Fair Lending Laws and Enforcement Trends


Summary

This practice note provides an overview of the two primary federal fair lending laws, the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA) and the Fair Housing Act (FHA). Fair lending laws refer to an array of federal and state consumer protection laws that seek to ensure fair and equal access to credit for all consumers. This practice note also briefly discusses related federal fair lending laws, such as the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) and the Community Reinvestment Act of 1977 (CRA). This practice note also highlights specific areas that have received a high level of regulatory scrutiny and summarizes fair lending enforcement activity and trends.