What happened to your information?
When you applied, the lender pulled your credit. That pull is recorded at the credit bureaus as a mortgage inquiry, and a mortgage inquiry is one of the most valuable signals in consumer lending: it says a specific person is about to borrow a specific, large amount.
Until March 4, 2026, the bureaus could sell that record the same day, as a "trigger lead", to any lender willing to make a firm offer of credit. Those lenders loaded the list into dialers, which is why the calls began within a day or two and came from companies you had never contacted.
Separately, if you filled out a rate form on a website, a lead reseller may have sold that one form to several lenders at once. The law below does not reach those sales, and a number that was sold is not recalled.
What changed in March 2026?
Public Law 119-36, the Homebuyers Privacy Protection Act, was signed on September 5, 2025 and took effect 180 days later, on March 4, 2026. It amends the Fair Credit Reporting Act so that a credit bureau may no longer sell a mortgage inquiry as a lead unless the buyer is making a firm offer of credit or insurance and also has your authorization, originated or services your current mortgage, or is a bank or credit union where you hold an account.
"If a person requests a consumer report from a consumer reporting agency in connection with a credit transaction involving a residential mortgage loan, that agency may not, based in whole or in part on that request, furnish a consumer report to another person under this subsection unless (i) the transaction consists of a firm offer of credit or insurance; and (ii) that other person has submitted documentation to that agency certifying that such other person has [...] the authorization of the consumer to whom the consumer report relates; or has originated a current residential mortgage loan of the consumer [...]; is the servicer of a current residential mortgage loan of the consumer [...]; or is an insured depository institution or credit union; and [...] holds a current account for the consumer to whom the consumer report relates."
What it does not cover: web forms that resellers pass to several lenders, numbers that were sold before March 4, 2026, and calls from a lender you already applied with. The credit inquiry itself still happens and still appears on your report. Our guide to mortgage trigger leads has the detail.
How do you make the calls stop?
Do these in order. The first two work the same day; the opt-outs can take up to about a month to take effect and do not recall numbers that were already sold.
Silence calls from numbers you do not know
Settings, then Apps, then Phone, then set Screen Unknown Callers to Silence. On iOS 18 the setting is a toggle named Silence Unknown Callers; on earlier versions that toggle is under Settings, then Phone. Calls from unknown numbers go straight to voicemail. People in your contacts still ring.
Turn on your carrier's free call filter
Every major carrier offers a free spam-filtering app or setting under its own name. It blocks or labels likely spam before your phone rings.
Opt out of prescreened offers
OptOutPrescreen.com or 1-888-5-OPTOUT (1-888-567-8688). This tells the credit bureaus to stop selling your file for prescreened credit offers, which is where mortgage trigger leads come from. The online or phone opt-out lasts five years; the mailed form makes it permanent. Requests are processed within five days, but offers already in the pipeline can keep arriving for several weeks. It does not stop companies that already bought your number.
Register on the National Do Not Call Registry
donotcall.gov or 1-888-382-1222 from the phone you are registering. Registration does not expire, and it can take up to 31 days for sales calls to stop. Companies you have done business with recently, or that you asked to contact you, may still call for a period.
Reply in writing
For a text or an email from a lender you can identify, send: "Please remove this number from your list and do not contact me again." A written request is a record you can point to if the contact continues. For a text from a sender you cannot identify, do not reply; block the number instead.
Email me this checklist.
One email with the five steps and the law in plain words. Optional.
You still get to choose your lender
Everyone calling you wants your loan. Make them compete for it instead.
You already have a quote. Post it anonymously as a Beat My Rate auction. NMLS-verified lenders bid in the open, and only the lender you choose ever gets your contact details.
Start Your AuctionFree for borrowers. Lenders cannot pay for placement. How it works
Common questions
- Why am I getting calls after applying for a mortgage?
- Applying creates a credit inquiry at the credit bureaus. Until March 4, 2026 the bureaus could sell that inquiry the same day, as a trigger lead, to any lender willing to make a firm offer of credit, and dialers worked the list. The Homebuyers Privacy Protection Act now also requires that the buyer has your authorization, originated or services your current mortgage, or is a bank or credit union where you hold an account. Separately, a web form you filled out may have been sold to several lenders at once by a lead reseller, which the law does not cover.
- What are trigger leads?
- A trigger lead is a record a credit bureau sells to lenders when your credit is pulled for a mortgage, so they can make you a competing offer. Since March 4, 2026, federal law allows that sale only for a firm offer of credit and only to a party that has your authorization, originated or services your current mortgage, or is a bank or credit union holding your account. The credit inquiry itself still happens and still appears on your report.
- How do I stop mortgage spam calls?
- In order: silence unknown callers on your phone, turn on your carrier's free call filter, opt out of prescreened offers at OptOutPrescreen.com or 1-888-5-OPTOUT (1-888-567-8688), register at donotcall.gov, and reply in writing to any text or email from a lender you can identify asking to be removed. The first two work the same day; the opt-outs can take up to about a month to take effect and do not recall numbers that were already sold.
- Can I still switch lenders?
- Yes. Until you close you can apply with another lender, and nothing you signed at application commits you to one. Switching late can mean a second appraisal, a new rate lock and a moved closing date, so the earlier the better. On HomeTurf you post your existing quote anonymously as a Beat My Rate auction, NMLS-verified lenders bid in the open, and only the lender you choose receives your contact details.
More on switching: can you switch mortgage lenders before closing?
This page is general information, not legal or financial advice. HomeTurf is a technology marketplace, not a lender. We do not recommend lenders or guarantee any rate, terms or approval. Every offer is shown the same way and the choice of who to contact is yours.