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6. Inquire about your plans for having or raising children.
7. Ask if you receive alimony, child support, or separate mainte- nance payments, unless you’re first told that you don’t have to provide this information if you won’t rely on these payments to get credit. A creditor may ask if you have to pay alimony, child support, or separate maintenance payments.
Determining Whether or not to Extend Credit
When deciding whether or not to extend you credit, a creditor may not:
1. Consider your sex, marital status, race, national origin, or religion.
2. Consider whether you have a telephone listing in your name. A creditor may consider whether you have a phone.
3. Consider the race of people in the neighborhood where you want to buy, refinance, or improve a house with borrowed money.
4. Consider your age, unless:
A. You’re too young to sign contracts, generally younger than 18 years of age;
B. You’re 62 or older, and the creditor will favor you because of your age;
C. It’s used to determine the meaning of other factors important to creditworthiness. For example, a creditor could use your age to determine if your income might drop because you’re about to retire;
D. It’s used in a valid scoring system that favors applicants age 62 and older. A credit-scoring system assigns points to answers you provide to credit application questions. For
Credit Discrimination and the Equal Opportunity Act
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