Wells Fargo data breach said to lead to regulatory scrutiny

Wells Fargo is drawing renewed scrutiny after a lawyer’s unauthorized release of sensitive client details for tens of thousands of accounts. Photo: AP

Wells Fargo & Co., already in the regulatory spotlight because of last year’s fake-account scandal, is drawing renewed scrutiny after a lawyer’s unauthorized release of sensitive client details for tens of thousands of accounts belonging to wealthy customers of its brokerage unit.

Regulators have started asking questions about the breach, according to a person with knowledge of the matter, after the data was mistakenly provided to an attorney as part of a lawsuit involving two brothers, one a Wells Fargo employee and the other a former employee. A person briefed on the matter said Wells Fargo has determined the accounts were all from one brokerage branch in the Northeast.