On August 3, 2020, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) published a Request for Information (RFI) that seeks comment on ways to clarify the Equal Credit Opportunity Act’s (ECOA) implementing regulation, Regulation B, to expand access to credit and improve protections against credit discrimination. The CFPB states that the RFI is one way in which it is “continuing to explore ways to ensure nondiscriminatory access to credit as well as cutting-edge issues at the intersection of fair lending and innovation, including how innovation can increase access to credit for all consumers . . . without unlawful discrimination.” According to the CFPB, comments provided in response to the RFI will help the agency “continue to explore ways to address regulatory compliance challenges” associated with Regulation B. Comments on the RFI are due by October 2, 2020.
Relatedly, a few days prior, CFPB Director Kathleen Kraninger published a blog post on the agency’s actions to build a more “inclusive” financial system. Director Kraninger wrote that the public can assist the CFPB in creating “real and sustainable changes in our financial system so that African Americans and other minorities have equal opportunities to build wealth and close the economic divide” by responding to the RFI and submitting complaints related to experiences in the financial marketplace, which would aid the CFPB in identifying cases of discrimination and fair lending violations. Director Kraninger further indicated that a strengthening of the CFPB’s fair lending enforcement, specifically through a request made to Congress for legislative authority to compensate whistleblowers, is central to ensuring that companies extend credit on a non-discriminatory basis. Director Kraninger also underscored the importance of the CFPB’s educational efforts to “empower consumers with accurate information on their rights in the financial marketplace” as a strategy for creating a more inclusive financial system.
BackgroundUnder the ECOA, a creditor is prohibited from “discriminat[ing] against any applicant, with respect to any aspect of a credit transaction” on a prohibited basis. Prohibited bases include race, color, religion, national origin, sex or marital status, age (provided the applicant has the capacity to contract), or whether all or part of the applicant’s income is derived from a public assistance program. The CFPB proves lending discrimination by finding evidence of overt discrimination...
