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Borrowers who obtained a loan from Bright Lending between Oct. 1, 2020, and June 4, 2026, may be eligible to receive a cash payment or have their outstanding loan balance canceled through a class action settlement.
Aaniiih Nakoda Finance LLC, d/b/a Bright Lending, agreed to pay $15 million to settle a class action lawsuit alleging Bright Lending and its affiliates issued loans with interest rates exceeding state and federal limits in violation of consumer protection laws.
Who are the class members?
The settlement divides class members into two distinct groups:
- Monetary relief class:
- All U.S. residents, excluding Nevada and Utah, who entered into at least one loan agreement with Bright Lending between Oct. 1, 2020, and June 4, 2026
- These individuals must have fully paid back at least one loan.
- Debt relief class:
- All U.S. residents, excluding Nevada and Utah, who entered into at least one loan agreement with Bright Lending between Oct. 1, 2020, and Dec. 31, 2024
- Members of this group must not have fully paid back at least one loan.
- Members of this group cannot be a member of the monetary relief class.
Claimants who are in the monetary relief class but also have a separate unpaid loan from the relevant period may receive both a cash payment and debt cancellation on the unpaid loan.
How much can class members get?
The settlement provides two main types of relief, depending on which class the claimant qualifies for:
- Monetary relief class: Members of this class are eligible for a cash payment from the $15 million settlement fund calculated on a pro rata basis based on the amount of interest they paid above the principal of the loan. Class members who did not pay interest above the principal will receive a minimum payment of $15.
- Debt relief class: Members of this class are eligible for cancellation of any outstanding balance on a qualifying loan. Class members will owe nothing further on that loan.
Additional benefits for all class members
- Bright Lending will request that consumer reporting agencies delete any negative credit entries related to loans it made during the class period.
- Bright Lending agreed not to sell class members’ personal information to third parties for marketing purposes.
- Bright Lending will stop all collection activity on covered loans and will not sell those loans to third parties.
No action needed to receive compensation
Class members do not need to file a claim to receive their payment or debt cancellation. There is no online claim form or PDF claim form to submit. The settlement administrator will use Bright Lending's records to identify eligible class members and issue payment or loan cancellation.
If a class member needs to update their address, they can use the online address update form or contact the settlement administrator. To elect an electronic payment, they must use the online payment method form.
Settlement administrator's mailing address: Dixon v Gatzke (956), c/o Settlement Administrator, P.O. Box 23459, Jacksonville, FL 32241-3459
Settlement administrator's email address: info@BrightLendingSettlement.com
Settlement administrator's phone number: 800-797-0699
The deadline for class members to update their address and/or choose an electronic payment method is Dec. 21, 2026.
Required information
Class members submitting an online address update form and/or an online payment selection form must supply the notice ID and PIN they received in their settlement notice.
Payout options
- Paper check mailed to the address on file
- Electronic payment via ACH, Venmo, PayPal or Zelle (if selected online)
$15 million settlement fund breakdown
The $15,000,000 settlement fund includes:
- Settlement administration costs: Amount not specified
- Attorneys' fees: Up to $5,000,000
- Attorneys' expenses: Amount not specified
- Service awards to class representatives: Up to $10,000 to one plaintiff and up to $1,000 to another
- Payments to eligible class members: Remainder of the fund
Important dates
- Deadline to update payment option or address: Dec. 21, 2026
- Deadline to opt out: Dec. 21, 2026
- Fairness hearing: Jan. 19, 2027
When is the Bright Lending settlement payout date?
The settlement administrator will distribute payments and issue loan cancellations to eligible class members after the court resolves any appeals and grants final approval of the settlement.
Why is there a class action settlement?
The class action lawsuit alleged Bright Lending and its affiliates issued loans with interest rates that exceeded state and federal limits, violating various consumer protection laws.
The defendants denied all allegations but agreed to settle to avoid the expense and uncertainty of continued litigation.
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