Looking for Something to Calm Your Summer? How About Opting Out?

No beach bonfire this summer will be quite as explosive as this one — and I’m not talking about fireworks or flaming s’mores. I’m talking about your credit file, and how it’s become the equivalent of a Roman candle for greedy mortgage companies.

Let me explain.

When you apply for a mortgage, your lender pulls your credit report — pretty standard stuff. But did you know that the moment your credit is pulled specifically for a mortgage, the three major credit bureaus — TransUnion, Equifax, and Experian — are legally allowed to sell your information to other mortgage lenders?

Yes, sell your information. Like a garage sale, but instead of old lamps and mismatched Tupperware, it’s your name, phone number, email address, and the fact that you're in the market for a home.

This little gem of a practice is known as a trigger lead.

What’s a Trigger Lead?

A trigger lead is a product sold by the credit bureaus to competing lenders, triggered by a mortgage credit inquiry. The second your credit gets pulled, it “triggers” a flag in the system — and suddenly your phone lights up like a Vegas slot machine.

Other lenders — many of whom you’ve never heard of, and some who barely seem to understand basic grammar — are alerted that you’re shopping for a mortgage. Then they descend upon you like a pack of hungry seagulls on an unattended beach lunch.

I’ve had clients tell me they received 75+ calls and texts within just two hours of their credit being pulled. Bloodthirsty doesn’t even begin to describe it.

You might be wondering: “Wait, is that even legal?”

Sadly, yes. Because the credit bureaus convinced the Federal Government that this was somehow beneficial to consumers — you know, by giving them more options. And by “options,” they mean spam, scams, and stress.

So, What’s Being Done?

Here’s the good news: Congress is (finally) doing something about it.

The bad news? They’re doing it the way Congress always does — inefficiently.

Both the House and the Senate have drafted their own versions of what’s being called the Homebuyers Privacy Protection Act.

• The House version is H.R. 2808
• The Senate version is S.B. 1467

Both bills would restrict the ability of credit bureaus to sell your information to other mortgage companies. But — surprise, surprise — there are a few differences between the two bills.

The main one? The House version still allows lenders to text consumers, while the Senate version is a more complete shutdown of all unsolicited outreach.

And now we have what I like to call the Congressional Standoff — the legislative equivalent of “you hang up first.” The House doesn’t want to vote on the Senate’s version, and the Senate doesn’t want to vote on the House’s.

Government bureaucracy at its finest.

Meanwhile, consumers continue to get bombarded every time they try to do something as exciting as... you know... buy a home.

What Can You Do?

I’m glad you asked. You actually have a few tools at your disposal.

1. Opt Out

The quickest and easiest way to stop most of the madness is to visit:
👉https://www.optoutprescreen.com

This site is the official, government-sanctioned opt-out page to stop the credit bureaus from selling your information. You can choose to opt out for five years, or permanently (my personal favorite).

I do this for all of my clients as a courtesy — but you can do it yourself in under five minutes. Think of it as putting your phone on vacation mode.

2. Email Your Senator

Yeah, I know — it sounds a little old school. But it actually matters. I’ve emailed Jeff Merkley’s office on a few occasions, and not only did I get a response, I got the sense that there’s a team there that actually cares.

If you’re in Oregon like me, here’s a link to Senator Merkley’s site:
👉https://www.merkley.senate.gov

Tell him you support SB 1467, and that you'd love to see it merged with the House version so this long-overdue trigger lead nonsense can finally end.

Not in Oregon? A quick Google search will help you find your senator or representative. It only takes a few minutes, and it might help stop thousands of unsolicited messages for homebuyers like you (and your future self).

Final Thought

You deserve a peaceful summer — not one filled with dozens of strangers blowing up your phone the moment you try to buy a house.

So go ahead: dip your toes in the water, sip something cold, and opt out of one of the most annoying (and legal!) invasions of privacy still hanging around in 2025.

Because this summer, your phone shouldn’t be the thing that’s getting burned.