Further, loan rejection rates among Asian, black and Hispanic applicants had been cut in half.

While the Fed has not yet made public its data, one official warned a meeting of the American Bankers Association last week that a study would show "dramatic disparities in loan rejection rates."

Myers, Jr., Samuel L. "Government-Sponsored Enterprise Secondary Market Decisions: Effects on Racial Disparities in Home Mortgage Loan Rejection Rates."

Related studies have been conducted by the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, regulators and research entities that confirm that minority borrowers receive loan rejections disproportionately, despite incomes and credit histories comparable to nonminority counterparts.

In the coming months, the loan rejection and even a bankruptcy filing are likely to lead to some cutbacks in service at United, which is based outside of Chicago and has a major hub at O'Hare International Airport there, but travelers should expect the airline to maintain most of its routes, travel agents said.