The equal opportunity lender logo is the house-shaped symbol that banks, credit unions, mortgage brokers, and other housing-related businesses are required by federal regulation to display, signaling that they make lending and housing decisions without illegal discrimination. Two official versions exist. The “Equal Housing Lender” logo is used mainly by FDIC-supervised banks and NCUA-supervised credit unions. The “Equal Housing Opportunity” logo, prescribed by HUD, is used by real estate brokers, property managers, developers, and other housing providers. Both feature the same recognizable house icon with a prominent chimney.
Which Version You Need
The choice depends on who regulates you. FDIC-supervised banks that make home loans display the Equal Housing Lender poster under 12 CFR 338.4, which references both the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Credit Opportunity Act and directs complaints to HUD and the FDIC. An FDIC-supervised bank may satisfy the poster obligation with either version.1eCFR. 12 CFR 338.4 – Fair Housing Poster
The Equal Housing Opportunity version is prescribed by HUD at 24 CFR 110.25 and applies to anyone subject to the Fair Housing Act’s housing provisions, which reaches well beyond lenders.2eCFR. 24 CFR 110.25 – Fair Housing Poster
Who Has to Display It
Any FDIC-supervised institution that makes loans to purchase, build, improve, or repair a home, or any loan secured by a dwelling, must display the poster and use the logotype in its advertising.3eCFR. 12 CFR 338.3 – Nondiscriminatory Advertising Credit unions have a parallel obligation under 12 CFR 701.31(d), which requires an Equal Housing Lender poster in every office where residential loans are made.4National Credit Union Administration. Fair Housing Act (FHA)
HUD’s fair housing poster rules at 24 CFR Part 110 extend to a wider group: mortgage brokers, appraisers, real estate agents, and developers engaged in residential real estate-related transactions. They must post the HUD Equal Housing Opportunity poster at every place of business involved in the covered activity.5eCFR. 24 CFR Part 110 – Fair Housing Poster
Lobby Poster Rules
For FDIC-supervised banks, 12 CFR 338.4 requires the poster in every office where deposits are received or dwelling-secured loans are made. It has to hang in a central, prominent spot clearly visible to anyone walking in, and it must measure at least 11 by 14 inches.1eCFR. 12 CFR 338.4 – Fair Housing Poster The HUD poster carries the same minimum size.2eCFR. 24 CFR 110.25 – Fair Housing Poster
The poster’s text is prescribed. It describes the types of lending discrimination prohibited by the Fair Housing Act, lists ECOA’s protected categories (including marital status and public-assistance income, which the Fair Housing Act does not cover), and provides addresses for filing complaints with both HUD and the FDIC.1eCFR. 12 CFR 338.4 – Fair Housing Poster
In 2023, the FDIC updated the poster to reflect a name change of its complaint-handling office, now the National Center for Consumer and Depositor Assistance, and to add the FDIC’s online complaint portal address.6Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. FDIC Updates Equal Housing Lender Posters Banks still displaying the old version are out of compliance. Credit unions must display the poster in the public lobby and in every office where residential real estate loans are made.4National Credit Union Administration. Fair Housing Act (FHA)
Advertising Rules
The lobby poster is only part of the obligation. Under 12 CFR 338.3, every advertisement for a dwelling-related loan by an FDIC-supervised institution must prominently indicate that the lender makes loans without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, handicap, or familial status.3eCFR. 12 CFR 338.3 – Nondiscriminatory Advertising Print, digital, and broadcast ads are all covered.
For written and visual ads, including newspaper listings, website banners, social media posts, and brochures, the requirement can be met by including the Equal Housing Lender or Equal Housing Opportunity logotype. For radio or other oral advertising, an institution can instead state that it is an “Equal Housing Lender” or an “Equal Opportunity Lender” in the spoken portion. When a commercial combines audio and visual elements, either method works.3eCFR. 12 CFR 338.3 – Nondiscriminatory Advertising
The rule reaches the content of the ad as well. No advertisement may contain any words, symbols, or imagery that express or imply a discriminatory preference, even if the required logotype appears elsewhere in the same ad.3eCFR. 12 CFR 338.3 – Nondiscriminatory Advertising Adding the logo does not cure discriminatory copy or imagery around it.
Sizing the Logo in Advertisements
When the logotype is scaled down for ads, it has to stay proportionate to the format. HUD guidance suggests roughly a two-inch square in half-page or larger ads, one inch square for eighth-page to half-page ads, and a half-inch square for smaller ads down to four column inches. Advertisements smaller than four column inches may use the Equal Housing Opportunity slogan in text form instead of the graphic. In every case the logo must be clearly legible; shrinking it to near-invisibility or burying it in fine print invites examiner scrutiny.
Where to Download the Logo
HUD provides official Equal Housing Opportunity logo files for free at hud.gov/contactus/hudgraphics.7U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Equal Housing Opportunity Graphics for Printing Files come in sizes from 0.50 inches to 4.00 inches, in TIF, EPS, and BMP formats. The 0.50-inch version works for small digital placements, and the 2.00-inch or larger versions suit print materials and lobby displays. For the Equal Housing Lender version specifically, FDIC-supervised institutions should reference the poster format in 12 CFR 338.4(b) or contact their regional FDIC office for the current template reflecting the 2023 contact-information updates.
Reporting a Missing Logo or Actual Discrimination
If you walk into a bank or mortgage office and don’t see the required poster, that is a compliance issue, and where you report it depends on the institution. Complaints about FDIC-supervised banks go to the FDIC’s National Center for Consumer and Depositor Assistance at ask.fdic.gov.6Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. FDIC Updates Equal Housing Lender Posters Complaints about credit unions go to the NCUA.
If you believe you actually experienced housing discrimination, not just missing signage, you can file a complaint with HUD online, by calling 1-800-669-9777, or by mail.8U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Report Housing Discrimination