Heritage Bank data breach exposes social security numbers

Heritage Bank, a community bank founded in 1927 with branches across Washington state, disclosed a data breach that was identified on March 2, 2026, one day after it occurred.

Heritage Bank posted a notice about the security incident on its website, which was last updated on March 20, 2026.

On March 1, 2026, an unauthorized party copied files from an internal file share server, according to the company's notification. The file share server is used by employees in their day-to-day work and may have contained private and confidential data belonging to both employees and customers.

Once the bank noticed the suspicious activity, it took steps to immediately isolate and secure its network. The bank also brought in third-party specialists to help investigate the nature and scope of what had occurred.

The investigation confirmed that certain files were copied from the server during the unauthorized access. However, Heritage Bank stated that its customer accounts, customer systems and operations were not impacted by the event.

According to the company's notification, the compromised data may include an individual's name along with one or more of the following: account numbers, Social Security numbers or Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers, dates of birth and addresses.

Because Social Security numbers and financial account numbers were among the data exposed, this breach carries a higher risk of identity theft and fraud for those affected.

Heritage Bank's response

The bank is offering complimentary credit monitoring and identity protection services to individuals who may have been affected. Given that the breach involved highly sensitive information like Social Security numbers and account numbers, these services can provide an important layer of protection.

The company's notification encourages potentially impacted individuals to take advantage of these offerings.

Heritage Bank has set up a dedicated assistance line for people who have questions or who want to enroll in the free credit monitoring. That number is 1-833-877-5751, and it is available between 5:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. PT, Monday through Friday, excluding holidays.

Individuals can also write to the bank at Heritage Bank, P.O. Box 1578, Olympia, WA 98507.

Anyone who discovers suspicious or unusual activity on their accounts should promptly contact their financial institution or the relevant company.

Steps to take if your information was exposed

• Place a fraud alert or credit freeze on credit files by contacting any one of the three major credit bureaus.
• Request free credit reports at AnnualCreditReport.com or by calling 1-877-322-8228, and review them carefully for accounts or inquiries that look unfamiliar.
• Monitor bank and financial account statements closely over the coming months for any unauthorized transactions, and report anything suspicious to the financial institution right away.
• File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission
• Be cautious of phishing attempts that reference this data breach by name, as scammers often try to exploit breach notifications to trick people into sharing even more personal information.
• File a police report if any signs of identity theft or fraud appear