The computer theft may have exposed the employees' names, Social Security numbers and compensation details.

Though there is no evidence yet that the stolen information has been misused in any manner so far, the Boston-based financial services firm has begun sending out letters informing affected HP workers about the incident and recommending follow-up action, a spokeswoman said via e-mail.

The laptop, which contained personal data of participants in an HP-sponsored retirement plan, was stolen from employees who had brought it to an off-site meeting, according to the spokeswoman.

"It is not our practice to have that level of data on a laptop," she said. "We limit significantly the use of such confidential data outside of Fidelity to only those instances where the information is appropriate or required."

The spokeswoman said the laptop application with the personal data was running on a temporary license that has since expired. As a result, the application should be locked and the data should be scrambled, she said.