The payroll office, formerly Ovation Payroll, is in the process of being integrated into Heartland’s information security and physical security systems and processes. Among the items stolen were TVs, LCD panels and 11 password-protected desktop computers. Of these 11 computers, Heartland suspects that four computers contained personally identifiable information (PII).

The four computers were not connected to any other Heartland office, business, system or server, but may have contained PII on some of the individuals serviced from that payroll office. Heartland has notified local, state and federal authorities and has also personally alerted approximately 2,200 individuals that their personal information may have been affected by the burglary.

In addition, the company has put an aggressive system in place to monitor for any malicious activity on the personal accounts of those impacted. To date, there is no indication that any of this information has been accessed or used in a fraudulent manner or that the thieves intended to access the information. Regardless, we take this incident seriously.

As part of our ongoing commitment to security, Heartland has already encrypted most computers, and as we integrate acquisitions, Heartland is actively working to encrypt any remaining computers in every office that may have access to, or house, PII or payment data. Security has been, and will continue to be, the foundation of everything we do at Heartland. We deeply regret this incident and apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.