I agree that class actual settlements are Usually underwhelming, but were you specifically (even in expectation/probabilistically) hurt by those wrongs, and if so, what do you think is the more accurate figure for the harm you faced?

I don't know if I experienced direct harm from their actions. Certainly they had a culture of being ... not good, and that probably filtered down to customer service and processing, which hosed me over multiple times in the short time I had used them. They ended up costing me hundreds of dollars in fines and late fees because they mishandled escrow (and I was told it wasn't just me, they mishandled a lot in my county), so... ~$140 15 years later is probably not all the useful. A more accurate figure may have been, let's say, ~$1000 15 years ago, to cover the late fees/penalties along with my own time/stress figuring it all out (multiple trips and calls to county office, time away from work, etc).

>> class actual settlements are Usually underwhelming

not for the firms that bring them: millions in fees & billing, ranging from the upfront certification efforts (riskier) to the payment & settlement (at this stage, risk-free and very lucrative)

I preface this by saying I’m not ok with how this is. I’m just explaining the reasons “class action” lawsuits are the way they are.

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That’s because the purpose of “class action” lawsuits isn’t to provide relief to the harmed class (despite what many think). It’s to punish the company (financially) for their wrongdoing. It doesn’t always work out that way,[a] but that’s the idea.

The reason (supposedly) for not getting relief is that the injured class members can still file their own cases against the company with their own lawyers. But then you need to pay out-of-pocket for that lawyer and hope the judge not only sides with you, but awards cost in addition to the claimed damages.

Of course, there’s always the perverse incentive of the lawyers working for the class to take a bigger cut for themselves (“why would I take a $5 million payday when I could get $15 million instead?”). There’s also a push to settle because then they work less, but still get their payday.

[a]: Especially if the payout is less than they made harming the class

Congrats on the free money. It's pretty well known class action suits serve only to enrichen counsel, and in rare occasions may have a side effect of marginally disrupting a business's cash flow.