ATLANTA--Finance institutions are considering using vehicle make as a factor in determining a car buyer's creditworthiness.

This month, some speakers at the Consumer Banker's Assocation's annual conference in Atlanta said they believe there is a correlation between people's vehicle choices and the way they manage debt, according to Automotive News. As long as the correlation is well documented, using it to determine loan rates isn't discriminatory, they said.

Charter One Auto Finance said it has enough data to substantiate using vehicle make as a criterion for lending. It also looks at vehicle age and the state or region the customer resides in as criteria. Chase Manhattan Automotive Finance Corp. is also looking at vehicle make, model and age as risk factors, said senior vice president Joseph Scimone.

Lenders are constantly seeking to fine-tune their methods for determining creditworthiness. The better they are at predicting risk, the lower their costs.

Critics say such a move would create legal problems and that some dealerships would be at a competitive disadvantage because of the makes they sell.

Legal claims could follow also if this practice appeared to discriminate against minorities, said Stuart Rossman, director of litigation at Boston's National Consumer Law Center.