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TJX Breach Costs Continue or How to Save Your Company Almost $112 Million

TJX's second quarter FY08 earnings estimates include an high level description of the cost of the data breach reported earlier this year. The company paid out $11 million during the quarter and set aside another $107 million to cover future costs. The breach was first reported early this year but began as early as 2005. Banks, which have suffered losses due to the breach, have sought to recover damages from the retailer.

Gartner has estimated that the cost of a data breach averages $300 per compromised account, the cost of complying with credit card industry regulations at $16 per account. If those estimates apply in this case, that $118 million this quarter could have been reduced to $6.3 million, not a bad ROI.

The impact of the computer intrusion includes:

This charge includes $11 million (after tax), or $.02 per share, for costs incurred during the quarter, as well as a reserve of $107 million (after tax), or $.23 per share, for the Company's exposure to potential losses. This reserve reflects the Company’s estimation of probable losses, in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, based on the information available to the Company as of August 14, 2007, and includes an estimation of total, potential cash liabilities from pending litigation, proceedings, investigations and other claims, as well as legal and other costs and expenses, arising from the intrusion(s). In addition, TJX expects to incur future non-cash charges of approximately $21 million (after tax), or $.05 per share, that are not included in this reserve and could be recorded in fiscal year 2009. Together, these cash and non-cash charges represent the Company’s best estimate of the total losses the Company expects to incur as a result of the computer intrusion(s).

TJX also noted the intrusion as a possible risk to future earnings:

the results and effects of the intrusion or intrusions into our computer system including the losses and expenses we may incur (which may be different from the amount we reserved and which differences may be material) and consequences to our business (including potential effects on our reputation and our sales) and to the value of our company and related value of our stock;

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Dan Sullivan's Bio:

Dan Sullivan is a systems architect with 20 years of IT experience that includes engagements in enterprise security, application design, and systems architecture. His experience includes a broad range of industries, including financial services, manufacturing, government, retail, gas and oil production, power generation, and education. Dan’s security-related project work has ranged from requirements analysis for enterprise information security to designing and implementing security for database applications and enterprise portals. Dan has written about information security and other enterprise information management topics for Business Security Advisor, DM Review, Intelligent Enterprise, and E-Business Advisor. You can contact Dan at: dan_sullivan@realtimepublishers.net