If you got a data breach notice from EMM Loans after the February 2024 cyberattack, you can claim a $50 cash payment, lost-time pay, or up to $4,000 for documented losses — but the deadline is August 17, 2026.
What Is This Settlement About?
EMM Loans, LLC — a residential mortgage lender — agreed to a class action settlement to resolve claims that it failed to protect customers' personal information from a data breach. The company has said it discovered a targeted cyberattack on its computer systems in February 2024, during which an unauthorized party accessed certain files containing private information.The lawsuit alleges EMM Loans was negligent in safeguarding the data and was slow to notify those affected. The case is captioned Lehrbach v. EMM Loans, LLC, Case No. 1:25-cv-02040, in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey. EMM Loans denies the allegations and denies any wrongdoing; the court has not decided which side is right. Instead, both sides agreed to settle to avoid the cost and risk of continued litigation while giving affected people a way to recover compensation and protect their identities.
Who Qualifies?
The settlement class is made up of all United States residents whose personal information was implicated in the EMM Loans data breach discovered in February 2024 — in practice, everyone who was sent notice of the incident. If you got a data breach notice from EMM Loans about the February 2024 incident, you are almost certainly a class member. Excluded are EMM Loans and its officers, directors, and related companies; the judge assigned to the case and the judge's family and staff; and anyone who validly opts out.According to the litigation, the information potentially exposed in the breach included names along with sensitive details such as Social Security numbers, driver's license or state identification numbers, and passport numbers. If you are unsure whether you were included, you can confirm your eligibility for free through the official settlement website or by contacting the settlement administrator.
How Much Can You Get?
Class members choose one of three benefit options:- Alternative cash payment — $50. A one-time flat payment for class members who do not want to gather loss documentation. No proof or explanation is required for this tier.
- Lost time — $30 per hour for up to three hours ($90 maximum). Reimbursement for time spent dealing with the breach (for example, placing fraud alerts or freezing credit). No documentation is required, but you must attest that the time was actually spent responding to the incident.
- Documented out-of-pocket losses — up to $4,000. Reimbursement for unreimbursed losses fairly traceable to the breach — for example, the cost of credit reports and credit monitoring, credit-freeze fees, expenses related to identity theft or fraud, and replacing identification. This option requires receipts, bank statements, or similar records.
Cash amounts may be adjusted depending on how many valid claims are filed, so the final per-person figures can move based on overall claim volume.
How to File a Claim
You can file in two ways before the deadline:- Online. Go to the official settlement website and submit the claim form — this is the fastest option.
- By mail. Download the paper claim form from the settlement website (or request one from the settlement administrator), complete it, and mail it so that it is postmarked by the deadline.
Deadlines and Key Dates
- Claim deadline: August 17, 2026 (submitted online or postmarked).
- Exclusion (opt-out) deadline: July 17, 2026. Exclude yourself if you want to keep the right to sue EMM Loans separately over the breach.
- Objection deadline: July 17, 2026. Object if you want the court to hear your concerns about the settlement; you can still file a claim even if you object.
- Final approval hearing: August 24, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time, in Camden, New Jersey. The settlement received preliminary approval on April 17, 2026. Payments are issued only after the court grants final approval and any appeals are resolved, so there is typically a wait of several weeks to months after the hearing.
Watch Out for Scams
Legitimate settlement administrators do not ask you to pay a fee to receive a class action payment, and they do not request your full Social Security number, banking passwords, or a "processing payment" by text or phone. File only through the official settlement website linked on this page, and ignore unsolicited messages claiming you must pay money or hand over sensitive credentials to release your check. If you want to compare this case with other active cases, see our roundup of open data breach settlements, and our writeup of the Fitzgerald Wealth Management data breach settlement for another financial-services example.Frequently Asked Questions
Who is eligible for the EMM Loans data breach settlement?
The settlement covers all United States residents who were sent notice that their personal information may have been compromised in the EMM Loans data breach the company discovered in February 2024. Roughly 2,313 people received notice. If you got a data breach notice from EMM Loans about that incident, you are almost certainly a class member.
How much can I get from the EMM Loans settlement?
Class members can choose one of three options: a $50 alternative cash payment with no loss documentation, reimbursement of up to three hours of lost time at $30 per hour, or reimbursement of up to $4,000 for documented out-of-pocket losses tied to the breach. Every class member can also enroll in two years of CyEx Financial Shield Complete credit monitoring and identity protection, regardless of which cash option they choose.
Is proof required to file an EMM Loans settlement claim?
To file online you must enter the identification information printed on the settlement notice that was mailed or emailed to you, so the notice itself functions as proof of class membership. The $50 alternative cash payment and the lost-time payment require no additional loss documentation beyond that login, but the up to $4,000 documented-loss option additionally requires receipts, bank statements, or similar records showing your out-of-pocket expenses.
What is the deadline to file an EMM Loans claim?
Claim forms must be submitted online or postmarked by August 17, 2026. The court has scheduled a final approval hearing for August 24, 2026; payments are not issued until the settlement receives final approval and any appeals are resolved.
What information was exposed in the EMM Loans data breach?
According to the litigation, the February 2024 cyberattack may have exposed names along with sensitive personal information such as Social Security numbers, driver's license or state identification numbers, and passport numbers. EMM Loans denies the allegations and any wrongdoing.
Sources
- Notice of Proposed Class Action Settlement — Lehrbach v. EMM Loans, LLC, Case No. 1:25-cv-02040 (U.S. District Court, District of New Jersey)
- Official settlement website — EMM Loans Data Settlement.com
