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16 SHOULD CONSUMER PROTECTIONS ACCOUNT FOR FINTECH? e global health crisis is harming many Americans' financial histories, which, in the long run, could prevent large numbers of families from securing lending for a home. While federal proposals and programs have sought to safeguard consumers' FICO credit scores, an editorial published on NextCity. com argues that these protections do not consider the emerging fintech mortgage sector. Authors Tyler Haupert and Gayatri Kawlra, both doctoral candidates in Urban Planning at Columbia University's Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation, point out that fintech lenders generally supplement traditional metrics of credit with an assortment of "big data sources to ascertain potential borrowers' creditworthiness. ey say that legislators have yet to file protections for borrowers using fintech. "Policymakers must ensure fintech lenders do not penalize consumers for recent damages to their data profiles, especially since consumer data collection has proliferated during the pandemic, often unevenly across the lines of race, age, and income level," they note. "Government responses and media attention focused on the economic crisis' impact on future homeownership have focused narrowly on protecting traditional FICO credit scores." e article highlights several acts and plans to protect credit scores, including a plan Joe Biden has promised to implement; however, they continue, none of the measures protect consumers who have turned to fintech mortgage lenders (which, they add, includes some of the nation's biggest mortgage lending companies). "Like credit scores used by traditional lenders, consumers' online data profiles are sure to be damaged, and borrowers should not be denied access to loans or given subprime credit by fintech lenders due to economic factors well beyond their control," they continue. Lawmakers and regulators such as the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau should draft and implement legislation preventing fintech lenders from incorporating consumer data reflecting the pandemic's economic impact into their future lending decisions." e authors conclude that rulemaking for fintech lenders could result in a more inclusive mortgage-lending environment and "recognition of the importance of consumers' online behavior in shaping their financial outcomes." "e pandemic will leave its mark, not only on society's physical and emotional well-being but also on its digital health," they wrote. "Without swift intervention, fintech mortgage lending outcomes will reflect this damage by deeming some borrowers financial risks, simply because their struggles against a health risk were tracked online." Journal