Under the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, discrimination in lending is prohibited based on which factors?

• A. Race, color, nationality, sex, marital status, or age
• B. Religion
• C. Age only
• D. Color and nationality only

Answer: (A)

Under the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, lenders may not discriminate in any credit transaction based on protected characteristics. The protections include race, color, national origin (referred to as nationality in one option), sex, marital status, and age, and there are additional protected bases like religion and income from public assistance. The choice that lists several of these protected bases—race, color, nationality, sex, marital status, or age—best aligns with ECOA’s prohibitions among the given options. The other choices are too narrow or omit other protected bases, even though religion and public-assistance income are also protected under the law.