On February 23, eight federal agencies including the CFPB, FDIC,
OCC, Federal Reserve Board, NCUA, HUD, DOJ, and FHFA
issued an interagency statement to remind creditors of the
ability under the ECOA and Regulation B to establish special
purpose credit programs (SPCPs) to meet the credit needs of
specified classes of persons. According to an accompanying
blog, the CFPB stated that "lenders are permitted to
design and implement SPCPs to extend credit to a class of persons
who would otherwise be denied credit or would receive it on less
favorable terms, under certain conditions."
ECOA and Regulation B make it unlawful for any creditor to
discriminate against any applicant, with respect to any aspect of a
credit transaction on the basis of race, color, religion, national
origin, or sex. Lenders may, however, favorably consider prohibited
factors such as race or ethnicity in connection with SPCPs. While
encouraging creditors to explore opportunities to develop