Using Equal Opportunity Lender Statement/Logo

There is often confusion about the proper use of the statement or logo for Equal Opportunity Lender. When it was first introduced, the interpretation was to use Equal Housing Lender (EHL) logo for real estate loan marketing and the Equal Opportunity Lender (EOL) logo for auto and credit card marketing. In reality, EHL and EOL were both created just for real estate lending, particularly mortgages.

The Housing and Urban Development (HUD) regulation for Fair Housing Advertising is 54 FR 3308, Jan. 23, 1989 PART 109–FAIR HOUSING ADVERTISING, 109.30 Fair housing policy and practices subparagraph (a) Use of Equal Housing Opportunity logotype, statement, or slogan.

This regulation states, in part, “All advertising of residential real estate for sale, rent, or financing should contain an equal housing opportunity logotype, statement, or slogan as a means of educating the homeseeking public that the property is
available to all persons regardless of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, or national origin. The choice of logotype, statement or slogan will depend on the type of media used (visual or auditory) and, in space advertising, on the size of the advertisement…”

If you are asked by the examiners to create marketing and advertising policies and procedures, give us a call. We can customize it to fit your financial institution. One other area where we can help that is of interest to examiners, is your policy for how outsourced marketing and web maintenance is handled in terms of a check and balance for compliance issues.

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