MA · AG Filing: Mar 6, 2025
No cost. No obligation. If your data was exposed by M&T Bank, you may be entitled to financial compensation.
Start Free Review →Based on the data types reported in this filing:
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.
M&T Bank was the subject of a data breach notification filed with the MA Attorney General. The AG filing was recorded on March 6, 2025.
From the AG filing description
M&T Bank operates as a major regional financial institution providing comprehensive banking, mortgage lending, wealth management, and commercial financial services to millions of customers across the United States. Because of its core operations, the bank collects, processes, and stores vast quantities of high-value personal and financial data. Customers entrust M&T Bank with sensitive credentials, account numbers, and identifying details necessary to facilitate everyday transactions, secure loans, and manage investments. This concentration of lucrative financial information makes the institution and its digital infrastructure a prime target for malicious actors seeking to exploit systemic vulnerabilities for economic gain. In 2025, M&T Bank formally reported a data security incident to the Massachusetts Attorney General, signaling a breach that compromised sensitive consumer information. While the precise vector of the incident is still under investigation, breaches affecting financial institutions typically involve unauthorized access to internal databases, compromise of third-party vendor platforms, or sophisticated cyberattacks designed to bypass perimeter defenses. Financial sector breaches often exploit complex digital supply chains or legacy software vulnerabilities, allowing unauthorized parties to infiltrate networks and siphon confidential records before detection occurs. According to preliminary disclosures, the incident exposed a dangerous combination of personally identifiable information and core financial data. Exposure of full names, Social Security numbers, dates of birth, and financial account numbers creates an immediate and severe risk of identity theft and unauthorized account takeovers. When malicious actors obtain bank account and routing numbers alongside government identifiers, they can execute fraudulent wire transfers, drain savings accounts, open unauthorized lines of credit in the victim's name, and disrupt long-term financial stability. The depth of this data exposure leaves affected individuals uniquely vulnerable to multi-layered financial fraud. As a financial institution, M&T Bank is bound by stringent regulatory frameworks, most notably the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA) and applicable state consumer protection laws. These legal standards mandate that financial entities implement robust administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect nonpublic personal information. The occurrence of a data breach of this magnitude strongly indicates a failure to maintain adequate cybersecurity protocols, potentially violating statutory duties to monitor networks, encrypt sensitive data, and secure third-party integrations against foreseeable threats. Receiving an official data breach notification letter from M&T Bank serves as formal legal admission that your confidential records were compromised due to corporate negligence. This notification establishes the legal standing necessary to participate in a class action lawsuit aimed at holding the institution accountable. Affected consumers are not required to show immediate out-of-pocket financial loss to seek compensation for the increased risk of identity theft, lost time, and emotional distress. Our firm handles these complex consumer privacy cases on a contingency fee basis, meaning you pay nothing out of pocket and we only collect a fee if we successfully recover compensation on your behalf.
You may have been affected by the M&T Bank data breach if:
Common categories of compensation in data breach class actions
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.
Data breach victims regularly report anxiety, loss of sleep, and ongoing fear of identity theft. These non-economic harms are cognizable injuries in data breach litigation, particularly in cases involving SSN or medical record exposure.
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.
Applicable State Law
This breach was reported under the Massachusetts Data Security Law (201 CMR 17.00), which mandates notification and establishes your right to seek damages.
No. Under Massachusetts Data Security Law (201 CMR 17.00) 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.
Statutes of limitations for data breach claims vary by state but typically run 2–4 years. Depending on when you learned of the breach, you may still have time. Contact our office for a free eligibility review — there is no cost to find out.
Accepting free credit monitoring from M&T 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 M&T Bank during the relevant period, you may still qualify even without receiving a letter. A free eligibility review can confirm your status.
Learn how to participate in the class action and what compensation you may be entitled to.
Join the Class Action →Use our verification tool to confirm your letter matches this official AG filing.
Verify My Notice LetterThis case file references a public filing made with the state filing in MA. This website is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or operated by any state government agency.
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