As of March 5, the use of “trigger leads” to solicit prospective homebuyers the moment they apply for a mortgage or authorized a credit pull is prohibited by law.
For mortgage professionals who have spent years advocating for a ban on trigger leads, the effective date for the Homebuyers Privacy Protection Act (H.R. 2808) marked the end of a long and often frustrating battle that played out over several years and included many iterations of substantially similar legislation.
The law prohibits consumer reporting agencies from furnishing mortgage trigger leads to third parties except under a narrowly defined set of circumstances.
A trigger lead may now only be generated if the requesting creditor already has a qualifying existing relationship with the consumer whose information is being shared or if the consumer has affirmatively opted in to receiving such solicitations. Any permissible trigger lead must also be used for a bona fide firm offer of credit or insurance.
The bipartisan legislation, introduced in the Senate by Sens. Jack Reed (D-R.I.) and Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.) and in the House by Reps. John Rose (R-Tenn.) and Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.), passed with nearly unanimous support in both chambers and was signed by President Donald Trump on Sept. 5, 2025. The House version added a key amendment addressing the use of digital messages to contact potential borrowers.
The measure was pushed by several financial services trade groups, including the Mortgage Bankers Association, the National Association of Realtors, the Independent Community Bankers of America, the American Bankers Association, the National Association of Mortgage Brokers (NAMB) and America’s Credit Unions, among others.
NAMB President Jim Nabors noted in a press release this “it is not unusual for borrowers to receive more than 100 misleading contacts within the first 24 hours of applying for a mortgage. With the March 5 effective date now here, mortgage brokers are well-positioned to benefit — the relationship-first, borrower-centric model that defines the broker channel is exactly what this law was designed to protect and promote.”