Mortgage originators are divided on the marketing value of trigger leads. Even some who use them told National Mortgage News in industry research that they question the tactic's impact. But regardless of where they stand, many expect to adjust their approach as rules for them are set to change on March 5.
The tradeoff is clear. Trigger leads can help lenders reach consumers quickly, but the method has long raised concerns about reliability and borrower experience, said Matt Schwartz, a mortgage broker and co-founder of VA Loan Network.
With
"Practically speaking, this means focusing even more intently on re-winning your way back into your own pipeline, past customers, and servicing book, as well as investing more into intent-based marketing — paid search, local SEO, educational tools, pre-approval channels, and [being] partners with agents and builders."
Fewer calls, but not the end of them
Some industry leaders expect the law to curb excessive outreach, even if attempts to work around it persist.
"I honestly think it's going to stop 100 calls," said Kimber White, president of the National Association of Mortgage Brokers.
White and the group's chief executive, Valarie Saunders,
Saunders said brokers were not the source of the trigger-lead dynamic. Rather than hurting business, she expects many to welcome the change, particularly if interest rates hold below recent peaks or decline further and refinancing activity returns.
READ MORE:
"Honestly, we're going to probably be able to get more people into the mortgage broker side, because that cash flow of uneducated dollar picking, they're going to go by the wayside, a lot of them, but then they'll look for other opportunities, and that's where NAMB comes along with the mentorship and the education," White added.
Trigger leads gained traction in part because they provided loan officers with names to contact, without requiring extensive product education, he said. In a more competitive environment, however, originators will need to focus on borrower education and relationship building. "Because everyone's fighting for your loan, everyone's fighting for your business," White said.
How lenders are adjusting
When Atlantic Bay Mortgage Group operated a call center, it used trigger leads in that channel, said Emily Farley Gardner, the company's chief lending officer. The call center was closed in mid-2025 so the company could concentrate on its retail business.
Atlantic Bay supported the Homebuyers Privacy Protection Act, Farley Gardner said, citing borrower confusion tied to trigger-lead outreach. "How to drive business best is really through tools, technology and an engagement with our clients," along with relationships with Realtors and builders.
With three decades in business, Atlantic Bay also has a sizable base of past customers. "The relationship with them is so important that we're really leaning into that, and how we continue to serve them, how we have repeat business from them, how we drive referrals from them," Farley Gardner said. "Again, that's really been a focus of ours." For that reason, she added, trigger leads were not a strong fit.
The company's
Aaron Polk, owner of AsertaLoans, described a client who received multiple calls over a two- to three-day period after a credit inquiry.
"A lot of these clients, the home buyers or homeowners who are refinancing, they've done their research already on who's a good mortgage lender and so forth," Polk said, pointing to public records available through the Nationwide Multistate Licensing System.
AsertaLoans primarily develops business through Realtor referrals, but over the past year it has invested more in search and online visibility. "Anytime someone's looking for something, and they don't have a referral, like a friend or family member doesn't know someone who does what they need, then they automatically just turn to Google," Polk said.
Lead aggregators such as LendingTree are another option, though Polk noted that competition from dozens of lenders can dilute results.
As for AsertaLoans, licensed in Texas and Florida, Polk said the firm plans to deepen ties with local builders. "We want to build our relationships with builders, especially the smaller local ones, just because when they refer a loan officer, they want someone who's reliable to actually get the loan closed," he said.
