How to Find Settlements for the Brands You Use

To find settlements for the brands you use, start with a list of the companies you've paid or given your data to in the last several years, then search each one against open settlements and read the class definition for any match. Your bank and card statements, email receipts and app subscriptions make the list easy to build. After that, the trick is checking it regularly, because new settlements are announced every week.

Step 1: Build your brand list

Most people underestimate how many companies they deal with. Go through these sources and note every company name:

• ✓Bank and credit card statements from the past year or two.
• ✓Email receipts and shipping confirmations.
• ✓App store subscriptions and in-app purchases.
• ✓Utility, phone, internet and insurance bills.
• ✓Your employers, schools, landlords and health care providers.
• ✓Cars, appliances and electronics you own, with model names.
• ✓Data breach letters you've received.

Step 2: Search by company

Search each name against open settlements. Browse settlements by brand or all open settlements. Try variations: the parent company, the brand name, and the official legal name. A settlement for a store brand may be filed under the retailer's corporate name, and a data breach may be named after a vendor rather than the company you dealt with.

Step 3: Read the class definition

A brand match isn't the same as eligibility. Every settlement defines its class by product, time period and sometimes location. Check three things:

1. 1Product or service. The settlement may cover only certain models, plans or product lines.
2. 2Dates. You need to have bought or used it during the class period.
3. 3Location. Some settlements cover only one state.

If all three fit, file on the official settlement site before the deadline. If you are unsure, the administrator can tell you.

Step 4: Keep checking

One search isn't enough. Settlements are announced constantly, and deadlines can be as short as a couple of months after notice goes out. A brand that had nothing open last month may have a new settlement today. Set a recurring reminder to re-check your list, or use a tool that does it automatically.

Watch out for brand look-alikes

Scammers sometimes use the name of a well-known brand in fake settlement emails because they know you're a customer. Always get to the claim form through the official settlement site, which you can confirm through the court notice. Our guide on verifying a settlement email shows how.

Search by category, not just by name

Some settlements are hard to find by brand alone. A price-fixing case may be named after a product rather than a company, such as a type of food or a chemical, and may cover anyone who bought items containing it. Browsing by category catches these. Look through antitrust settlements and the data breach list, then ask whether you bought the product or used the service.

The same goes for vendors you've never heard of. Hospitals, schools and employers use outside companies for billing, payroll and software. When those vendors are breached, the settlement carries the vendor's name. If a notice names an unfamiliar company, read it before throwing it away; it will usually say which organizations' customers or employees were affected.

Don't forget employers, schools and landlords

Brand lists tend to focus on things you buy, but some of the most valuable settlements come from relationships, not purchases. Employers face wage and retirement plan cases, schools face tuition and privacy cases, and landlords face fee and deposit cases. Add every employer, school and landlord you've had in recent years to your list. These settlements often pay more than consumer ones and may pay automatically, as long as the administrator can reach you.

Once a match turns up, file promptly. Waiting until the last week risks missing the deadline if the site is busy or the form asks for documents you need time to find.

This is exactly what SettleScout was built for: add your brands, banks, employers, schools and services once, and the app matches them against open settlements every day, estimates what you might receive and reminds you before each deadline.