What do I do if I think a student loan lender discriminated against me?
Under the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, it is illegal for a creditor or lender to discriminate against an applicant based on a number of factors.
These include:
- Race
- Color
- Religion
- National origin
- Sex (including sexual orientation and gender identity)
- Marital status
- Age (if the applicant is old enough to enter into a contract)
- Receipt of income from any public assistance program
- Exercising in good faith a right under the Consumer Credit Protection Act, which includes consumer protection statutes relating to credit.
State or local law may prohibit discrimination on additional grounds.
This means that a creditor may not use any of the above grounds as a reason to:
- Refuse you credit if you qualify for it
- Discourage you from applying for credit
- Provide you credit on terms that are different from the terms given to someone else who is similarly situated to you, such as having similar creditworthiness
- Close your existing account
Submit a complaint with the CFPB
If you believe a lender has discriminated against you for any reason, you can submit a complaint with the CFPB online or by calling (855) 411-CFPB (2372). You’ll need the dates, amounts, and other details about your complaint before submitting. We’ll provide you a way to monitor the status and progress of your complaint.