When you apply for a mortgage or home equity loan or line of credit, your lender requests a copy of your credit report. This triggers an inquiry with one of the four credit bureaus (Experian, Equifax, TransUnion or Innovis.) That credit bureau is then allowed to sell your name to other mortgage companies; it is not against the law for them to do so.
These unsolicited prescreened offers for credit and insurance must include a toll-free phone number you can call if you choose to remove your name and address from the lists these offers are based on.
In addition,
- To remove your name from these inquiries, go to www.optoutprescreen.com or call 1-888-5-OPT-OUT (1-888-567-8688.)
- You may also add yourself to the National Do Not Call Registry at https://www.donotcall.gov/
- To prevent lenders from sending you direct mail (US mail), you may register with DMAchoice to opt-out at https://www.dmachoice.org/
Equal Housing Lender