This article is the transcript of a financial literacy video we published on our website in 2022 featuring SBSI Loan Officer Marc Lamontagne.
You can view this video, and other educational video resources, online at: https://www.sbsavings.bank/resources/videos
A trigger lead is a marketing product created by national credit bureaus after you apply for a loan, information about your application is sold by Experian, TransUnion and Equifax to various lenders that know you're actively looking for a loan and will target you with competing offers.
Trigger leads are legal and in theory offer a benefit to consumers. You get the best possible prices on services when a large quantity of providers are competing for your business.
A trigger lead could allow competing lenders to come up with rates and terms that rival an offer you’re already considering.
The problem is that Trigger leads are often used by companies that may misrepresent themselves in an attempt to trick borrowers.
In addition to trigger lead marketing, there are companies that will search the registry of deeds to look for newly recorded mortgage loans. These folks will call, email or direct mail you offers to refinance, offers for life insurance, homeowners insurance or more, often referencing your existing lenders.
Whether you’re trying to protect your personal information, avoid pushy telemarketers or streamline the process of borrowing money, there are plenty of good reasons to stop trigger leads and other marketing activity.
Here’s how to do it:
Sign up for the National Do Not Call Registry. After you register your phone number, it should appear on the list in 24 hours. However you might still receive sales calls up to 31 days so it's worth signing up the month before you start applying for loans. Lenders who are buying lists of trigger leads will have to scrub for the numbers on the do not call registry.
Register at
OptOutPreScreen.com. This is the official palace where people can prohibit their name from being added to lists from major credit reporting agencies that companies use to provide firm offers of credit or insurance.
You can use the online form to opt out of receiving these offers for a period of five years or mail in a request to opt out permanently.
Want to stop getting loan offers and other junk in the mail? You can request stop soliciting via DMA choice, a tool developed by the direct marketing association.
Online registration costs $2 and lasts for up to two years. Visit their website at Sign up at
www.dmachoice.org to learn more.
