If a mortgage lender refuses to make a mortgage loan to a single mother, which law has been violated?

The Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA) is the law that has been violated in this scenario. This federal law prohibits lenders from discriminating against applicants based on certain characteristics, including race, color, religion, national origin, sex, marital status, and age, as well as because they receive public assistance. By refusing to make a mortgage loan to a single mother, the lender is potentially discriminating based on her marital status or gender, which directly contravenes the principles set forth in the ECOA.

While other laws, like the Fair Housing Act, aim to prevent discrimination in housing-related transactions, the ECOA specifically addresses lending practices and credit decisions. The Community Reinvestment Act focuses on encouraging banks to meet the credit needs of the communities in which they operate, particularly low- and moderate-income neighborhoods, but it does not govern individual lending decisions. The Housing and Urban Development Act deals with housing programs and would not apply to individual loan refusals in a discriminatory manner.