A federal statute (15 U.S.C § 1691) that prohibits creditors from discriminating in any aspect of a credit transaction on the basis of an applicant's race, color, religion, national origin, sex, marital status or age (if the applicant is legally capable of entering a contract). It also prohibits discrimination based on the applicant deriving income from a public assistance program. The law is designed to regulate all entities who participate in credit decisions in their ordinary course of business, such as banks, retailers, credit unions and credit card issuers.