This time it’s from a unit of LexisNexis:

The company said the incidents of potential fraud involve up to 32,000 U.S. customers at the recently acquired Seisint unit….

… The potential identity theft apparently arose from a person or persons acquiring passwords for Seisint — which provided identity information on the thousands of U.S. customers, LexisNexis spokeswoman Judi Schultz said.

The information includes names, addresses, Social Security and drivers’ license numbers, but not credit history, medical records or financial information.

Full disclosure: I have a done a very small amount of business (by anyone’s measurement) with Lexis Nexis in the distant past (at least 6 years ago).

To their credit the response of LexisNexis is much better than Choicepoint’s initial pooh-pooh:

“LexisNexis very much regrets this and will be notifying all the individuals concerned and providing them with ongoing credit monitoring and practical support to ensure that any identity theft is quickly detected and addressed,” Reed Elsevier (NYSE: ENL) said in a press release.

Assuming they indeed plug the holes, good for them. And it appears that at least with this incident, if you’re affected, you’ll know. (Choicepoint, please note.)

That’s the Washington Post headline yesterday.

It’s about how certain parts of organized labor are threatening to move their money (much of which is invested in the, ahem, stock market) away from any financial firm that speaks out in favor of SocSec privatization. Some firms have caved and ceased their involvement with groups involved in promoting the idea.

(Hat Tip: Larry Kudlow)

Kudlow calls it “dirty pool” and “hypocritical.” Unless the unions want to put all their pension money into US Government Bonds, it’s hard to disagree. Otherwise (more Kudlow), “they are penalizing some of the very same money managers who are providing a comfortable retirement for the union members.” Yup.

Union rank-and-file are some of the greatest people in the world. Their leaders, OTOH, all too often fail to represent their interests but pretend to speak for them anyway. Unless they somehow know that every single member is against SocSec privatization, this is one of those times.