when a borrower applies for credit the lender may ask about some of the personal facts that ecoa prohibits 9 while these questions can t be used to make lending decisions and answering them is optional the information does help federal agencies enforce anti discrimination laws 10
another aspect of ecoa allows each spouse in a marriage to have a credit history in their own name still if a borrower has any joint accounts with their spouse the accounts will appear on both credit reports that means a spouse s financial behavior can positively or negatively impact an individual borrower s credit score 11if you were turned down for a loan or a line of credit the lender must tell you in an adverse action notice the specific reasons your application was rejected or disclose that you have the right to request the reason for denial within 60 days of receiving the creditor s notification 12while ecoa prohibits lenders from basing their decisions on marital status some loans such as mortgages require a borrower to disclose if they are relying on alimony or child support income as a basis for obtaining the credit 13 however a borrower can t be denied a loan simply because they are divorced your equal credit opportunity rights