# Filing yourself vs. using a filing partner

_Where self-filing is fine, and where documentation gaps cost real money._

Filing yourself is free and works well for simple claims where the administrator already holds your data. A filing partner earns its fee on complex, multi-year, multi-entity claims, where recovery depends on reconstructing transaction records the administrator does not have and on catching settlements before their deadlines.

Self-filing is the right call when you have one entity, a short class period, and a pre-calculated estimate from the administrator that matches your own records. Confirming data you agree with takes minutes and costs nothing. No-cost help is available from the administrator and class counsel during the filing period.

A partner earns its place in three situations. First, coverage: settlements open and close constantly, and the most common way to recover nothing is never to hear about the case. Second, documentation: pro-rata shares are calculated from data, and incomplete records are reduced rather than estimated generously. Third, scale: multiple entities, acquisitions, or processor changes across a long class period turn a form into a reconstruction project.

The honest limit on any partner, including us: nobody can file after a window closes, nobody can expedite an administrator, and any service promising either is not describing how settlements work.

Our filing partners have filed more than 13 million individual claims and recovered over $2 billion for harmed class members, across a network serving more than 3,200 financial institutions.

## At a glance

Factor | File it yourself | Use a filing partner

Cost | Free | Contingent on recovery
Best fit | One entity, short class period, data on file | Multiple entities, long class period, reconstructed data
Finding cases | You monitor notices and dockets | Settlements are monitored continuously
Documentation | Whatever you can assemble | Claim audited against your transaction history
Deadline risk | Yours to track | Tracked against the docket
Time cost | Hours per settlement | Intake, then handled

## Common questions

### Do filing partners charge upfront?

Ours do not. Fees are contingent on recovery, and no-cost filing assistance is always available directly from the administrator and class counsel.

### Can a partner file a claim after the deadline?

No. Claims windows close on a fixed date and do not reopen. Any service offering to file a closed claim is misrepresenting the process.