McLean Mortgage Data Breach Settlement: Who Is Covered

The settlement offers three years of CyEx Financial Shield Complete, which is one-bureau credit monitoring and identity-theft protection.

• It monitors fraud or identity theft, unauthorized financial transactions, and personal information used in high-risk transactions.
• The service includes $1 million in financial fraud insurance and access to a fraud-resolution agent if suspicious activity occurs.
• You must claim the benefit. The enrollment code and instructions will be emailed, and coverage begins only after you enroll.

You may seek up to $1,000 for actual, documented, unreimbursed out-of-pocket expenses caused by the data breach.

• Examples include fees for credit reports, credit monitoring, or credit freezes or unfreezes; the cost of replacing identification; and postage used to contact banks.
• The expense must have occurred from October 17, 2024, through December 10, 2026.
• You cannot recover an expense already reimbursed by someone else.

Documentation is required for ordinary out-of-pocket expense claims.

• Send records such as receipts that show how much you spent or lost.
• The materials should show that the expense was caused by the data incident.
• You may include your own notes or papers to explain other evidence, but those items alone do not make a valid claim.

You may seek up to $4,000 for qualifying identity-theft or fraud losses occurring between October 17, 2024, and December 10, 2026. Amounts already reimbursed by a third party cannot be claimed.

• The loss must result from identity theft or fraud directly caused by the data breach.
• It cannot overlap with an out-of-pocket expense claim.
• You must have tried to prevent the loss or recover money, such as through available insurance or a financial institution’s consumer-fraud policy.
• You need supporting records, such as police reports, submitted insurance claims, or receipts. Self-prepared notes alone are not enough.

The settlement provides limited reimbursement for time spent dealing with data-breach-related issues.

• You can claim no more than four hours at $25 per hour, for a maximum of $100.
• The time must have been spent addressing problems caused by the data breach. Examples include changing passwords, investigating suspicious account activity, and researching the breach.
• You must sign a statement under penalty of perjury that describes the time claimed and how you spent it.
• If you also claim ordinary documented losses and expenses, lost time is part of the same $1,000 combined cap.

The alternative is a one-time $45 cash payment.

• You do not need to provide proof or an explanation for the $45 payment.
• Choosing it means you cannot also receive the other cash payments.
• You may still claim the credit-monitoring and identity-theft-protection benefit, because the notice makes that benefit available along with a cash-payment option.

A valid and timely Claim Form is required to receive settlement benefits.

• You can submit online by December 10, 2026.
• For a mailed claim, the completed, signed form and supporting documentation must be postmarked by December 10, 2026.
• You can download a form or ask the Settlement Administrator for a paper copy by phone, email, or mail.

You may leave the settlement, also called opting out, rather than remain in the class.

• Opting out means you will receive no settlement benefit or payment, but you keep any rights you may have to bring your own case against McLean about these issues.
• A valid exclusion request must identify the case, include your name and contact information, contain your wet signature, and say that you want to be excluded or use similar clear language.
• Mail the request to the Settlement Administrator and ensure it is postmarked by November 10, 2026.

The December 10, 2026 hearing is not a guarantee that payments will be sent then.

• The Court must first grant final approval.
• Appeals may be filed, and the notice does not say whether there will be appeals or how long they could take.
• Payments will be distributed only after final approval and after any appeals are resolved.