what factors can lenders consider when making loans 
lending institutions can only consider factors relevant to an applicant s creditworthiness their ability to pay it s illegal for lenders to consider factors that are unrelated to creditworthiness including the applicant s race color religion national origin sex marital status age and participation in public assistance programs 30the bottom linethe cra ensures that federally insured banks address the credit needs of their entire community particularly low and moderate income neighborhoods established to combat redlining the cra has evolved with the banking industry especially with the rise of online banking while some have criticized the cra for its role in the 2008 financial crisis and question its effectiveness many believe that the cra remains vital for promoting equitable access to credit recent updates aim to modernize the cra focusing on transparency and adapting to current banking practices to ensure fair financial services for all communities 