The information provided is in summary form and is not intended as a complete explanation of your rights. For full and complete information, you are directed to review carefully the Long Form Notice.

A:

You can cure a late claim and turn it into a valid claim by submitting evidence that you in fact filed your claim before the deadline (timely claims required a postmark of no later than July 30, 2010 (claims submitted via the website required submission by Midnight Central time on July 30, 2010).  Evidence of timely claim submission must be addressed per the Notice of Claim Denial and postmarked by the date specified in your Notice of Denial.  You will be notified by October 31, 2010 if your claim of timely filing was accepted.  If you submit something but do not receive a letter by that date your claim will remain denied as untimely.  If you do not make a further submission your claim will remain denied and you will not receive any further communication.

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You can submit the required information to cure your deficiency and request reconsideration of the denial and ensure that it is postmarked by the date specified in your Notice of Denial.  To fix your deficiency, you must submit all of the information that your prior deficiency letter identifies as missing.  If you submit something you will be notified by October 31, 2010 if your claim is still deficient and your request for reconsideration is denied.  If your deficiency is deemed to have been fixed, you will not receive any further communication until claims are paid.  If you choose not to make a further submission your claim will remain denied and you will not receive any further communication.

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No, you are not being sued. This is not a lawsuit against you. Instead, you may be a settlement class member and you may be entitled to a cash settlement payment.

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The lawsuit alleges that certain affiliates of H&R Block, Inc. (collectively “H&R Block”) promoted and sold Express IRAs to its tax preparation customers as a good way to save money and earn interest. It is further alleged that the low rate of interest paid on Express IRAs and the various fees charged on the accounts meant customers often lost money on their investments, and H&R Block is alleged to have misrepresented, omitted or inadequately disclosed these facts.

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You are a settlement class member if you ever opened or obtained an Express IRA at any time from H&R Block, or from any other business or company operating under the H&R Block name or brand.

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The settlement class excludes certain persons affiliated with H&R Block and immediate members of their families. See the answer to “How do I know I am a settlement class member?” Such persons may receive a mailing but are not part of the settlement class and are not eligible to submit a claim under the settlement.

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If approved by the Court, the Settlement will provide up to $19.4 million to pay settlement class member claims, notice and administration costs, and other items.  The Settlement also provides for H&R Block to convert any remaining Express IRAs to Easy IRAs, which is a type of IRA with fewer fees. H&R Block will provide these benefits automatically, assuming the Settlement is approved and becomes final after any appeals. In addition, for one year after the judgment becomes final, H&R Block will maintain a toll free hotline or similar communication method to provide class members with certain information about their Express IRAs.

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If you are a class member you can apply for payment under the settlement by submitting a claim form by mail or online. If you were mailed a claim form, you can submit your claim form by mail or you can use the form and file online. To submit the claim form by mail, you will need to fill out that claim form and update or correcting your name and/or mailing address on the form if necessary. You must sign and date the form on the line provided, and you must mail the form so that it is postmarked no later than July 30, 2010 to the address listed on the form. Additional copies of the claim form can be accessed and printed through this website.

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If you are a settlement class member, you are entitled to make a claim for a payment from the fund equal to all “Program Fees” you paid on your Express IRA through the last date you paid any Program Fee, plus five-percent (5%) annual simple interest on the fees, calculated from the last date you paid a Program Fee through January 25, 2010. For purposes of this settlement, “Program Fees” are defined as account opening fees, recontribution fees, annual maintenance or custodial fees, account transfer fees,and account termination fees.

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If you were mailed a claim form and Notice, you were identified as having opened or obtained an Express IRA at any time from H&R Block, or from any other business or company operating under the H&R Block name or brand. As a settlement class member you have been notified about the settlement even if records show that you are not due to be reimbursed for program fees. Your rights as a class member are explained fully in the Long Form Notice and Settlement Agreement.

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The court will hold a Final Approval Hearing on May 17, 2010 to determine that the proposed settlement is fair, reasonable, and adequate. Once the Court's order approving the Settlement is deemed final, distribution to eligible class members would follow 150-180 days thereafter.

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Yes- the court has appointed the following law firms as Lead Counsel to represent the settlement class for settlement purposes:

You will not be charged for Class Counsel’s services, as the lawyers will be paid as part of the Settlement.  You do not need to retain a lawyer because Class Counsel represents the interest of all class members. However, if you wish to retain your own lawyer, you may do so at your own expense.

