Yorkshire Building Society criticised after theft of customer details

Yorkshire Building Society has been criticised by the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) for losing a laptop containing customer information.

The building society has agreed to introduce additional security measures after the ICO said it had taken 'unnecessary risks' with customer information, after the unencrypted laptop was stolen from its Cheltenham office.

The laptop contained information about customers of Chelsea Building Society, which recently merged with Yorkshire BS.

Mick Gorrill, ICO head of enforcement, said: 'It is extremely concerning that an unencrypted laptop containing large amounts of personal data was left unsecured overnight, together with details of its passwords.

'The fact that the employee did not require all the information to carry out the task in hand created an unnecessary risk which could easily have been avoided.'

The laptop was recovered within 48 hours after Yorkshire BS appointed private investigators to hunt it down. The ICO said no data had been stolen despite attempts to do so.

Yorkshire BS said it would protect customers in future by ensuring all portable devices were encrypted, and by making staff aware of the company's policies for storage and use of personal data.