The Home Mortgage Disclosure Act was enacted by Congress in 1975 and is implemented by the Federal Reserve Board's Regulation C. This regulation provides the public with loan data that can be used to assist: in determining whether financial institutions are serving the housing needs of their communities; public officials in distributing public-sector investments so as to attract private investment to areas where it is needed; and in identifying possible discriminatory lending patterns. This regulation applies to certain financial institutions, including banks, savings associations, credit unions, and other mortgage lending institutions.