Hernandez v. Purpose Financial Settlement: Claims and Deadlines

The Hernandez v. Purpose Financial settlement is a $7.75 million class action resolution covering consumers whose names and Social Security numbers were exposed in a February 2023 breach of Purpose Financial’s corporate network. Purpose Financial, the parent company of Advance America, denies wrongdoing but agreed to the fund to end the litigation.¹²³

Who Qualifies

You are in the settlement class if your name and Social Security number were in Purpose Financial’s compromised files and you received a notification letter about the breach.⁴ The breach reached customers of Purpose Financial and its nine subsidiaries operating under the Advance America brand.¹ Excluded are the presiding judge and immediate family, Purpose Financial’s officers and directors, and anyone who timely opted out.⁵

What You Can Claim

Class members can choose one or more of three benefits, and the options can be combined.⁶

Reimbursement of up to $5,000 for documented, unreimbursed out-of-pocket losses tied to the breach and incurred on or after February 7, 2023. Qualifying costs include identity theft losses, credit monitoring, credit repair fees, and related expenses such as postage and notary fees.⁶
A pro rata cash payment estimated at $50. The actual amount may go up or down based on the number of valid claims and the fund balance left after fees, costs, and other payments.⁴
An additional estimated $50 for class members who lived in California at the time of the breach, to resolve statutory claims under California law.⁵

The $7.75 million fund is non-reversionary, so any money remaining after claims and costs goes to court-approved charities rather than back to Purpose Financial.⁵⁴

Deadlines You Need To Know

January 2, 2026: last day to opt out of the settlement or file a written objection with the court.³
February 2, 2026: last day to submit a claim form online or by mail.³
March 17, 2026: final approval hearing before U.S. District Judge Jacquelyn D. Austin in the District of South Carolina.³⁶

Notice mailings to class members began November 3, 2025.³

How To File a Claim

Claims can be submitted online at PurposeFinancialSettlement.com or by printing and mailing a paper form to the settlement administrator. If you are claiming out-of-pocket losses, you have to attach supporting documentation such as receipts, invoices, or evidence of fraud tied to the breach. Questions can go to Simpluris, Inc., the settlement administrator, at (833) 417-4921 or P.O. Box 25226, Santa Ana, CA 92799.⁶

What the Breach Involved

On or about February 7, 2023, an unauthorized third party accessed Purpose Financial’s corporate network and files containing consumer names paired with Social Security numbers.¹ The lawsuit alleged Purpose Financial waited roughly six months to notify affected consumers, failed to warn them their stolen information was already being sold on the dark web, and had not put adequate safeguards in place.⁷ Purpose Financial has denied all wrongdoing and liability.

When Payments Will Arrive

Under the settlement terms, no payments go out until the court grants final approval and any appeals are resolved.¹ The final approval hearing is the March 17, 2026 date noted above, and the settlement website has not yet confirmed whether approval was granted or when checks and electronic payments will be distributed. File your claim by February 2, 2026 to preserve your right to receive whatever payment the court ultimately approves.

1
PurposeFinancialSettlement.com. Purpose Financial Data Incident Settlement
2
ClassAction.org. Hernandez v. Purpose Financial Preliminary Approval Order
3
PurposeFinancialSettlement.com. Purpose Financial Data Incident Settlement – Important Dates
4
ClassAction.org. Hernandez v. Purpose Financial Class Notice
5
ClassAction.org. Hernandez v. Purpose Financial Settlement Agreement
6
PurposeFinancialSettlement.com. Purpose Financial Data Incident Settlement FAQ
7
ClassAction.org. $7.75M Purpose Financial Settlement Ends Class Action Lawsuit Over February 2023 Data Breach