Settlement Releases

Settlement releases let you formalize a settlement offer with a legally binding e-signature — no separate e-sign service needed. Upload your own release template, have your attorney attest to it, and Callback HQ handles the rest: cover page generation, signing links, reminders, and audit certificates.

Uploading your release template

Go to Settings > Documents to upload your release PDF. Callback HQ never drafts the release language — that’s your attorney’s work. You provide the document; the system wraps it with a cover page and handles signatures.

Formatting rules

• Do not include signature blocks, initial lines, date lines, or notary blocks — the signing page handles all of that electronically.
• Do not include blank fill-in fields. Instead, use the terms the Client, the Property, the Settlement Payment, and the Effective Date — the cover page fills in the specifics for each claim.
• Upload the template as a PDF.
• Templates are versioned. When you upload a new version, prior versions are kept for reference.

Attorney attestation gate

Before any release can be sent to a homeowner, you must confirm that your attorney has reviewed and approved the template. This is a one-time gate per template version.

• The attestation records the date, your account email, and the originating IP.
• Once submitted, the attestation cannot be edited or removed.
• Without attestation, no settlement offers are sent — the system blocks the send action entirely.

Cover page

Every release gets a system-generated cover page prepended to your template PDF. The cover page includes:

• Client name
• Property address
• Settlement amount
• Effective date
• Expiration date

You can customize the introductory sentence on the cover page using tokens: {{client}}, {{company}}, {{amount}}, {{date}}, and {{property}}. The introductory sentence has a maximum length of 1,200 characters.

Issuing a release

When you send a reply that includes a settlement payment, the system generates a release automatically. Each property owner listed on the claim receives their own signing link by email.

The amount on the release is the claim’s Settlement offer — the figure in the box beside the tone slider on the claim review page. If you leave the box blank, that is the AI’s figure; if you type an amount, it is yours. Typing 0 means no money and no release. A claim you mark resolved by hand with a settlement amount uses that amount instead.

• Signing links are valid for 30 days.
• Reminder emails are sent automatically on day 3 and day 7if the release hasn’t been signed yet.

Hard block: missing property owner

If not all owners on title are recorded on the claim, settlement offers are blocked. You must add every property owner before a release can be issued. Denial-only replies can still be sent without all owners on file.

The signing page

Here’s what the homeowner sees when they open their signing link:

1. Summary— the settlement amount, property address, and reason for the claim.
2. Co-signer notice — if multiple owners need to sign, this section lists who else needs to sign and their current status.
3. Document review — an embedded PDF viewer of your release, plus an “Open in new tab” link. The homeowner must check “I have reviewed the Release document” before proceeding.
4. E-sign consent — an ESIGN/UETA disclosure checkbox.
5. Signature — the homeowner chooses Type (full legal name rendered in cursive) or Draw (a canvas for signing with finger or mouse).
6. Confirm & Sign — finalizes the signature.

The homeowner also has a “Decline to sign” option, which requires them to provide a reason.

After signing

• The homeowner sees a confirmation and is told that payment will be issued shortly.
• A signed PDF is generated with an audit certificate page that includes timestamps, IP addresses, signature method, and the document hash.
• The release moves into the Payments queue as “Awaiting payment.”

Release statuses

• Awaiting signature — sent but not yet opened
• Viewed— the homeowner opened the signing page
• Partially signed — at least one co-signer has signed, but others haven’t
• Signed— all signers have signed
• Declined — a signer declined
• Expired— the 30-day signing window passed
• Withdrawn — you withdrew the release before it was signed

Integrity check

From the claim review page, you can run a hash verification to confirm the signed document hasn’t been altered. The check compares the current file against the original SHA-256 hash recorded at signing time.