National City Offers Customers New Identity Protection Service.

Detroit -- Identity theft is a growing problem that plagues the customers of financial institutions across the country. Metro Detroit customers are getting some new ammunition in the war on identity theft.

National City, Cleveland, is marketing a new product to its customers here to protect themselves from identity theft arming them with the ability to watch their credit scores, keep track of accounts and find the culprit if they have the misfortune of being targeted by identity thieves.

Last month, National City launched its "Identity Protect" program to customers in the Detroit area and around the country. Customers can sign up for the service online. After enrolling in the service they will receive a weekly e-mail from TransUnion, unlimited access to a triple-bureau-merged credit report, a quarterly credit report from TransUnion, and up to $25,000 in insurance to protect customers who become victims of the crime.

Murray Brown, director of development for the Michigan Mortgage Lenders Association, said he believes programs like this will catch on among lenders in Detroit and around the country.

Although lenders deal with mortgage and appraisal fraud, Mr. Brown said identity theft among its customers is a much bigger problem for lenders. He said the MMLA is in support legislature that will help protect lenders and consumers from identity theft and mortgage fraud. "To protect their customers from identity theft, lenders should make sure their computers are not accessed by ...