Citizens Bank class action overview:
- Who: A plaintiff has filed a class action lawsuit against Citizens Financial Group Inc. and Citizens Bank N.A.
- Why: The plaintiff alleges Citizens Bank failed to protect highly sensitive personal identifiable information of its customers.
- Where: The Citizens Bank lawsuit was filed in Rhode Island federal court.
Citizens Bank failed to protect its customers’ highly sensitive personal identifiable information (PII), a recent Citizens Bank lawsuit alleges.
Plaintiff Jillian Russell Hauser filed the complaint against Citizens Financial Group Inc. and Citizens Bank N.A. on April 22 in Rhode Island federal court, alleging violations of state and federal laws.
The lawsuit alleges Citizens Bank, one of the oldest and largest financial institutions in the nation, failed to protect the PII of its current and former customers when cybercriminals infiltrated its computer systems in a data breach that happened before April 20.
“Before April 20, 2026, Defendants were hacked by the Russian cybercriminal syndicate Everest,” the class action lawsuit says.
According to the lawsuit, the breach was perpetrated by the Russian cybercriminal syndicate Everest, which acquired 3.4 million records from Citizens Bank and posted them on the dark web.
Hauser, who is a victim of the breach, says the compromised data includes Social Security numbers and financial account information. She argues Citizens Bank failed to adequately train its employees on cybersecurity and maintain reasonable security safeguards to protect the PII of its customers.
Customers did not receive timely notification of Citizens Bank data breach, class action claims
Hauser claims Citizens Bank failed to notify its customers of the Citizens Bank data breach in a timely manner, depriving them of the ability to take appropriate measures to protect their PII and mitigate the harm caused by the breach.
She also argues Citizens Bank violated the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, which requires financial institutions to protect the security, confidentiality and integrity of consumer information.
The class action lawsuit seeks to represent all individuals residing in the United States whose PII was compromised in the Citizens Bank data breach reported by Citizens Bank in April 2026.
Hauser seeks damages, including compensatory, exemplary, punitive and statutory damages, as well as restitution and attorneys’ fees. She also seeks declaratory and injunctive relief to protect the interests of the class members and prevent future breaches.
In related news, customers are suing Marquis Software Solutions and Norway Savings Bank for failing to safeguard sensitive information and waiting months before informing customers of a data breach.
What do you think of the allegations made in this Citizens Bank lawsuit? Let us know in the comments.
The plaintiff is represented by Peter N. Wasylyk of the Law Offices of Peter N. Wasylyk and Raina C. Borrelli of Strauss Borrelli PLLC.
The Citizens Bank class action lawsuit is Hauser v. Citizens Financial Group Inc., et al., Case No. 1:26-cv-00233, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island.
Don’t Miss Out!
Check out our list of Class Action Lawsuits and Class Action Settlements you may qualify to join!
Read About More Class Action Lawsuits & Class Action Settlements:
