**A mortgage for someone’s personal home is generally consumer credit under federal consumer protection law.** Your bank may nevertheless use “consumer loans” as a narrower department or reporting category that excludes mortgages. The distinction depends on **which law or classification system you mean**.

Under the Truth in Lending Act’s implementing regulation, Regulation Z, “consumer credit” means credit extended to a consumer primarily for “personal, family, or household purposes.” The main test is **the loan’s purpose**, rather than whether it has collateral. [Regulation Z, § 1026.2(a)(12)](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/rules-policy/regulations/1026/2/)

Common examples include:

| Loan or credit product | Consumer purpose example | Structure |
|---|---|---|
| Auto, boat, or RV loan | Buying a vehicle for personal use | Usually secured, closed-end |
| Personal or debt consolidation loan | Paying household expenses or consolidating personal debts | Usually closed-end; secured or unsecured |
| Credit card or personal line of credit | Financing personal purchases | Usually unsecured, open-end |
| Education loan | Paying for personal education | Usually unsecured, closed-end |
| Home purchase mortgage or refinance | Buying or refinancing your own home | Secured by real estate, usually closed-end |
| Home equity loan | Financing home improvements or personal expenses | Secured by the home, closed-end |
| Home equity line of credit—HELOC | Borrowing as needed for household expenses | Secured by the home, open-end |

“Closed-end” generally means a particular loan amount with an agreed repayment schedule; “open-end” generally permits repeated borrowing as credit becomes available again. These categories overlap with the consumer-purpose classification. [Regulation Z definitions](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/rules-policy/regulations/1026/2/)

**Vehicle loans and home equity loans are not automatically consumer credit.** A vehicle loan for a business truck, or a home-secured loan used primarily to fund a business, can be business-purpose credit. Using someone’s home as collateral does not by itself make the borrowing consumer-purpose. Mixed-purpose and rental-property transactions require closer analysis. [Regulation Z exemptions and interpretations](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/rules-policy/regulations/1026/3/)

Your bank’s terminology may reflect its organizational structure or regulatory lending categories. For example, the OCC treats mortgages and home equity lending together as **residential real estate lending**. Federal savings associations also have separate statutory lending authorities for residential loans and consumer loans under the Home Owners’ Loan Act. Those classifications serve different purposes from Regulation Z’s definition. Without your bank’s policy, its reason for the distinction remains uncertain. [OCC residential lending overview](https://www.occ.gov/publications-and-resources/publications/comptrollers-handbook/files/residential-real-estate-lending/index-residential-real-estate-lending.html), [12 U.S.C. § 1464(c)](https://www.govinfo.gov/link/uscode/12/1464)

The major federal-law differences are:

- **Truth in Lending Act / Regulation Z:** Generally governs covered consumer credit disclosures, including APR and finance charges. Most closed-end consumer mortgages have Loan Estimate and Closing Disclosure requirements; HELOCs follow separate home equity disclosure rules. [Mortgage disclosures](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/rules-policy/regulations/1026/19/), [HELOC requirements](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/rules-policy/regulations/1026/40/)
- **Mortgage underwriting rules:** Many closed-end consumer loans secured by a dwelling—including home equity loans—are subject to ability-to-repay requirements. HELOCs are excluded from that particular rule. [§ 1026.43](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/rules-policy/regulations/1026/43/)
- **Right to cancel:** Certain refinances, home equity loans, and HELOCs secured by a principal residence generally carry a three-business-day rescission right, subject to exceptions. A mortgage financing the purchase of that home generally does not. [Closed-end rescission](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/rules-policy/regulations/1026/23/), [Open-end rescission](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/rules-policy/regulations/1026/15/)
- **RESPA / Regulation X:** Applies to covered mortgage transactions, with settlement and servicing requirements and exemptions. It does not generally govern ordinary auto or unsecured personal loans. [RESPA coverage](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/rules-policy/regulations/1024/5/)
- **ECOA / Regulation B:** Prohibits unlawful credit discrimination and governs matters such as adverse-action notices. It covers business credit as well as consumer credit. [Regulation B scope](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/rules-policy/regulations/1002/1/)
- **FCRA:** Governs use of consumer reports and related notice obligations, including in mortgage lending. [FTC guidance](https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/using-consumer-reports-credit-decisions-what-know-about-adverse-action-risk-based-pricing-notices)
- **HMDA / Regulation C:** Requires covered institutions to report covered mortgage applications and loans; some business-purpose dwelling loans are also reportable. [Regulation C coverage](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/rules-policy/regulations/1003/3/)

For your work, the useful clarification to obtain internally is **which policy, report, or legal provision excludes mortgages from “consumer loans.”** That exclusion may be appropriate for that category, but it does not remove an otherwise covered mortgage from federal consumer protection requirements.