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What is a Mortgage Trigger Lead and How Can I Opt Out?

Mortgage Trigger Leads

Our Mortgage Lenders frequently assist customers with various inquiries and scenarios, including the common concern about receiving numerous mortgage offers from other companies. If this has happened to you, you’re not alone. These offers arrive through mail, phone calls, and emails, often overwhelming recipients shortly after completing an application.

Because it happens quickly, many are surprised at how these companies receive their information. Read more below about why homebuyers receive these prescreened offers and how to opt out.

Why is there an increase in offers?

Contrary to popular belief, mortgage lenders don’t sell their clients’ information. When your credit is run for a mortgage application, it initiates an influx of offers known as trigger leads. A mortgage trigger lead occurs when a lender pulls a consumer’s credit report, resulting in a hard inquiry that is sold to other lenders as a lead, indicating interest in a mortgage loan.

Many companies legally buy these leads to offer lines of credit or mortgages, which can overwhelm you and cause frustration. Some of these contacts might even be fraudsters posing as your original lender.

While trigger leads help applicants find the best loan offers without multiple applications, they can be confusing and annoying. To avoid losing business and frustrating prospective customers, lenders should educate applicants about trigger leads before they apply.

Several legislative bills have been introduced to ban mortgage trigger leads, requiring applicant consent for credit reporting agencies to sell these leads, but they have yet to pass through government.

How do you opt out of prescreened offers?

We understand many people want to avoid receiving other offers. Here are a few simple steps to prevent other lenders and potential fraudsters from inundating your inbox and mailbox:

1) Contact Opt Out Prescreen
To opt out of these offers, contact Opt Out Prescreen at 1-888-5-OPTOUT or visit www.optoutprescreen.com. You’ll need to provide personal information like your phone number, SSN, and date of birth, which remains private. This opt-out prevents offers after your credit is checked for a mortgage application. Requests are usually processed within a week but may take up to 60 days. It’s important to opt out early — before you submit your application. If applying for a mortgage with another person, both parties must opt out to avoid receiving offers. For more on prescreen opt-out options, visit the FTC’s website.

2) Put Your Number on the Do Not Call Registry
To reduce unwanted offers, including general telemarketing calls, add your number to the national Do Not Call Registry at www.donotcall.com or 1-888-382-1222. This will decrease calls, though not all advertisers may be blocked. Your request will be processed within 31 days and stay on the registry for five years.

3) Sign up with DMAchoice
On DMAchoice.org, borrowers can pause loan and promotional mail offers for ten years. Online registration costs $5, while mail-in registration costs $6.

Completing the above steps before submitting your mortgage application is crucial to preventing pre-screened offers. Applying for a mortgage is exciting, but the influx of solicitations can be overwhelming. Opting out of these offers ensures your information isn’t used for marketing from other companies, providing you with peace of mind.


At First Mid, we want you to be informed about the entire mortgage process and how to be prepared for the road ahead. Learn more about First Mid mortgages here