Last week was a busy one at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Not only did the CFPB make multiple moves associated with what regulators and the White House dub “junk fees,” the bureau and Justice Department issued a joint statement that reminds financial institutions that all credit applicants are protected from discrimination on the basis of their national origin, race, and other characteristics covered by the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA), regardless of their immigration status.

The CFPB and Justice Department said they issued this statement because consumers have reported being rejected for credit cards as well as for auto financing, as well as student, personal, and equipment loans because of their immigration status.

It’s happened even when officials said these have strong credit histories and ties to the United States and are otherwise qualified to receive the loans.

While the Equal Credit Opportunity Act allows a creditor to consider an applicant’s immigration status when necessary to ascertain the creditor’s rights regarding repayment, officials creditors should be aware that unnecessary or overbroad reliance on immigration status, including when that reliance is based on bias, may run afoul of the law.

“Fair access to credit is crucially important for building wealth and strengthening household financial stability,” CFPB director Rohit Chopra said. “The CFPB will not allow companies to use immigration status as an excuse for illegal discrimination.”

Regulators said some financial institutions have maintained blanket policies denying credit to individuals based on their immigration status, regardless of their personal circumstances and demonstrated ability to repay, arguing that the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, and the regulation that implements it, protect them whenever they consider immigration status in making a credit decision.

Officials said other finance companies have incorrectly claimed that the act shields lenders from liability under other federal and state civil rights laws that bar discrimination on the basis of someone’s status as an immigrant or noncitizen.

The Justice Department and the CFPB said its joint statement explained that while the Equal Credit Opportunity Act allows creditors to consider immigration status when necessary to ascertain the creditor’s rights regarding repayment, “unnecessary or overbroad” reliance on immigration status may violate the Act’s prohibition of discrimination on the basis of national origin, race or another prohibited basis.

The agencies added their joint statement also confirms that neither the Equal Credit Opportunity Act nor its regulations provide companies a safe harbor with respect to other laws barring discrimination on the basis of immigration status.

“Lenders should not deny people the opportunity to take out a loan to buy a home, build their businesses or otherwise pursue their financial goals because of unlawful bias and without regard to their actual ability to repay,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “This guidance reminds lenders that denying someone access to credit based solely on their actual or perceived immigrant status may violate federal law.”