Published
June 11, 2026
Updated
July 16, 2026
If Country Bank for Savings charged you a retry NSF or overdraft fee between 2019 and 2025, you are paid automatically from this $495,000 settlement — no claim form to file.
What Is the Country Bank for Savings Settlement About?
Country Bank for Savings, a Massachusetts community bank headquartered in Ware, agreed to pay $495,000 to settle a class action lawsuit, Kimball v. Country Bank for Savings, alleging it improperly charged certain overdraft and nonsufficient funds (NSF) fees on consumer deposit accounts. The bank denies any wrongdoing, and the settlement is not an admission of liability.The lawsuit challenged two specific fee practices. The first is so-called retry fees: when a merchant re-submitted a payment that had already bounced, the bank allegedly charged a second NSF or overdraft fee on the same transaction. The second is account-balance fees: overdraft charges assessed on transactions that, according to the complaint, did not actually overdraw the account based on the money it held.
If the court approves the settlement at the final approval hearing on August 11, 2026, eligible customers will be paid automatically — there is no claim form to fill out.
Status
Pending Final Approval
final approval hearing set for August 11, 2026
Claim Required
No — Automatic
account credit if your account is open, mailed check if closed
Settlement Fund
$495,000
covers retry NSF fees and account-balance overdraft fees · 2019–2025
Proof Required
No
eligibility is determined from the bank's own records
Who Qualifies?
You are likely included in the settlement class if all of the following apply:• You held a consumer deposit account (such as a checking or savings account) with Country Bank for Savings.
• Between March 12, 2019 and December 31, 2025, the bank charged you a retry NSF or overdraft fee on a re-submitted item, or an overdraft fee on a transaction that did not overdraw your account.
• The fee was not refunded to you.
Because Country Bank operates branches in central and western Massachusetts, the eligible group is mostly current and former customers in that region. The settlement administrator identifies class members from the bank's own records, so you do not need to prove anything yourself.
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How Much Can You Get?
Payments come from the $495,000 settlement fund after court-approved attorneys' fees, litigation costs, notice and administration expenses, and service awards to the class representatives are deducted. Each class member is paid on a pro rata basis — your share of the net fund matches your share of all the challenged fees paid by the class. For example, someone who paid $100 in challenged fees receives twice as much as someone who paid $50. You will not receive more than the challenged fees you actually paid, and the notice says you are likely to receive less. Class members who still owe related uncollected fees may also receive debt forgiveness as part of their relief.Any money left over after all payments are made is expected to be donated to the Massachusetts IOLTA Committee, which funds civil legal aid, rather than returned to the bank.
How Do Payments Work?
No claim form is required. If the settlement receives final approval:• If your Country Bank account is still open, your payment is expected to arrive as a credit directly to that account.
• If your account is closed, a check is expected to be mailed to your last known address. If you have moved, update your address with the settlement administrator through the official settlement website.
Class members who do nothing remain in the settlement and automatically receive their payment and/or debt forgiveness. Note that this settlement does not offer an opt-out: under the court-approved notice, your two options are to do nothing (and be paid automatically) or to object in writing. Either way, once the settlement is final you give up the right to bring a separate lawsuit against the bank over the same fees.
What Are the Important Dates?
• Class period: March 12, 2019 through December 31, 2025.
• Objection deadline: written objections must be postmarked by June 22, 2026 (the same deadline applies to a notice of intention to speak at the hearing).
• Final approval hearing: August 11, 2026 at 2:00 p.m., Hampshire Superior Court in Northampton, Massachusetts (attendance is not required).
• Payments: distributed after final approval and after any appeals are resolved. The notice cautions this may take several months, and perhaps more than a year.
Retry-fee and account-balance overdraft claims like these have driven a wave of recent bank settlements — see our coverage of the Popular Bank overdraft fee settlement, the Apple Federal Credit Union overdraft fee settlement, and the Stanford Federal Credit Union overdraft and NSF fee settlement for similar cases.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to file a claim for the Country Bank for Savings settlement?
No. There is no claim form. If you qualify, your payment is automatic — a credit to your account if it is still open, or a check mailed to you if your account is closed.
Who qualifies for the Country Bank overdraft and NSF fee settlement?
People who held a consumer deposit account with Country Bank for Savings and were charged, and not refunded, a retry NSF or overdraft fee on a re-submitted item, or an overdraft fee on a transaction that did not actually overdraw the account, between March 12, 2019 and December 31, 2025.
How much will Country Bank settlement payments be?
Payments come from a $495,000 settlement fund, after court-approved fees and costs, and are paid pro rata based on each class member's share of the challenged fees paid by the whole class. You will not receive more than the challenged fees you paid, and will likely receive less. Some class members may also receive forgiveness of related uncollected fees.
When will Country Bank settlement payments go out?
Payments can only be distributed after the court grants final approval and any appeals are resolved. The final approval hearing is scheduled for August 11, 2026, and the official notice cautions that distribution may take several months after approval, and perhaps more than a year.
Official Settlement Notice
Sources
• Official Settlement WebsiteFiling Class Action Settlement Claims
Please note that your claim form will be rejected if you submit a settlement claim for payout with any fraudulent information. By providing this information and your sworn statement of its veracity, you agree to do so under the penalty of perjury. You would also be harming others that actually qualify for the class action settlement. If you are not sure whether or not you qualify for this class action settlement, visit the class action administrator's website. OpenClassActions.com is a consumer advocacy and class action news site, and is not a class action administrator or a law firm. OpenClassActions is a participant in the Amazon affiliate advertising program and this post may contain affiliate links, which means we may earn a commission or fees if you make a purchase via those links.
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Settlement Amount
$495,000
Case Title
Kimball v. Country Bank for Savings
Case Number
2480CV00035
Court
Hampshire County Superior Court, Massachusetts
Final Approval Hearing
August 11, 2026 at 2:00 PM
Hampshire Superior Court, Northampton, MA
Official Website
Kimball Fees Settlement.com
