A set of eight tests at auto dealers in Virginia found that justover half the time white buyers were offered better financing thannon-whites even though the white buyers had worse credit scores, aconsumer group reported Thursday.

The National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA) based in Washington,D.C., said its investigation shows the persistence of practicesthat create and sustain racial and ethnic wealth gaps in the UnitedStates.

The test design was modeled after one long used in the housingmarket. For each pair of tests, the shoppers were the same genderand close to the same age. In seven tests, the non-white shopperhad a higher income. In the eighth test the non-white tester had alower income, but also a lower debt-to-income ratio.