Retail
Home Depot Offers $13 Million to Settle Data Breach Claims
Published:
Last Updated:
Home improvement giant Home Depot Inc. (NYSE: HD) filed papers with the federal district court in Atlanta offering to pay up to $19.5 million to compensate consumers who were harmed by the 2014 data breach that affected more than 50 million U.S. shoppers. Of the total offer, some $13 million will pay for customers’ out-of-pocket losses and Home Depot will spend at least $6.5 million to fund 18 months of cardholder identity services.
Home Depot already has booked about $161 million in pretax expenses related to the data breach, according to a report at Reuters, but that may be just part of the overall cost.
Based on a 2015 study by the Ponemon Institute of 350 companies in 11 countries, the average data breach in the United States costs a company an average of $6.2 million or $217 for every lost or stolen record. The amounts represent an increase from the overall average cost of $5.9 million in 2014 and a per-record cost of $207.
Massive data breaches such as the estimated 56 million credit and debit card numbers stolen from Home Depot could end up costing Home Depot $11.6 billion, based on the Ponemon Institute’s per-record cost for 2014.
Based on 1.27 billion shares of Home Depot stock outstanding, the $13 million for out-of-pocket expenses amounts to about $0.01 per share, and of that settlement, plaintiff’s lawyers are expected to receive some $8.7 million.
Home Depot’s stock traded down about 0.8% midday Wednesday, at $125.69 in a 52-week range of $92.17 to $135.47. The consensus price target on the stock is $142.19.
Let’s face it: If your money is just sitting in a checking account, you’re losing value every single day. With most checking accounts offering little to no interest, the cash you worked so hard to save is gradually being eroded by inflation.
However, by moving that money into a high-yield savings account, you can put your cash to work, growing steadily with little to no effort on your part. In just a few clicks, you can set up a high-yield savings account and start earning interest immediately.
There are plenty of reputable banks and online platforms that offer competitive rates, and many of them come with zero fees and no minimum balance requirements. Click here to see if you’re earning the best possible rate on your money!
Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us?
Contact the 24/7 Wall St. editorial team.