Equifax’s $100 Million Credit Score Settlement Could Pay Up to $280 Each to People Whose Scores Were Misreported in 2022, With Claims Due Dec. 28

About 4 million people who applied for a mortgage, car loan or credit card in the spring of 2022 have until Dec. 28 to claim a share of Equifax’s $100 million settlement over credit scores it reported wrong. Payments are estimated at $95 to $280 per valid claim, depending on how many people file, WAFB reported.

The people covered were sent notices by email or mail. Equifax denies wrongdoing but agreed to settle.

What went wrong in March and April 2022

The case centers on a coding problem inside Equifax’s systems. The settlement agreement describes it as “the coding issue that Equifax experienced between March 17, 2022 and April 8, 2022,” which the documents call the OMS Issue.

During those three weeks, some consumers’ credit scores went out to lenders lower than they should have been. According to DiCello Levitt, one of the law firms leading the case, some scores were reportedly lowered by more than 20 points. That kind of drop can mean a denied application or a higher interest rate.

The named plaintiffs are Sarah Hunter, Maurice Moore and Michael Rodela. Amy Keller, DiCello Levitt’s Chicago managing partner, serves as co-lead counsel with lawyers from Caplan Cobb, Gibbs Mura and Girard Sharp, the firm said.

The lawsuit alleged Equifax was reckless in relying on old legacy systems and inadequate testing, in violation of the Fair Credit Reporting Act. The agreement states that Equifax “denies that it has engaged in any wrongdoing or unlawful conduct,” and that settling is not an admission of liability.

Who is in the class

Not everyone with an Equifax file qualifies. The agreement limits the class to people in the U.S. whose credit score or credit attribute, as reported by Equifax to a third party in connection with a transaction Equifax identified, differed from what it would have been without the coding issue.

In plain terms, that means people whose wrong score actually reached a lender while they were applying for credit. DiCello Levitt puts the group at about 4 million people.

Equifax’s own analysis, which the documents call the OMS Analysis, identified the affected transactions. That is why notices went directly to class members by email or mail rather than relying on people coming forward.

The affected applications covered the kinds of credit that shape household budgets for years: home loans, auto loans and credit cards, according to class counsel.

Where the $95-to-$280 estimate comes from

The $100 million doesn’t all go to consumers. Under the agreement, valid claimants split the net fund equally after court-approved attorneys’ fees, expenses, and notice and administration costs are taken out.

Class counsel will ask for up to one-third of the fund, or $33,333,333, plus up to $500,000 in expenses, according to the settlement documents. The judge decides how much is approved.

The class notice estimates payments of about $95 to $280 per person. Because the money is split among everyone who files, the final amount depends on how many valid claims come in. The fund is non-reversionary, so none of it goes back to Equifax.

That estimate is well above most consumer settlements open this fall. The CVS privacy settlement pays up to $10 per person, and Apple’s Siri settlement pays $25 per eligible device, possibly up to $95.

How to file before Dec. 28

Claims are due Dec. 28, 2026, according to Top Class Actions, and can be filed online at EquifaxFairCreditReportingSettlement.com. WAFB reported that claims can also be mailed to the settlement’s PO Box.

The deadline to opt out or object is earlier, Nov. 27. Under the preliminary approval order, class counsel must file its request for attorneys’ fees about three weeks before that deadline, giving class members a chance to review it before deciding whether to object.

The same order sets a reminder notice to people who haven’t filed, about 60 days after the original notices went out on Sept. 28. Anyone who received the first notice and set it aside can expect a second one around late November.

The court has appointed Verita Global as the settlement administrator. Because class members were identified through Equifax’s own analysis, anyone who did not get a notice and believes they were affected should check with the administrator through the settlement website before filing.

What happens next in court

U.S. District Judge Leigh Martin May of the Northern District of Georgia granted preliminary approval on Aug. 17, 2026, according to the preliminary approval order. The case is In re Equifax Fair Credit Reporting Act Litigation, No. 1:22-cv-3072.

The final fairness hearing is set for Jan. 22, 2027, at 2 p.m. in Atlanta. Under the agreement, Equifax was required to pay $1.5 million up front for notice and administration and pays the rest of the fund only after the settlement takes effect, so payments to class members will not go out before the judge rules.

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This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.

Image: User:DukeArcTerex – CC BY 3.0/Wikimedia Commons