Company fined $25,000 for losing laptop data

Losing data can be a costly problem for a company -- even if the lost data isn’t misused. That’s a lesson Ameriprise Financial just learned the hard way.

The Minneapolis-based financial services company will pay a $25,000 fine to the state of Massachusetts as punitive damages for the company’s temporary loss of a laptop containing customer data. The fine will cover the state’s investigative costs.

Ameriprise also has agreed as part of the settlement to hire a consultant to work to improve its computer security.

The laptop, which was stolen from an employee’s car in 2005, contained the personal data -- names, Social Security and account numbers, and account values -- of more than 150,000 customers. The laptop was later recovered, and it is believed the thieves did not use the information to steal any money.

The Massachusetts Secretary of State’s office also is investigating Fidelity Investments, which lost a laptop last March containing the personal information of thousands of current and former HP employees.