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Frequently Asked Questions

How do I know if I was affected by either of these incidents?

We have sent notification letters to those potentially affected by either incident. The letters explain the incident and outline the details of the comprehensive fraud protection assistance we are providing affected individuals. The letter that addresses the BNY Mellon Shareowner Services incident includes an activation code unique to the letter's recipient that will be needed to subscribe to these services.

I received a notification letter. Does this mean my personal information on the tapes was stolen? Has any of the missing data been misused?

No. To date, there are no indications that the data on the lost tapes has been accessed or misused in any way. In fact, the passage of time without incident since the tapes were reported missing increases our confidence that this information has not been, and won't be, accessed improperly or misused.

The notification you have received is being provided as a precaution, as are the free services we are making available to you.

My notification letter arrived after other individuals affected by the BNY Mellon Shareowner Services incident received their notification. Why did it take longer to notify me?

In keeping with our commitment to ensure that all affected shareowners had been notified, and in connection with our thorough, top-to-bottom review of the Company's data security policies and procedures, BNY Mellon Shareowner Services re-examined the analysis applied to the lost data tapes.

This re-review was conducted by a highly-regarded forensic investigation firm whose analysis identified additional individuals who may have been impacted by the incident. However, because the files contained data in multiple files and formats, and because special scanning tools and software were necessary to examine these files, extracting and analyzing the data was a complex, time-consuming process.

The process of completing this review and notifying the additional individuals identified on the basis of the review accounts for the separation in time between notifications. It is important to note that throughout the period, and continuing to the present, there has been and continues to be no indication that the data has been accessed or misused in any way.

What are you doing to protect my account?

While there is no indication that any of the missing data has been misused in any way, as a precaution we are providing affected individuals two years of free credit monitoring, $25,000 in identity theft insurance ($10,000 in New York), reimbursement for the cost of one placement and one removal of a credit freeze for each of the three national credit reporting bureaus, and have established dedicated toll-free numbers to respond to any consumer questions and concerns.

For more information on these and other assistance that The BNY Mellon is providing, please visit Steps to Protect and Assist Impacted Consumers.

To see what BNY Mellon is doing to further strengthen its security measures, please visit Enhanced Security Policies and Procedures

Why are these tapes missing? What happened?

In both incidents, back-up data storage tapes were discovered missing while being transported by a third-party courier.

What kind of data was on the missing tapes?

The missing back-up tape from Shareowner Services included shareholder and plan participant account information, such as name, mailing address, Social Security number and transaction activity.

The missing back-up tape from BNY Mellon Treasury Services consisted of images of scanned checks and other related payment documents involved in the delivery of wholesale lockbox processing services. Most of the checks were in connection with commercial or other business-to-business payments, though some were related to consumer payments as well.

For more background on these incidents, please visit Additional Information on Shareowner Services Incident or Additional Information on Treasury Services Incident

I am not familiar with BNY Mellon Shareowner Services. How is it you may have my personal information?

BNY Mellon Shareowner Services serves public companies as their stock transfer agent, stock plan administrator and in other capacities. Companies also hire us to process corporate transactions such as mergers and acquisitions. If you received a letter from Shareowner Services, it is because you are or were a shareowner or employee of one of the companies we serve, and data relating to you was included in the missing tapes.

What is BNY Mellon Treasury Services? How is it that you may have my personal information?

BNY Mellon Treasury Services, among other services, processes payments on behalf of its institutional clients. If you received a letter from BNY Mellon Treasury Services, it is because records of a payment and any related billing material you sent to one of these institutional clients was contained on the missing tape. BNY Mellon Treasury Services has worked closely with its institutional clients to identify and notify any consumers who may have been affected.

If I wasn't impacted by these incidents and thus am not eligible for the free credit monitoring that you are offering, what can I do to protect myself from identity theft?

The Federal Trade Commission has compiled helpful information on steps you can take to avoid or detect identity theft. Visit their Web site or call their hotline at 1 877 438-4338. You may also obtain a free copy of your credit report once every 12 months by calling one of the three national credit reporting companies:

Experian^®	1 888 397-3742
TransUnion^®	1 800 916-8800
Equifax^®	1 800 685-1111

What else can I do to safeguard my identity?

You may also:

Review your credit report carefully to detect any possible unauthorized or unexplained inquiries or activity on your accounts.
Monitor any credit cards or consumer accounts for suspicious activity.
Verify the accuracy of your Social Security Number, address(es), name and employer(s) listed in such report.
Notify the credit reporting companies if any information is incorrect.
Consider placing an initial fraud alert on your credit file.

What is the purpose of a fraud alert?

A fraud alert, which remains active on your credit report for 90 days, tells creditors to contact you before they open any new account or change your existing accounts. To have a fraud alert placed on your credit file, contact one of the three national credit reporting companies at the numbers provided above.

What is a credit freeze? How exactly does it work?

A "credit freeze" (also known as a "security freeze") is a notification placed on your credit file so that no new credit can be opened under your credit file without the use of a pin number that is issued to you when you initiate the credit freeze. A credit freeze will prevent a credit reporting company from releasing your credit report to anyone without your consent.

