I Bought a House, Now I’m Drowning in Junk Mail

(2 Minute Read) – It’s not your imagination. If you’ve recently closed on a mortgage or home equity loan, you’re probably getting a lot more mail. You didn’t ask for it—and we probably didn’t send it.

You might receive mail that LOOKS like it’s from us, but it may not be. There are some simple tell-tale signs you can look for to determine whether the mail you’ve received is from us, or if it’s a sales pitch.

“Sometimes it’s difficult to tell who a solicitation letter is coming from.”

Amy Olson, AVP of Residential Mortgage Lending at Unitus Mortgage

First, you might be wondering why this is happening. Simply put: your mortgage is public record. When we close your loan, it’s filed with the county, and anyone can access the record. Businesses often scour these records and can access your name, address, and even your loan amount. You might get a piece of mail that says something like: “Open Immediately! Important information enclosed about your Unitus Mortgage Loan!” Sometimes, businesses will even use our logo to make the mailing seem like it’s from us.

How can you tell what’s really from us and what is a solicitation from a business? Well, primarily, it’s the content of the letter. If the message is about insurance, home warranties, or even lawn services, it’s not from us. These companies must also include a disclosure about who they are and that they are not affiliated with us. These disclosures are often in very small print, sometimes on the back of the letter.

“Sometimes it’s difficult to tell who a solicitation letter is coming from,” explains Amy Olson, AVP of Residential Mortgage Lending at Unitus Mortgage. “If you’re ever in doubt about whether a letter is from us, or if you have any questions about the legitimacy of a communication, you can always contact us directly.”

There are a couple other reasons why you may be getting more unsolicited mail as soon as you move into a new home. Companies often target people who just moved into a neighborhood by purchasing direct-mail lists. That could be why you’re getting “Welcome to the Neighborhood” mailers from everyone from the local dry cleaner to restaurants in town. You may also continue to receive mail for the previous resident of the home, as well. If the former homeowner was on the mailing list for the local hardware store, you might receive that person’s mail, delivered to them OR CURRENT RESIDENT. Congratulations, you’re now the current resident!

Now that you know why you’re getting all this extra mail, it’s up to you to decide what to do next. You might actually want to take advantage of that new loan offer. It’s up to you. But if you decide all the offers are just too much and they’re piling up in your recycling bin, you might want to consider opting out of pre-screened offers. Just visit www.optoutprescreen.com to stop pre-screened offers of credit for five years. You will have to share your date of birth and social security number through the secure website.

One note of caution however, if you opt out of these offers, you won’t receive pre-screened offers of credit in the mail. But don’t worry! Within digital banking, Unitus offers pre-selected offers for credit cards, auto loans, personal loans and more. Just click the “My Offers” tab from the top navigation window!

We know dealing with all this extra mail can be an inconvenience. Fortunately, you’re in your new home and have options to take control of what you’re being sent!