accessed the information from October 2006 to early 2008. It would not confirm on Monday when it learned of the breach or how many customers were affected.
The Charlotte, North Carolina-based company said it does not believe the breach resulted in fraud or identity theft.
It also said it is helping authorities with their investigation, has sued those involved, and has bolstered its security system.
Lending Tree collects fees by matching prospective borrowers with offers from lenders. IAC has said it would try to spin off LendingTree this year. (Reporting by Jonathan Stempel; Editing by Andre Grenon)
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