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If you are a class member and do not exclude yourself, you may comment in support of or in opposition to the terms of the settlement, plaintiffs’ counsel’s request for attorneys’ fees and expenses or plaintiffs’ incentive awards.

You must submit your objections or comments in writing. On the first page, please include a prominent reference to In re H&R Block, Inc. Express IRA Marketing Litigation, MDL No. 1786. Your objections or comments must include (i) your full name, address, telephone number, and Social Security number; (ii) your signature; and (iii) the specific reasons for any objections. If you make objections based on any documentation, papers, or legal authorities, you must include them with your objections. If you also wish to speak at the Final Approval Hearing, you must state in your objections or comments that you intend to appear and speak at the hearing. Your objection or comment must also state or summarize the position you intend to present at the hearing. If you do not include these statements, you will not be entitled to speak at the hearing. If you intend to appear at the final fairness hearing through counsel, your objection or comment must also state the identity of all attorneys representing you who will appear at the fairness hearing.

You must mail or deliver your objections or comments to the Clerk of the Court, with copies to Lead Counsel and H&R Block’s counsel, such that they are received no later than April 28, 2010. The addresses for the Clerk of the Court, Lead Counsel, and H&R Block’s counsel are listed in the Long Notice.

If you do not raise your objections according to the above procedure, you will waive all objections and have no right to appeal if the settlement is approved. You may, but need not, enter an appearance in the lawsuit through your own attorney. If you do, you will be responsible for your own attorney’s fees and costs.

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To exclude yourself from this lawsuit, you must send in a letter saying that you want to be excluded from the class in In Re H&R Block Express IRA Litigation. Your exclusion request must include your name, address, telephone number, social security number, and signature. You must mail your exclusion request to the following address, received no later than April 28, 2010: Express IRA Settlement EXCLUSIONS, c/o Analytics, Incorporated, Claims Administrator, P.O. Box 2003, Chanhassen, MN 55317-2003.

If you exclude yourself, you cannot receive a settlement payment or comment on the settlement. You will not be bound by any of the Court’s orders in this case, and will keep any right you may have to sue or continue to sue over the H&R Block Express IRA product.

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Claims can be signed and submitted by the heirs or estate of a deceased class member. Please be sure to include documentation supporting your legal right to file a claim on behalf of the deceased.

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On May 17, 2010, at 10:00 a.m., a hearing will be held before the Honorable Richard E. Dorr, United States District Judge, at the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri, 222 N. John Q. Hammons Parkway, Springfield, Missouri 65806.

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You do not have to attend the fairness hearing. Lead Counsel will attend and represent the settlement class. If you do wish to speak at the Court hearing, you must submit a timely objection or comment to the Court as described in paragraph 9c of the Long Notice. Your submission must state that you intend to appear and speak at the hearing, and must also state or summarize the position you intend to present at the hearing. If you do not include these statements, you will not be entitled to speak at the hearing. If you intend to appear at the final fairness hearing through counsel, your objection or comment must also state the identity of all attorneys representing you who will appear at the fairness hearing.

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If you do nothing you will not be excluded from the lawsuit and will not be able to object to the settlement, but you also will not be in position to receive any payment under the settlement.

You will still be bound by the terms of the settlement. Any right you may have to sue over the H&R Block Express IRA product will be released, and you will be barred from bringing, continuing, or being part of any such lawsuit in the future.

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In September 2008, almost all Express IRAs were converted to Easy IRAs at H&R Block Bank. A written notice of this conversion was mailed to the account holder’s address of record prior to the conversion.  A new notice of conversion is being sent out in March 2010 to the handful of Express IRAs that were not converted at that time.

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The Easy IRA has a different fee structure than the Express IRA, but still enables accountholders to select a Roth or Traditional IRA and make contributions to new and existing accounts at www.hrblock.com/bank. All Easy IRA accounts, like the Express IRAs, are FDIC insured for up to $250,000.

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No fees were assessed against account holders for the conversion.

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For additional information, please review the Long Form Notice and/or the Settlement Agreement located in the Settlement Documents section of this website.

If you have questions regarding this website, submitting a claim, or require additional case information, please contact the Settlement Administrator by phone toll free at: 1-866-314-5813 or in writing at the following address:

In re H&R Block, Inc. Express IRA Marketing Litigation
c/o Analytics, Inc., Settlement Administrator
P.O. Box 2003
Chanhassen MN 55317-2003

Email: ClaimsAdministration@ExpressIRASettlement.com