<P> In the 1960s, sociologist John McKnight coined the term "redlining" to describe the discriminatory practice of fencing off areas where banks would avoid investments based on community demographics . During the heyday of redlining, the areas most frequently discriminated against were black inner city neighborhoods . For example, in Atlanta in the 1980s, a Pulitzer Prize - winning series of articles by investigative reporter Bill Dedman showed that banks would often lend to lower - income whites but not to middle - or upper - income blacks . The use of blacklists is a related mechanism also used by redliners to keep track of groups, areas, and people that the discriminating party feels should be denied business or aid or other transactions . In the academic literature, redlining falls under the broader category of credit rationing . </P> <Table> <Tr> <Th_colspan="2"> Part of a series of articles on Racial segregation </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Td_colspan="2"> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th_colspan="2"> South Africa </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Td_colspan="2"> <Ul> <Li> Apartheid legislation </Li> <Li> Bantustan </Li> <Li> Bantu Education Act </Li> <Li> Group Areas Acts </Li> <Li> Pass laws </Li> </Ul> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th_colspan="2"> United States </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Td_colspan="2"> <Ul> <Li> Separate but equal </Li> <Li> Sundown town </Li> <Li> Black Codes </Li> <Li> Jim Crow laws </Li> <Li> Auto - segregation </Li> <Li> Residential segregation </Li> <Li> Housing segregation </Li> <Li> Blockbusting </Li> <Li> Racial steering </Li> <Li> Redlining </Li> <Li> School segregation </Li> </Ul> <Ul> <Li> Segregation academy </Li> <Li> Black school </Li> </Ul> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td_colspan="2"> <Ul> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> </Ul> </Td> </Tr> </Table> <Tr> <Th_colspan="2"> Part of a series of articles on Racial segregation </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Th_colspan="2"> South Africa </Th> </Tr>

The fair housing act prohibits discrimination created by redlining