<P> The Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA) is a United States law (codified at 15 U.S.C. § 1691 et seq .), enacted 28 October 1974, that makes 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, sex, marital status, or age (provided the applicant has the capacity to contract); to the fact that all or part of the applicant's income derives from a public assistance program; or to the fact that the applicant has in good faith exercised any right under the Consumer Credit Protection Act . The law applies to any person who, in the ordinary course of business, regularly participates in a credit decision, including banks, retailers, bankcard companies, finance companies, and credit unions . </P> <P> Failure to comply with the Equal Credit Opportunity Act's Regulation B can subject a financial institution to civil liability for actual and punitive damages in individual or class actions . Liability for punitive damages can be as much as $10,000 in individual actions and the lesser of $500,000 or 1% of the creditor's net worth in class actions . </P> <P> Among other things, the ECOA states that it is illegal for creditors to: </P> <Ul> <Li> Discriminate based on race, sex, age, national origin, or marital status, or because one receives public assistance . </Li> <Li> Ask about marital status if a candidate is applying for separate, unsecured credit, with one exception: one can be asked about marital status if one lives in a community property state . No matter what the state of residence is, joint credit (credit shared by a married couple) or credit secured with property is exempt from this . </Li> <Li> Ask the candidate if they plan to have children or additional children, but creditors can ask about the number, ages, and financial obligations relating to all existing children . </Li> <Li> Disallow regular sources of income, such as reliable veteran's benefits, welfare payments, Social Security payments, alimony, child support, etc . Nor may they refuse to consider or discount any income earned from a part - time job, pension, annuity, or retirement benefits program . </Li> </Ul>

Which of the following is an unlawful purpose for a credit report