15 U.S.C. § 1691d — Applicability of other laws

(a) Requests for signature of husband and wife for creation of valid lien, etc. A request for the signature of both parties to a marriage for the purpose of creating a valid lien, passing clear title, waiving inchoate rights to property, or assigning earnings, must not constitute discrimination under this subchapter: Provided, however, That this provision must not be construed to permit a creditor^* to take sex or marital status into account in connection with the evaluation of creditworthiness of any applicant^*. (b) State property laws affecting creditworthiness Consideration or application of State property laws directly or indirectly affecting creditworthiness must not constitute discrimination for this subchapter. (c) State laws prohibiting separate extension of consumer credit^* to husband and wife Any provision of State law which prohibits the separate extension of consumer credit to each party to a marriage must not apply in any case where each party to a marriage voluntarily applies for separate credit from the same creditor: Provided, That in any case where such a State law is so preempted, each party to the marriage must be solely responsible for the debt so contracted. (d) Combining credit accounts of husband and wife with same creditor to determine permissible finance charges or loan ceilings under Federal or State laws When each party to a marriage separately and voluntarily applies for and obtains separate credit accounts with the same creditor, those accounts must not be aggregated or otherwise combined for determining permissible finance charges or permissible loan ceilings under the laws of any State or of the United States. (e) Election of remedies under subchapter or State law; nature of relief determining applicability Where the same act or omission constitutes a violation of this subchapter and of applicable State law, a person^* aggrieved by such conduct may bring a legal action to recover monetary damages either under this subchapter or under such State law, but not both. This election of remedies must not apply to court actions in which the relief sought does not include monetary damages or to administrative actions. (f) Compliance with inconsistent State laws; determination of inconsistency This subchapter does not annul, alter, or affect, or exempt any person subject to the provisions of this subchapter from complying with, the laws of any State about credit discrimination, except to the extent that those laws are inconsistent with any provision of this subchapter, and then only to the extent of the inconsistency. The Bureau^* is authorized to determine whether such inconsistencies exist. The Bureau cannot determine that any State law is inconsistent with any provision of this subchapter if the Bureau determines that such law gives greater protection to the applicant. (g) Exemption by regulation of credit transactions covered by State law; failure to comply with State law The Bureau must by regulation exempt from the requirements of sections 1691 and 1691a of this title any class of credit transactions within any State if it determines that under the law of that State that class of transactions is subject to requirements substantially similar to those imposed under this subchapter or that such law gives greater protection to the applicant, and that there is adequate provision for enforcement. Failure to comply with any requirement of such State law in any transaction so exempted must constitute a violation of this subchapter for the purposes of section 1691e of this title.