The ICAC has arrested 10 people, including a director and two employees of a debt-collecting agency, for alleged bribery relating to the debt-collection business.

Six employees of five banks and a credit-card company and a middleman were among the others arrested.

A corruption complaint, alleging that a director of a debt-collecting agency might have corruptly obtained confidential information about account holders from employees of financial institutions, triggered the investigation.

The agency's director and two employees allegedly offered loans or money to the financial institution employees, in return for providing them with account holders' confidential personal data, to help them collect debts.

The employees of the financial institutions are alleged to have used their employers' computers to conduct unauthorised checks and obtain the account holders' personal data.

ICAC officers seized more than 300 unauthorised check requests and results from those arrested.

The banks and the credit card company concerned have given their full assistance to the ICAC during its investigation. Enquiries are continuing.