Why does junk mail increase after buying a home?

Sort the first few letters

1. Put your closing documents and known lender correspondence aside. Use those records privately to check unfamiliar claims; do not include them in a junk-mail request.
2. Read who is actually offering the product. Look for the business name in the body or small print, especially when a familiar lender’s name appears at the top.
3. Verify anything that claims you must act to protect the mortgage or property. Contact the lender, insurer or local office through an address or number you already trust.
4. For an identified advertisement you do not want, contact that advertiser. Ask it to stop postal promotions for the exact name and address printed on this mailing.

One letter can contain several names

A home-warranty seller might refer to your bank while advertising its own contract. A local contractor might use a recent sale to choose addresses for a postcard. Each has its own contact route. Keep a short list of the actual advertisers so a request to one company does not get mistaken for a request to all of them.

If you cannot establish whether the letter concerns an existing account, leave it in the verification pile. A removal request is appropriate only after you know it is optional advertising.

Start with the sender you can identify

Choose one confirmed advertisement and ask the sender for a postal preference change. Keep any reply with its name. Continue checking unfamiliar mortgage and property letters through the relevant official contact, even if their envelopes resemble the advertising you have already removed.

Official sources

• CFPB: After Closing
• FTC: Notice in the Mail About Your Property