How Much Will Equifax Pay?

When a credit card is lost or stolen—or if the number gets exposed in a data theft—federal law makes it a pretty painless experience for consumers. Credit card holders are on the hook for no more than $50 if any fraudulent charges are made; debit card users have similar caps on losses as long as a problem is reported promptly. The account number is changed, a new card is sent in the mail, and life goes on.

Contrast that with the confusing mess consumers were left to sort out when hackers broke into credit reporting company Equifax Inc. and stole the personal identification information, including Social Security numbers, of almost half the American population. The incident left 145.5 million people facing a lifetime of higher risk for identity theft. Equifax offered free credit monitoring from its own service for a year. But the question of monetary compensation is still up in the air.