ICBA continues pressing ‘trigger leads’ bill

ICBA continues calling on community bankers to urge their members of Congress to co-sponsor bipartisan legislation designed to help protect the financial privacy of mortgage applicants.

The Problem: After consumers apply for a residential mortgage, credit reporting agencies sell their contact information. These “trigger leads” generate an influx of solicitations, and the process to opt out is confusing for consumers.

Legislative Details: Introduced by Sens. Jack Reed (D-R.I.) and Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), the Homebuyers Privacy Protection Act (S. 3502) would bar credit reporting agencies from selling consumers’ contact information when they apply for a residential mortgage unless the consumer has opted into the creation and sale of such leads or if certain exceptions apply.

Grassroots Alert: Community bankers can use ICBA’s Be Heard grassroots action center to call on their lawmakers to support the measure to give consumers more control over their private financial information and shield them from unwanted solicitations.