Your rights in the United States
Two federal laws protect you when AI is used in credit decisions. The Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA) requires lenders to provide written adverse action notices within 30 days with specific reasons. The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) requires lenders to tell you if a consumer report was used. Crucially, regulators have made clear that the reason must be specific and human-readable — the algorithm decided is not sufficient. File complaints with the CFPB if lenders fail to provide adequate reasons.
Your rights in the EU and UK
Under GDPR Article 22, you have the right not to be subject to credit decisions based solely on automated processing that produce legal or similarly significant effects. Contact the lender's DPO in writing, reference Article 22, and request human review and an explanation. Escalate to your national data protection authority if the response is inadequate.
Your rights in Australia
The National Consumer Credit Protection Act requires lenders to make credit decisions reasonably and to explain decisions on request. File complaints with AFCA and the Australian Human Rights Commission if you believe discrimination occurred.
