The CRA was one of several landmark pieces of legislation to address inequities in the credit markets in the wake of the civil rights movement.
The Fair Housing Act of 1968 and the Equal Credit Opportunity Act of 1974 addressed lending discrimination in mortgage and consumer credit based on race, sex, and other personal characteristics, while the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) of 1975 and later amendments recognized the importance of data in making these laws enforceable.