Please note that placing a credit freeze may restrict your ability to obtain new credit and may delay or slow your own applications for credit. In particular, a credit freeze could interfere with your ability to apply for and obtain a new loan, credit, mortgage, employment, housing, insurance, utilities or even cellular telephone service.

For additional information on credit freezes, see the Federal Trade Commission's website at http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/idtheft/credit-freeze.html.

Can anyone place a credit freeze?

Yes. Previously, credit freezes were only available in certain states with credit freeze laws or when an individual was an actual victim of identity theft. The three national credit bureaus have now made credit freezes available to any U.S. resident with a credit file.

How do I place a credit freeze on my credit file?

Details for establishing a credit freeze differ from state to state. Please contact the three national credit bureaus to find out more information.

Equifax Security Freeze
P.O. Box 105788
Atlanta, GA 30348
www.equifax.com
1 800 685-1111

Experian Security Freeze
P.O. Box 9554
Allen, TX 75013
www.experian.com
1 888 397-3742

TransUnion (FVAD)
P.O. Box 6790
Fullerton, CA 92834-6790
www.transunion.com
1 888 909-8872

Are there costs involved in putting a credit freeze in place?

Typically, there may be a charge to place a credit freeze depending upon the state in which you reside. Generally the fees range from $5-$20. (Fees are waived if you are an identity theft victim.) In addition, you may be charged a fee to lift or remove a credit freeze.

However, if you received a notification letter from BNY Mellon regarding a recent breach incident and you place a credit freeze by November 30, 2008 or within 90 days of the date of the letter (whichever is later), The Bank will cover the cost of placing the freeze. The company also will cover the cost of one removal of the freeze — whether a temporary or permanent removal.

How will I be reimbursed for the costs I incur in connection with a credit freeze?

The first step is to send proof of your payment for the initial freeze along with confirmation from the credit reporting company of the freeze and your activation code, to the following address:

BNY Mellon Shareowner Services
Attn: Shareowner Services
P. O. Box 358631
Pittsburgh PA 15252-8014

BNY Mellon Treasury Services
P. O. Box 223633
Pittsburgh PA 15251-2633

BNY Mellon will then reimburse you for the cost of the initial placement and one removal (even if you have not yet requested a temporary or permanent removal). In other words, when you submit your reimbursement request for the initial placement of the credit freeze, you will be reimbursed for that initial placement and will automatically be advanced the cost of a subsequent removal. Please allow 4 to 6 weeks for processing. A check will be mailed to your address on file.

Are there any costs associated with a credit freeze that BNY Mellon will not reimburse?

While BNY Mellon will pay for one freeze and one removal of the freeze for people who take appropriate action after receiving a letter from the company, if you temporarily remove the freeze on more than one occasion, you may incur costs that BNY Mellon will not cover. The company also does not cover mailing costs associated with sending a request for a credit freeze to the three national credit reporting companies.

Will a credit freeze hurt my credit?

No. A credit freeze will not hurt your credit history or your credit score.

Are there consequences to placing a credit freeze on my credit file?

Yes. Placing a credit freeze may restrict your ability to obtain new credit and may delay or slow your own applications for credit. In particular, a credit freeze could interfere with your ability to apply for and obtain a new loan, credit, mortgage, employment, housing, insurance, utilities or even cellular telephone service.

If you do place a credit freeze on your file and are actively seeking or plan to seek credit and want to reduce any potential delay related to a credit freeze, you will need to contact one of the three credit reporting companies about �lifting� the freeze. You may be able to plan ahead by lifting the freeze for a specific creditor or time period. However, under most state laws, it may take up to three business days to process your request to lift a credit freeze, and you may not be able to request a temporary lift of a security freeze during non-business hours or on weekends.

You should carefully weigh these issues when deciding whether a credit freeze is right for you.

You may obtain more information on the Federal Trade Commission's website at: http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/idtheft/.

How is a fraud alert different from a credit freeze?

With a fraud alert, the credit issuer is notified of the possibility of fraud when a new credit account is applied for in your name. After receiving the alert, creditors then typically re-verify the identity of the person applying for credit before issuing the new credit card, line of credit, loan, etc. A fraud alert is a less restrictive option than a credit freeze; it does not block potential new credit. Also, unlike a credit freeze, an initial fraud alert may last only 90 days, depending on the policies of the credit reporting companies, and typically will need to be renewed every 90 days.

With a credit freeze, on the other hand, creditors cannot even receive your information from a credit reporting company without your authorization as long as the freeze is in place. You will not be able to open new credit, unless you authorize the credit bureau to lift the freeze, and a freeze will not be removed without a written request from you.

I recently moved, so how did you get my current address?

To notify those individuals with whom we do not have a current relationship, we updated our address records by consulting a service that offers a national database of names and addresses.

Who can I contact if I have additional questions or concerns?

If you have any questions regarding the Shareowner Services incident, please call 1 877 289-0136. Customer Service Representatives are available Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. EDT and Saturday between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. EDT. If you have questions regarding the Treasury Services incident, please call 1 800 424-3004, option 4. If you are calling within 90 days of receiving your activation code, our call center representatives can help you take advantage of our free credit monitoring offer, and provide more information on steps BNY Mellon is taking to enhance its security measures.