Rebecca Horan reports:
The Data Protection Commissioner is investigating a data security breach made by Irish mortgage campaigners New Beginning.
According to The Mail on Sunday, 1,500 homeowners had their financial details sold to a €2bn overseas investment fund that aims to buy up 1,500 distressed homes here.
The Malta based fund Arizun reportedly used the New Beginning database to calculate the profitability of the scheme before approaching Irish banks to negotiate the purchase of thousands of distressed loans.
But Ross Maguire from New Beginning denies selling clients’ details and says the information was sent by mistake.
Read more on NewsTalk. See also Irish Examiner for coverage.
Elaine Edwards of Irish Times provides additional details:
An email sent to Arizun by New Beginning on August 25th included a spreadsheet named ‘Final Master List 1500 Mortgage Samples’. It included names, addresses, number of children in a household, details of debts and income on AIB, Ulster Bank and Bank of Ireland customers.
New Beginning said the email had been sent in error by a contractor who was no longer working for it.
Read more on Irish Times.