Redlining is the name given to a discriminatory lending practice dating back to the 1930s when lenders would draw red lines on maps around neighborhoods that were predominantly Black as a way to deny a mortgage, claiming it was high risk.

While laws beginning in the 1960s have banned the practice, regulators will still cite lenders for similar behaviors when their lending patterns show a protected class was discriminated against by being denied financial services (or charged higher rates or fees in some cases) even though they are creditworthy applicants.