Business ProfileforVA Payment Reduction Notification

Monica Russo from BBB of Metropolitan Houston and South Texas prepared this helpful information about the solicitations entitled VA Payment Reduction Notfication: 

If you're a veteran and you own a home, it's likely you have received mailings that appear to come directly from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, urgently requesting you to view important information about your mortgage.
Letters usually arrive in a manila envelope and are adorned with official-looking emblems such as an eagle or the American flag. Often they look very similar to the same envelopes the government uses for notifications and tax refunds.

The return address field of one particular letter the BBB received, for example, stated, “VA Payment Reduction Notification, Congressionally Approved Mortgage Refinancing Program for Veterans Only.”
The envelope also listed a very official-looking benefit-activation code, which was prominently displayed below the addressee's information. A warning on the envelope stated there was a $2,000 fine, five years of imprisonment, or both for any person interfering or obstructing with delivery of the letter. Wow, it sure sounds like someone's talking business doesn't it?
The truth is, the letter is another piece of junk mail. The VA does not solicit veterans. In actuality, the letter is advertisement from a mortgage company disguised to look like an official letter from the VA.
Mailings such as these are a waste of our resources, and potentially are misleading to homeowners. Unfortunately, the men and women who have served in our Armed Forces frequently are targets of these types of disingenuous marketing efforts.

Most senders of these unsolicited mailings get names and addresses from the credit bureaus or the Direct Marketing Association.
In the case of mortgage solicitations, the major source usually is the credit bureaus. The Fair Credit Reporting Act allows credit bureaus to include a consumer's name on lists used by creditors or insurers to make offers of credit or insurance even if offers are not initiated by the consumer.

However, veterans can put an end to annoying mortgage advertisements filling their mailboxes by contacting the following:
OptOutPrescreen.com:This is the official Consumer Credit Reporting Industry Web site that accepts and processes requests from consumers to opt out or opt in for credit and insurance offers. Opting out puts a stop to prescreened credit and insurance solicitations. Offers can be stopped for five years, or also consumers may elect to stop them permanently. Call 1-888-5-OPTOUT for more information.Direct Marketing Association:Consumers can stop direct mail marketing from association companies for five years. There is a $1 fee.

Read carefully
Should you, or anyone you know, receive a mortgage notification that appears to be from the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, don't be fooled. Read the letter carefully to see who sent it. Look for any disclosures that may be in the small print. They often give the identity of the sender. Once you've determined the letter is a solicitation and not from the VA, steer clear of the company that sent it. If they have to resort to misleading advertising in order to gain customers, they're not worth your time and money.