Compliance Center
Dealer credit marketing compliance, in plain English
A plain-English reference for the rules behind soft pull leads and credit mailers — the FCRA, firm offer of credit, permissible purpose, prescreen opt-out, and soft inquiries — with primary sources so you can verify each point.
This center is educational and is not legal advice. It summarizes general federal rules and does not cover every state law or your specific facts. Confirm your program and disclosures with qualified counsel or a compliance professional before you mail. Soft Pull Mailers is not a credit bureau and does not provide legal or compliance certification.
The concepts that matter
The FCRA
The Fair Credit Reporting Act governs how consumer credit data may be used for marketing. It's the framework behind every compliant credit mailer and soft pull lead.
Firm Offer of Credit
Marketing with bureau credit data generally requires a bona fide Firm Offer of Credit (§1681b(c)). We cover exactly what a compliant one must include.
Read the firm-offer explainer →Permissible Purpose
The FCRA limits who can access credit data and why. A prescreened firm offer is one specifically permitted purpose — it's why you can mail consumers who never applied.
Prescreen Opt-Out
Consumers can opt out of prescreened credit offers at 1-888-5-OPT-OUT or optoutprescreen.com. §1681m(d) requires the opt-out notice on the mail piece, and opted-out consumers must be suppressed.
Soft Inquiry
A soft inquiry doesn't affect the consumer's credit score and isn't visible to lenders the way a hard inquiry is. Soft pull leads and prescreen mailers are built on soft inquiries.
Dealer Responsibilities
As the FCRA “user” of the data, the dealer owns the credit criteria, the offer terms, and honoring the firm offer. The vendor handles the data, disclosures, and fulfillment.
The compliance library
Short, sourced explainers on each rule behind compliant soft pull marketing.
Firm Offer of Credit →
The permissible-purpose basis that lets you market to consumers using credit data.
FCRA & Automotive Marketing →
How the Fair Credit Reporting Act governs using credit data to reach buyers.
Permissible Purpose →
The specific legal reasons a business may access consumer credit information.
Prescreen Opt-Out Notice →
The disclosure the FCRA requires on every prescreened credit offer.
Soft Pull vs. Hard Inquiry →
Why a soft inquiry does not affect the consumer’s credit score.
Dealer Responsibilities →
What a dealership must do when it markets using prescreened credit data.
Direct Mail Disclosures →
The disclosures a prescreened credit mail piece must carry, and why format matters.
Primary sources
We prefer primary sources over marketing blogs. For the rules above, the authoritative references are: the Fair Credit Reporting Act, 15 U.S.C. §1681 et seq. (definitions at §1681a, permissible purpose and prescreen at §1681b, and the opt-out notice at §1681m(d)); CFPB Regulation V, 12 CFR 1022.54 (the layered short and long prescreen opt-out notice); the FTC's consumer guidance on prescreened offers; and optoutprescreen.com, the official opt-out operated for the nationwide credit bureaus (1-888-5-OPT-OUT). Statements about federal law on this site are drawn from these sources; product statements are our own.
Questions about how your program stays compliant?
We build the firm offer and the required disclosures into every piece — you keep control of the criteria and terms. Ask us anything, or get a territory check for your market.
Check My Territory →📞 Call (828) 771-6009