What are questions you should avoid asking based on ECOA?

Asked by: Stewart Leffler  |  Last update: September 6, 2025
Score: 4.9/5 (16 votes)

Any questions about your race, ethnicity and gender cannot be used as a reason to approve or deny your credit application. Creditors have to provide equal information to all borrowers throughout the entire transaction.

What questions should you not ask based on ECOA?

Specifically, under ECOA, it is illegal to discriminate against credit applicants on grounds of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, marital status, age, or because a person receives public assistance. Therefore, you should avoid asking about June's marital status and age.

Which of these questions would a lender be prohibited by the ECOA from asking a borrower?

However, a creditor may ask about costs related to children and dependents. Likewise, creditors also are barred from factoring certain considerations into their decisions. Your race, color, religion, national origin, sex, marital status or whether you receive public assistance.

What questions is a lender not allowed to ask?

While it may seem that a lender can ask anything, there are two topics that are illegal to require borrowers to answer: family planning and health issues. Lenders may not ask if you a starting a family because they may assume female borrowers will quit their jobs if they become pregnant.

What are prohibited basis factors within ECOA?

Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA) promotes the availability of credit to all creditworthy applicants without regard to 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 ...

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What are examples of prohibited basis?

Prohibited basis means race, color, religion, national origin, sex, marital status, or age (provided that the appli- cant has the capacity to enter into a binding contract); the fact that all or part of the applicant's income derives from any public assistance program; or the fact that the applicant has in good faith ...

Which of the following is not true concerning ECOA?

Which of the following is not true concerning ECOA? The answer is it requires the disclosure of the APR on all advertisements which contain an interest rate.

Which of these can a lender not ask a potential borrower about?

Lenders are not permitted to ask any questions that would discourage an applicant. Further, government regulations prevent mortgage lenders from denying loans based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, marital status, age, or because you receive public assistance.

What not to tell a lender?

10 Things Not To Say To Your Mortgage Broker | Loan Approval
  • 1) Anything untruthful.
  • 2) What's the most I can borrow?
  • 3) I forgot to pay that bill again.
  • 4) Check out my new credit cards.
  • 5) Which credit card ISN'T maxed out?
  • 6) Changing jobs annually is my specialty.

Which is not a question a loan originator may ask a borrower in order to comply with HMDA?

In order to comply with HMDA, a loan originator may ask a borrower about each of the following EXCEPT what? Religion may not be asked about, since it is in no way included in government monitoring under the guidelines of the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA).

What does the ECOA prohibit a lender from discriminating based on?

The Federal Equal Credit Opportunity Act prohibits creditors from discriminating against credit applicants on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, marital status, age (provided the applicant has the capacity to enter into a binding contract); because all or part of the applicant's income derives ...

What must be included in an ECOA adverse action?

A statement of action taken by the creditor. Either a statement of the specific reasons for the action taken or a disclosure of the applicant's right to a statement of specific reasons and the name, address, and telephone number of the person or office from which this information can be obtained.

Which of the following is considered a prohibited basis in both the ECOA and the Fair Housing Act?

Redlining may violate both the FHAct and the ECOA.

What are violations of ECOA?

As previously discussed on this blog, the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (the “ECOA”) prohibits creditors from discriminating against credit applicants based on race, religion, sex, national origin, marital status, and age among other things.

What is the ECOA rule?

'' Moreover, the statute makes it unlawful for ''any creditor to discriminate against any applicant with respect to any aspect of a credit transaction (1) on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex or marital status, or age (provided the applicant has the capacity to con tract); (2) because all or part ...

Which of the following must be included in the ECOA notice?

Notification of Applicants

Notifications of adverse action are required to be in writing and must include the following contents: Statement of action taken. Name and address of the creditor. Statement of the provisions of section 701(a) of ECOA.

What question is a lender not allowed to ask?

Whether you are single, married, divorced, or widowed, is off-limits for lenders. They also cannot inquire about your family status, including whether you have children, are planning to have children, or are pregnant.

What must a lender disclose?

TILA disclosures include the number of payments, the monthly payment, late fees, whether a borrower can prepay the loan without penalty and other important terms.

Should you tell your lender everything?

Now days you can expect a lender to ask for a lot of things from you throughout the process of the loan, the best thing to do is to provide exactly what is requested from you, as quickly as you can. If providing documents is something you don't want to do, then you can more than likely expect to not get a loan.

What two questions you should avoid asking based on ECOA?

Your marital status cannot be used against you when evaluating your credit application. Any questions about your race, ethnicity and gender cannot be used as a reason to approve or deny your credit application.

What is the 30 day rule for ECOA?

A creditor must notify an applicant of action taken on the applicant's request for credit, whether favorable or adverse, within 30 days after receiving a completed application.

What is the 5 day rule for RESPA?

Within five days (excluding legal public holidays, Saturdays, and Sundays) of a servicer receiving an information request from a borrower, the servicer shall provide to the borrower a written response acknowledging receipt of the information request.

What questions are prohibited by ECOA?

We recommend that you avoid asking applicants about personal characteristics that are protected by law, such as race, color, religion, sex, national origin or age.

What is ECOA prohibited list?

This Act (Title VII of the Consumer Credit Protection Act) prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, marital status, age, receipt of public assistance, or good faith exercise of any rights under the Consumer Credit Protection Act.

What can lenders not do according to ECOA?

prohibits creditors from discriminating against credit applicants on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, marital status, age, because an applicant receives income from a public assistance program, or because an applicant has in good faith exercised any right under the Consumer Credit Protection ...