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WPEC-TV CBS12 News :: News - Palm Beach County News - Palm Beach Gardens mortgage broker accused of putting client information at risk

Palm Beach Gardens mortgage broker accused of putting client information at risk

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. -- What if you found out your social security number, date of birth and other personal information was tossed aside and left out in the open by someone you trusted. That's what a local mortgage broker is being accused of tonight.

Thomas Cullen/Lanlord: When we first walked in there was a bin sitting on the floor out here, two feet wide, full of papers.

It's the last thing Thomas Cullen expected to find after his former tenant was evicted from this Palm Beach Gardens town home on Sunday. A plastic bag full of documents and papers with dozens of people's personal information left in the courtyard.

Cullen: When we started going through papers found a fed ex opened with somebody's tax return, found another tax return, people's social security numbers.

Cullen found the bag after his former tenant Paul Hartz was evicted from the townhouse on Miramar Lane less than a week ago. Hartz is a licensed mortgage broker and real estate agent in the state of Florida.

Joanne Taylor: It's a professional responsibility to protect clients personal financial information.

Real estate agent Joanne Taylor has been helping Cullen rent the property. She called the state's division of financial regulation and asked them what to do.

Taylor: They suggested I file a complaint with the state of Florida against his mortgage license, which I'm going to do.

Among these papers we found an application for a loan modification, a bank account statement, and a full federal tax return. So who are these people and how do they feel about having their personal information left behind?

One of the people we contacted had his name, address and social security number on a document in the bag.

"It's really shocking. It doesn't surprise me the way they were doing business originally."

We also called Paul Hartz who told us over the phone he didn't know the documents had been left behind. As for Thomas Cullen he just hopes this doesn't happen to anyone else.

Cullen: This is personal stuff people can go out and do what they want to do. This has become a big problem in the country as far as I know.

No word yet on what they plan to do with these documents once they are done investigation.Palm Beach Gardens mortgage broker accused of putting client information at risk

Thursday, May 10 2012, 09:15 PM EDT

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