Business
LendingTree Supports Implementation of Homebuyers Privacy Protection Act to Strengthen Consumer Choice and Transparency in Mortgage Market
LendingTree (NASDAQ: TREE), one of the nation's largest online financial marketplaces, today expressed strong support for the Homebuyers Privacy Protection Act, commonly known as the Trigger Leads Bill, which takes effect this week. The law amends the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) to curb abusive mortgage trigger lead practices by protecting mortgage applicants from a flood of unwanted offers and communications.
About this update from Lendingtree, Inc.
[{"type":"text","content":"New protections curb abusive trigger lead practices while preserving meaningful competition","length":91,"tagName":"p"},{"type":"text","content":"CHARLOTTE, N.C., March 4, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- LendingTree (NASDAQ: TREE), one of the nation's largest online financial marketplaces, today expressed strong support for the Homebuyers Privacy Protection Act, commonly known as the Trigger Leads Bill, which takes effect this week. The law amends the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) to curb abusive mortgage trigger lead practices by protecting mortgage applicants from a flood of unwanted offers and communications.","length":469,"tagName":"p"},{"type":"image","alt":"LendingTree logo (PRNewsfoto/LendingTree)","displaySize":"","headline":null,"caption":"LendingTree logo (PRNewsfoto/LendingTree)","className":"","disableSlideshowImg":false,"size":{"original":{"width":400,"height":400,"url":"https://media.zenfs.com/en/prnewswire.com/30445456376085176239a2f34b0b5a83"},"resized":{"url":"https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/1AoTXb4svEtTLRaP0vlrcw--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTcwNTtoPTcwNTtjZj13ZWJw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/prnewswire.com/30445456376085176239a2f34b0b5a83","width":400,"height":400}},"href":"https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/719580/Lending_Tree_square_Logo.html","hrefExternal":true,"rel":"nofollow"},{"type":"text","content":""Trigger leads" occur when a consumer's credit inquiry for a mortgage is sold by a credit bureau to third-party lenders who were not part of the original application. In practice, this has often resulted in consumers receiving dozens of unsolicited calls, emails and text messages within hours of applying for a home loan, frequently from companies they do not recognize. A LendingTree survey found that 56% of people who applied for some form of a financial loan received between 10-50 unsolicited communications.","length":528,"tagName":"p"},{"type":"text","content":"The Homebuyers Privacy Protection Act addresses these concerns on unwanted communication by requiring lenders using trigger leads to make a firm offer of credit and obtain documented consumer authorization before contacting a borrower, with limited exceptions for current loan originators, servicers, and depository institutions or credit unions that have an existing relationship with the consumer. These guardrails are designed to reduce oppo...