Western Alliance Bank announced it has completed the acquisition of Digital Settlement Technologies, DBA Digital Disbursements, the leading digital payments platform for the class action legal industry. Joining forces with Digital Disbursements, which enables the seamless integration of a customizable pay menu into settlement claim forms and other payment selection websites, positions Western Alliance as the leading digital payments platform for the class action market and broader legal industry.
Since its launch in 2019, Digital Disbursements has quickly emerged as the preferred digital payment services provider of claims administrators. The Los Angeles-based company was created to fill the digital payment void and address the evolving payment needs for class actions and other business-to-consumer payments in the legal industry. Digital Disbursements’ proprietary platform enables claimants to choose how they would like to receive their payments, from direct-to-bank account options to popular digital wallets.
“The acquisition of Digital Disbursements is the latest investment by Western Alliance that furthers our commitment to providing differentiated technology solutions that address the evolving needs of our clients,” said Kenneth A. Vecchione, President and Chief Executive Officer of Western Alliance Bank. “We look forward to partnering with the Digital Disbursements team, with whom we have built a close working relationship. This acquisition will allow us to explore new capabilities and continue to deepen our expanding suite of legal banking services while serving adjacent sectors that will benefit from digital payments technology.”
Digital Disbursements provides Western Alliance with the internal capability to significantly increase efficacy and reduce distribution costs. A broad menu of digital payment options also addresses the needs of unbanked class members who are often required to pay high fees for check-cashing services, which has long been an issue in settlement fund distribution. Digital Disbursements’ platform also implements machine learning, strong risk management infrastructure, and digital fingerprint analysis to help administrators detect potential fraud.
“With more than 80 percent of recipients now preferring digital payment options, our platform has played a leadership role in driving the legal industry’s adoption of digital payment distribution for class action settlements,” said Jeff Richardson, Co-founder of Digital Disbursements and a 28-year class action lawyer. “Partnering with Western Alliance will continue our mission to improve the settlement distribution process for all stakeholders – class members, administrators, lawyers, and courts.”
“We couldn’t be more thrilled that Digital Disbursements is becoming part of the Western Alliance family,” said Francesca Castagnola, Senior Managing Director of Western Alliance’s Settlement Services team. “Combining Digital Disbursements’ leading-edge payments platform and technology with our expanding suite of Settlement Services and juris banking offerings positions Western Alliance for significant growth in the class action and mass torts arena. Our team is always striving for new solutions and technology to improve the settlement distribution process, and Digital Disbursements will undoubtedly continue that momentum.”
Post-closing, Digital Disbursements will operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of Western Alliance Bank and be led by Jeff Richardson and his team.