Reported to the TX Attorney General on September 17, 2026.
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Check My Rights →Centennial Bank (including its division Happy State Bank) was the subject of a data breach notification filed with the TX Attorney General. The AG filing was recorded on September 17, 2026. The breach or discovery date reported in the filing is August 7, 2026.
Centennial Bank, operating prominently throughout the region and inclusive of its division Happy State Bank, is a well-established financial institution delivering comprehensive commercial banking, retail banking, wealth management, and lending services to individuals, families, and businesses. Because financial institutions serve as the central repository for their customers' lifelong financial lives, Centennial Bank routinely collects, processes, and stores an extensive volume of highly confidential data. This includes core banking records, transactional histories, loan applications, and sensitive personally identifiable information required to facilitate everyday monetary transactions, secure lines of credit, and manage complex wealth portfolios. In 2026, Centennial Bank formally reported a significant data security incident to the Office of the Texas Attorney General. While the precise mechanics of the intrusion are subject to ongoing forensic investigation, security events impacting major financial entities typically involve sophisticated cyberattacks, unauthorized network intrusions, or vulnerabilities within third-party vendor ecosystems utilized for digital banking, loan processing, or customer relationship management. In the financial sector, threat actors aggressively target infrastructure to infiltrate core databases, deploy ransomware, or exfiltrate massive troves of consumer data for illicit monetization on the dark web. The exposure resulting from this security failure puts affected customers at immediate and severe risk of financial harm. The compromised datasets characteristically include a combination of sensitive information such as full names, Social Security numbers, dates of birth, financial account numbers, bank routing numbers, and detailed transaction histories. When combined, this information equips malicious actors with everything required to execute unauthorized account takeovers, drain checking and savings accounts, open fraudulent lines of credit in the victim's name, file fraudulent tax returns, and subject victims to sophisticated, targeted financial phishing scams that can persist for years. As a federally insured financial institution, Centennial Bank and its division Happy State Bank are bound by stringent regulatory frameworks, most notably the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Act, alongside state-level data protection statutes. These laws mandate rigorous administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to ensure the absolute confidentiality and security of customer nonpublic personal information. The occurrence of a data breach of this magnitude serves as a strong indicator that the institution may have failed to implement adequate security controls, such as multi-factor authentication, network segmentation, robust encryption, or timely software patching, thereby violating its legal duties to its depositors and account holders. Receiving a data breach notification letter from Centennial Bank is a formal admission that your private, sensitive information was compromised as a result of corporate negligence. Legally, the receipt of this letter establishes the necessary standing to participate in a class action lawsuit aimed at holding the institution accountable for failing to protect your data. Under applicable legal standards, victims are not required to prove that they have already suffered actual financial theft or out-of-pocket losses to seek legal recourse; the increased and imminent risk of future identity theft is sufficient. Our law firm is actively investigating this data breach on a contingency fee basis, meaning there are never any upfront out-of-pocket costs, and you pay nothing unless we successfully recover compensation on your behalf.
Based on the data types reported in this filing, affected individuals face the following specific risks:
Your SSN is the master key to your identity. Once exposed, criminals can open new lines of credit, take out loans, or file taxes in your name.
Combined with a name and other leaked data, date of birth helps criminals pass identity verification questions at banks and government agencies.
Under the Texas Identity Theft Enforcement and Protection Act, you may have a legal claim against Centennial Bank (including its division Happy State Bank) if any of the following apply:
Applicable law: This breach was reported under the Texas Identity Theft Enforcement and Protection Act, which establishes your right to seek damages from Centennial Bank (including its division Happy State Bank).
The hours spent responding to a data breach — canceling accounts, contacting credit bureaus, updating passwords, and investigating fraud — represent compensable economic harm in data breach litigation.
Once your SSN is exposed, protection becomes an ongoing expense. Plaintiffs in data breach settlements have recovered costs for credit freezes, identity protection subscriptions, and time spent dealing with fraudulent accounts — sometimes covering multiple years of exposure.
Fees charged to close and reopen accounts, issue replacement cards, or dispute fraudulent transactions are recoverable in data breach litigation. So are the costs of overdrafts, late payments, and credit damage caused by unauthorized activity.
Several state data breach laws provide for statutory minimum damages — fixed amounts recoverable per affected individual regardless of actual loss. These provisions exist specifically to make legal action viable for victims who have not yet experienced direct harm.
Note: an attorney general breach filing does not by itself establish a settlement fund, a payment amount, or a claim deadline. If an official settlement notice is later issued, rely on that notice for payment details and deadlines.
No. Under Texas Identity Theft Enforcement and Protection Act and federal law, the unauthorized exposure of your personal data — regardless of whether it has been actively misused — can be sufficient grounds for a claim. The breach itself is the injury.
Nothing. The Law Office of David S. Harris handles data breach cases on contingency — you pay zero upfront and owe nothing unless compensation is recovered.
Immediately place a free credit freeze at all three bureaus (Equifax, Experian, TransUnion). A freeze blocks new accounts from being opened in your name. Then file a complaint with the FTC at IdentityTheft.gov and contact our office — SSN exposure is one of the most serious breach types.
Banks may reverse fraudulent charges, but they are not obligated to compensate you for time lost, stress, or indirect damages. A class action claim against the breached company can recover those additional categories of harm.
State statutes of limitations for data breach claims typically run 2–4 years from the date of the breach or its discovery. Because this breach was recently disclosed, the window is open — but acting early preserves your options and strengthens the case.
Accepting free credit monitoring from Centennial Bank (including its division Happy State Bank) does not waive your right to pursue legal action unless you signed a specific release waiving claims. In most cases, victims who accepted monitoring can still file.
Not necessarily. Many data breach victims are never notified directly. If your personal information was held by Centennial Bank (including its division Happy State Bank) during the relevant period, you may still qualify even without receiving a letter. A free eligibility review can confirm your status.
Received a notification letter from Centennial Bank (including its division Happy State Bank)?
Read our dedicated guide — what the letter means and exactly what to do.
If you were affected by the Centennial Bank (including its division Happy State Bank) data breach, you may be entitled to compensation. Submit your information below for a free attorney review — no obligation, no upfront cost.
Source: State Attorney General filing, TX
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