Trigger Leads Are Now Largely Banned. Here's What That Means for You.

For years, applying for a mortgage came with an unwelcome surprise: within a day or two of your credit being pulled, your phone would start ringing with calls from lenders you'd never heard of. That happened because credit bureaus were legally allowed to sell notice of your mortgage inquiry — a "trigger lead" — to other companies.

That practice is now largely illegal. The Homebuyers Privacy Protection Act, effective March 2026, prohibits credit bureaus from selling trigger leads on residential mortgage inquiries except in a few narrow situations.

What changed

Under the new law, a credit bureau may only share notice of your mortgage credit inquiry with: a company you've authorized, your current mortgage lender, your current mortgage servicer, or a bank or credit union where you hold an account — and even then, only when the company intends to make a firm offer of credit. Lead aggregators, call centers, and bulk buyers of your information are cut off.

What you might still notice

Your own bank or servicer may still reach out when you apply elsewhere. Prescreened offers for other credit products (credit cards, auto, personal loans) work under different rules and may continue. Companies violating the law can be reported to the CFPB.

Steps you can still take

Opt out of prescreened offers at OptOutPrescreen.com or 1-888-5-OPT-OUT (1-888-567-8688). Register with the National Do Not Call Registry at DoNotCall.gov. Report suspected violations at consumerfinance.gov/complaint.

Contact Secure Choice Lending at (951) 733-8925 or info@securechoicelending.com to verify any communication claiming to be from us. NMLS #1689518.