Equal credit Opportunity Act - wikipedia Equal credit Opportunity Act This article is about the United States law. For the specification for a software framework ( ECOA ), see European Component Oriented Architecture. The Equal Credit Opportunity Act ( ECOA ) is a United States law ( codified at 15 U.S.C. § 1691 et seq. ), enacted 28 October 1974, that makes it unlawful for any creditor to discriminate against any applicant, with respect to any aspect of a credit transaction, on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, marital status, or age ( provided the applicant has the capacity to contract ) ; to the fact that all or part of the applicant 's income derives from a public assistance program ; or to the fact that the applicant has in good faith exercised any right under the Consumer Credit Protection Act. The law applies to any person who, in the ordinary course of business, regularly participates in a credit decision, including banks, retailers, bankcard companies, finance companies, and credit unions. Failure to comply with the Equal Credit Opportunity Act 's Regulation B can subject a financial institution to civil liability for actual and punitive damages in individual or class actions. Liability for punitive damages can be as much as $10,000 in individual actions and the lesser of $500,000 or 1 % of the creditor 's net worth in class actions. Contents 1 Prohibitions 2 Requirements 3 History 4 Notes 5 References 6 External links Prohibitions Among other things, the ECOA states that it is illegal for creditors to : Discriminate based on race, sex, age, national origin, or marital status, or because one receives public assistance. Ask about marital status if a candidate is applying for separate, unsecured credit, with one exception : one can be asked about marital status if one lives in a community property state. No matter what the state of residence is, joint credit ( credit shared by a married couple ) or credit secured with property is exempt from this. Ask the candidate if they plan to have children or additional children, but creditors can ask about the number, ages, and financial obligations relating to all existing children. Disallow regular sources of income, such as reliable veteran 's benefits, welfare payments, Social Security payments, alimony, child support, etc. Nor may they refuse to consider or discount any income earned from a part - time job, pension, annuity, or retirement benefits program. Requirements The ECOA states that creditors must : Inform the candidate if they have been denied or granted credit within 30 days of receiving their completed application. This can be accomplished orally, but is best done in writing. Give the specific reason ( s ) ( or tell how to get the reason ( s ) ) why one is denied credit or granted credit differently than under the terms for which they originally applied. This same rule applies if a creditor closes the account, refuses to increase a line of credit, makes a negative change in the terms of the credit and does n't make the same change for other consumers, or refuses to give credit at the same, or approximately the same, terms as were offered when the credit was initially applied for. History When the Banking committee marked up the ECOA, congresswoman Lindy Boggs added the provision banning discrimination due to sex or marital status without informing the other members of the committee beforehand, personally inserting the language on her own and photocopying new versions of the bill. She then told the other committee members, `` Knowing the members composing this committee as well as I do, I 'm sure it was just an oversight that we did n't have ' sex ' or ' marital status ' included. I 've taken care of that, and I trust it meets with the committee 's approval. '' The committee unanimously approved the bill. Notes Jump up ^ https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/1691?qt-us_code_temp_noupdates=1#qt-us_code_temp_noupdates Jump up ^ Dlabay, Les R. ; Burrow, James L. ; Brad, Brad ( 2009 ). Intro to Business. Mason, Ohio : South - Western Cengage Learning. p. 470. ISBN 978 - 0 - 538 - 44561 - 0. The Equal Credit Opportunity Act prohibits creditors from denying a person credit because of age, race, sex, or marital status. Jump up ^ Regulation B, Equal Credit Opportunity 12 CFR 202.14 ( b ) as stated in Closing the Gap : A Guide to Equal Opportunity Lending, Federal Reserve System of Boston. ^ Jump up to : `` Former Congresswoman and Ambassador Lindy Boggs Dies at 97 ''. ABC News. July 27, 2013. Retrieved April 15, 2015. References Smith, Arnold ( 1988 ). Rebuilding your credit. `` Equal Credit Opportunity ''. Facts for Consumers. US Federal Trade Commission. March 1998. Archived from the original on 2007 - 04 - 25. Retrieved 2007 - 04 - 30. External links Annual Report to Congress on the Equal Credit Opportunity Act -- These annual reports by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System discuss actions taken in response to the Equal Credit Opportunity Act. Public Law 93 - 495, 93d Congress, H.R. 11221 : An Act To Increase Deposit Insurance From $20,000 To $40,000, To Provide Full Insurance For Public Unit Deposits Of $100,000 Per Account, To Establish A National Commission On Electronic Fund Transfers, And For Other Purposes ; Equal Credit Opportunity Act ; Fair Credit Billing Act Bank regulation in the United States Federal authorities Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Farm Credit Administration Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council Federal Housing Finance Agency Federal Reserve Board of Governors Financial Stability Oversight Council National Credit Union Administration Office of the Comptroller of the Currency Major federal legislation Independent Treasury Act National Bank Act Federal Reserve Act McFadden Act 1933 Banking Act Glass -- Steagall Act Federal Credit Union Act Bank Holding Company Act Bank Secrecy Act Truth in Lending Act Fair Credit Reporting Act Home Mortgage Disclosure Act Community Reinvestment Act Electronic Fund Transfer Act Monetary Control Act Depository Institutions Act FIRREA FDICIA Truth in Savings Act Riegle - Neal IBBEA Gramm -- Leach -- Bliley Act Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act Emergency Economic Stabilization Act Credit CARD Act Dodd - Frank Federal Reserve Board regulations Extensions of Credit by Federal Reserve Banks ( Reg A ) Equal Credit Opportunity ( Reg B) Home Mortgage Disclosure ( Reg C ) Reserve Requirements for Depository Institutions ( Reg D ) Electronic Fund Transfer ( Reg E ) Limitations on Interbank Liabilities ( Reg F ) International Banking Operations ( Reg K ) Consumer Leasing ( Reg M ) Loans to Insiders ( Reg O ) Privacy of Consumer Financial Information ( Reg P ) Prohibition Against the Paying of Interest on Demand Deposits ( Reg Q ) Credit by Brokers and Dealers ( Reg T ) Credit by Banks and Persons Other Than Brokers or Dealers for the Purpose of Purchasing or Carrying Margin Stock ( Reg U ) Transactions Between Member Banks and Their Affiliates ( Reg W ) Borrowers of Securities Credit ( Reg X ) Truth in Lending ( Reg Z ) Unfair or Deceptive Acts or Practices ( Reg AA ) Community Reinvestment ( Reg BB ) Availability of Funds and Collection of Checks ( Reg CC ) Truth in Savings ( Reg DD ) Types of bank charter Credit union Federal savings association Federal savings bank National bank State bank State authorities California Colorado Florida Illinois Maryland Michigan New Jersey New York Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Tennessee Virginia Terms Call report CAEL Rating CAMELS rating system Thrift Financial Report Other topics Banking in the United States Fair debt collection History of central banking in the United States Wildcat banking Portal Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Equal_Credit_Opportunity_Act&oldid=805953671 '' Categories : Anti-discrimination law in the United States United States federal banking legislation United States federal civil rights legislation Credit Talk Contents About Wikipedia Add links This page was last edited on 18 October 2017, at 18 : 09. 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Question: the equal credit opportunity act (ecoa) prohibits a lender from discriminating based on
Answer: race, color, religion, national origin, sex, marital status, or age