1) So did the preliminary date of Jan 3 change or why are we getting payments in the fall?
A good question. If you call the lawyers and ask, please tell us what nonsense they give you for an answer.
For the first payment, one could argue that there were tasks to perform. Perhaps double-checking the lists, hiring somebody to do the bulk check distribution, determining proper audit (cover your ass) procedures, etc. For the second payment, all this is already done, so all you gotta do is push a button. This can't possibly take 7 months when performed by normal humans.