PRESS RELEASE
Posted on: June 16, 2007

Contact:
Jodi Greenblatt
(703) 342-5842

NAMB Expands Consumer Education Effort
New Brochure Offers Tips, Resources for Homebuyers Worried about Privacy

McLean, Virginia - June 13, 2007 - The National Association of Mortgage Brokers (NAMB) today introduced a new brochure designed to help consumers protect their identity when applying for a home loan.

The pamphlet, "What Happens When Your Credit Report is Requested?", includes advice on how to avoid identity theft, stop unwanted phone solicitations and spot fraudulent offers of credit.

"This brochure is one more way NAMB is demonstrating its commitment to consumer education," said NAMB President Harry Dinham. "Understanding how credit and credit reports work is one of the first steps to owning your own home. We want to make sure consumers are aware of the threats to their good credit and what they can do to protect themselves."

The brochure walks consumers through the steps that take place after a mortgage originator requests a credit report. One of the most common problems individuals face, are unsolicited calls from would be mortgage providers. These calls occur when credit agencies sell personal data about consumers to lead generation companies. Called trigger lists, NAMB has been a vocal opponent of this practice because it can be so closely aligned with identity theft and deceitful sales tactics. Consumers can opt out of this process at http://www.optoutprescreen.com/.

Other steps outlined in the brochure to protect your private information include:

Avoid clicking on links in unsolicited e-mails and using obvious passwords for access to personal Web information or other files;

Do not give out personal information without knowing the person you are dealing with;

If you think your identity has been stolen or personal information compromised, contact the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357).

"One easy step consumers can take to protect themselves right away is to shred documents that contain information like Social Security numbers," said Dinham. "There's no such thing as 'too careful' when it comes to protecting your good credit."

To order multiple copies of this brochure go to www.stoptriggers.org

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The National Association of Mortgage Brokers is the voice of the mortgage broker industry with more than 25,000 members in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. NAMB provides education, certification and government affairs representation for the mortgage broker industry, which originates over 50% of all residential loans in the United States.

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