Final answer:
Fair lending laws allow for the collection of a loan applicant's race for HMDA data purposes but do not allow for questions about future family plans or religion. Option a is the correct answer.
Step-by-step explanation:
According to fair lending laws, loan applicants may be asked to disclose their race for HMDA data collection purposes. This information is requested by the Federal Government to monitor the lender's compliance with equal credit opportunity, fair housing, and home mortgage disclosure laws. Borrowers are not obligated to furnish this information, but if they opt to, they must provide both ethnicity and race. Other criteria like plans for having children, stopping work after having children, or religious beliefs are not permissible for data collection under these laws. Lenders are prohibited from discriminating on the basis of this information or whether or not it is furnished by the applicant.