Stolen Ameriprise Laptop Has Customer Data

Ameriprise Financial Inc., the former brokerage unit of American Express Co., said a company laptop computer that contained information on about 158,000 customers had been stolen.

There haven’t been any reports of misuse of the lost data, Minneapolis-based Ameriprise said Wednesday. The laptop was stolen from a locked car that belonged to an employee, and the incident was a “random criminal act,” Ameriprise said.

The data stored on the laptop included customers’ names and account numbers and the names and Social Security numbers of some current and former financial advisors. The data, which didn’t include customers’ Social Security numbers, can’t be used to access accounts, Ameriprise said.

Ameriprise has informed customers and advisors about the theft, it said. The company said it was taking steps to help protect personal information.