Under the Equal Credit Opportunity Act:

• Within 30 days after your application has been completed, you must be notified whether or not your request for credit has been approved.
• If you are denied credit, you must be notified in writing - specific reasons must be given or you must be told of your right to ask for an explanation.
• If you are denied credit, ask for an explanation. It may be something simple (like not being employed or living long enough in the community), or it may be that you have too many outstanding debts. The key is to find out why your application was denied so that you know what to do in the future to get approved.