People notified by Academy Mortgage Corporation that their names, Social Security numbers and birth dates may have been exposed in a 2023 data incident may qualify to claim a pro rata cash payment, up to $3,000 in documented losses and three years of credit monitoring from the $1.995 million Academy Mortgage data breach class action settlement. A federal judge granted preliminary approval on September 29, 2026; claims are not open yet, and the settlement website and mailed notices are due by October 29, 2026.
Current Status
Claims are not open yet. Judge David Barlow of the U.S. District Court for the District of Utah granted preliminary approval of the $1,995,000 settlement on September 29, 2026. Under the settlement agreement, the administrator has 30 days from that order, until October 29, 2026, to launch the settlement website and start mailing postcard notices. The claim deadline will be printed on the notice; no final approval hearing date or payment date had been announced as of October 1, 2026.Free settlement alerts
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What Changed Recently?
Plaintiffs filed an unopposed motion for preliminary approval on August 25, 2026, after two full-day mediations ended more than two years of litigation over the breach. The court granted that motion on September 29, 2026, finding the settlement likely to be approved as fair, reasonable and adequate, preliminarily certifying the settlement class, approving the notice program and appointing Kroll Settlement Administration as administrator.The case grew out of a data incident Academy Mortgage became aware of in March 2023. After concluding that names, Social Security numbers and birth dates may have been accessed, the Utah-based lender began notifying affected people in December 2023. Several lawsuits followed and were consolidated in 2024; in October 2025 the court dismissed some claims and allowed others to proceed. Academy Mortgage does not admit liability under the settlement.
Who Qualifies?
The settlement class is every living person residing in the United States who was notified by Academy Mortgage that their personal information may have been affected by the data incident. The court put the class at about 285,000 people.Excluded are Academy Mortgage and entities it controls, its officers and directors, the judges assigned to the case and their staff, the attorneys for the parties, and anyone who opts out.
How Much Can You Get?
A class member can claim any or all of three benefits:• Reimbursement of documented out-of-pocket losses up to $3,000 per person, for unreimbursed costs reasonably related to the data incident or to dealing with its effects.
• A pro rata cash payment, with no documentation required. California residents who submit a sworn attestation of California residency receive twice the standard amount, to account for their statutory damages claims.
• Three years of one-bureau credit monitoring with dark web monitoring, up to $1 million in identity theft insurance and identity recovery services.
The pro rata payment comes last. The $1,995,000 fund first pays administration costs, taxes, any service awards and any attorneys' fees and costs the court approves, then valid documented-loss claims; whatever remains is divided among valid pro rata claims, with each California claim counted twice. Class counsel will ask for one-third of the fund ($665,000) plus up to $50,000 in costs, and $2,500 service awards for each class representative, all subject to court approval. No per-person estimate has been published, and the final amount depends on how many people file.
What Proof or Notice ID Is Required?
The pro rata cash payment and the credit monitoring require no receipts or other documentation. The documented-loss reimbursement requires an attestation that the losses resulted from the data incident plus reasonable third-party documentation, such as receipts, statements or correspondence.The court-approved postcard notice carries a Class Member ID. The online claim form has not been published yet, so whether it can be completed without that ID is not yet known; data breach claim portals usually require one. Keep the postcard when it arrives.
What Is the Deadline?
No claim deadline has been published yet. Under the settlement agreement, claims must be submitted online or postmarked within 90 days after the notice deadline, and requests to opt out or objections are due 60 days after the notice deadline. If notices go out on the October 29, 2026 notice deadline, that timetable would put the claim deadline at January 27, 2027, but the exact date will be the one printed on the notice and posted on the settlement website.How Do You Take Action?
Class members do not need to do anything until notice arrives. Kroll will mail a postcard notice to each class member's address, updated through the national change-of-address database, with a tear-off claim form for the cash payment and credit monitoring. Claims can also be filed on the settlement website once it launches, which is also where a claim for documented losses with supporting records can be submitted, and where payment by electronic transfer can be chosen. A paper claim form sent by mail is paid by check.What Happens Next?
The settlement website and the start of mailed notice are due by October 29, 2026. Class counsel's request for fees and service awards must be filed at least 14 days before the opt-out and objection deadline. The court will then hold a final fairness hearing, which the agreement requires to be at least 120 days after preliminary approval; no date had been announced as of October 1, 2026. Credit monitoring activation codes and payments follow only after final approval and any appeals.Sources and Verification
• Stern v. Academy Mortgage Corporation, No. 2:24-cv-00015 (D. Utah), court docket• Memorandum Decision and Order Granting Preliminary Approval, ECF No. 113 (September 29, 2026)
• Plaintiffs' Unopposed Motion for Preliminary Approval and the Settlement Agreement with its proposed notices and claim form, ECF Nos. 112 and 112-1 (August 25, 2026)
Questions
Can I file an Academy Mortgage settlement claim today?
Not yet. The court granted preliminary approval on September 29, 2026, and the settlement agreement gives the administrator, Kroll Settlement Administration, 30 days from that order to launch the settlement website and begin mailing notices. That puts the start of the claim period at or before October 29, 2026.
Can I claim the cash payment and credit monitoring together?
Yes. The settlement lets a class member claim any or all of the three benefits: reimbursement of documented losses up to $3,000, a pro rata cash payment, and three years of credit monitoring. The documented-loss claim needs third-party records; the pro rata payment and the credit monitoring do not.
Why do California residents get a bigger payment?
California residents had additional statutory damages claims under California privacy law, so the plan of allocation pays them twice the standard pro rata amount. To receive the higher payment, a California resident has to submit a sworn attestation of California residency during the claim period.
I never got a letter from Academy Mortgage. Am I in the class?
The class is defined as living people residing in the United States who were notified by Academy Mortgage that their personal information may have been affected by the data incident, so the notification letter is what places someone in the class. Academy Mortgage sent those letters beginning in December 2023, and the settlement notice will go to the same list, updated through the national change-of-address database.
