The Congress finds that some depository institutions have sometimes contributed to the decline of certain geographic areas by their failure pursuant to their chartering responsibilities to provide adequate home financing to qualified applicants on reasonable terms and conditions.

The purpose of this chapter is to provide the citizens and public officials of the United States with sufficient information to enable them to determine whether depository institutions are filling their obligations to serve the housing needs of the communities and neighborhoods in which they are located and to assist public officials in their determination of the distribution of public sector investments in a manner designed to improve the private investment environment.

Nothing in this chapter is intended to, nor shall it be construed to, encourage unsound lending practices or the allocation of credit.

(Pub. L. 94–200, title III, §302, Dec. 31, 1975, 89 Stat. 1125.)

Section 301 of title III of Pub. L. 94–200 provided that: “This title [this chapter] may be cited as the ‘Home Mortgage Disclosure Act of 1975’.”