More than 20 current and former staff at DBS Group Holdings Ltd. were arrested in Hong Kong in connection with an alleged leak of customer data, Bloomberg News reported Dec. 9, citing the city's Apple Daily.

Hong Kong's Independent Commission Against Corruption began investigating the bank after customer data was supplied to a telemarketing center in China, the newspaper reported, without naming a source for its information.

Telemarketers used customer data to try to get clients to borrow from the bank. Some DBS staff reportedly bribed department managers to obtain client data, the newspaper said.

DBS disputed the newspaper's report about the number of employees arrested but did not specify a number. The bank had already informed authorities after internal monitoring found irregularities, a DBS executive said.

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority will follow up with the bank, according to a statement of concern by the regulator.