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Do Trigger Leads Work?

Yes, trigger leads work for lenders and creditors in the mortgage industry. Lenders and creditors are notified when a consumer’s credit report is pulled. Trigger leads contain the consumers’ names, addresses, contact information, and financial information, such as FICO® Scores and credit balances. This information is used to prescreen potential customers for different lender products.

Lenders can ask the major credit bureaus or consumer reporting agencies for a list of people within their database who meet the lender’s pre-set criteria. Aside from that, the lender can also submit a list of potential customers to the major credit bureaus or consumer reporting agencies and request to identify which contacts from the list meet the established criteria.

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How Much Do Mortgage Trigger Leads Cost?

Mortgage trigger leads cost around $20 - $150, depending on the conversion rate. A conversion rate of 2-4% trigger leads ranges from $20 - $50, which may require a lot of effort on selling and follow-up. Trigger leads with a 5 – 10% conversion rate cost around $100 - $150.

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Are Trigger Leads Compliant?

Yes, trigger leads are compliant under the FCRA as long as the company that is buying the trigger leads meets certain legal requirements as stated in the FCRA. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which implements the FCRA, supports trigger leads because it gives consumers competitive prices in order to get the best deal possible for mortgage loans.

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Can Consumers Prevent Trigger Leads?

Yes, consumers can prevent trigger leads in the future by opting out, as stated in the FCRA. The FCRA is a federal law that regulates the collection of consumers’ credit information and access to their credit reports. The enforcement of the FCRA relies on the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). The FTC is a U.S. agency that protects consumers from unfair and dishonest business practices and unfair competition by using law enforcement, advocacy, research, and education. The CFPB is a U.S. agency that ensures that consumers are treated fairly by banks, lenders, and other financial institutions.

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Who Uses Trigger Leads?

Many types of companies use trigger leads. Trigger leads are bought by companies such as mortgage lenders, auto lenders, car dealerships, credit card providers, insurance companies, and personal loan providers. These companies use consumer information from trigger leads to market their products and acquire more customers.

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How To Stop Trigger Leads

There are several ways to stop the trigger leads. The first way is to register at optoutprescreen.com or call 1-888-5-OPTOUT (1-888-567-8688). The opt-out website and phone number are operated by the three major credit bureaus. This gives you the option to opt out for five years or permanently. You will need to provide the following personal information, such as your name, address, Social Security Number (SSN), and date of birth, to request to opt-out. The requests to opt out are mandated by the FCRA to be processed within five days. It will take a couple of weeks to take effect in terms of getting prescreened offers.

The second way to stop the trigger leads is to sign up at the Do Not Call Registry (dontcall.gov.) or call 1-888-382-1222. You will need to register the phone number that you want to be opted out from trigger leads. The sales calls from trigger leads can take up to 31 days to stop. You may still receive calls for political reasons, charities asking for donations, survey requests, collection calls, or information calls. The information calls are used by some lenders or creditors to provide information about their products.

The last way to stop the trigger leads is to sign up at Direct Marketing Association or DMAchoice.org. DMAchoice.org, by the Association of National Advertisers (ANA), prevents mail offers or prospect mail from companies with whom you don't have a business relationship from being sent to your physical mailbox. The registration fee is $4 for online and $5 for mail-in registration, which is good for ten years. ANA states that DMAchoice may reduce the overall volume of promotional offers by 80%, but it cannot eliminate all promotional mail, especially from companies or organizations you've had business with within the past two years.

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Mortgage Trigger Leads

Mortgage trigger leads are obtained by mortgage professionals using lists from credit reporting agencies or one of the major credit bureaus. This list contains the consumers’ names, addresses, and contact information based on their recent credit activities, such as applying for a mortgage. Credit activities such as mortgage applications are considered hard inquiries, which require pulling the consumers’ credit reports by credit reporting agencies or major credit bureaus.

Consumers' information is included in the mortgage trigger leads whenever they sign a loan application, which gives permission to credit reporting agencies or national credit bureaus to pull their credit reports. This process creates the trigger that notifies mortgage lenders or mortgage companies that consumers are starting to shop for mortgages.

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