USDA Pilot Program Aimed at Increasing Tribal Homeownership

Jun 04, 2018

USDA will loan $800,000 each to two Native Community Development Financial Institutions.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has created a pilot program designed to increase homeownership opportunities on Native American tribal lands.

As part of this program, USDA will loan $800,000 each to Mazaska Owecaso Otipit Financial and to Four Bands Community Fund, two Native Community Development Financial Institutions (NCDFIs). These organizations will relend the money to eligible homebuyers for mortgages on eligible South Dakota and North Dakota Tribal trust lands, and they will also service the loans after they are made.

USDA is providing the funding through the Single Family Housing Direct Loan program, and each of the NCDFIs will contribute $200,000 for mortgages in the pilot program. The pilot program will begin this summer, and the USDA Rural Development’s state office in Huron, S.D., will oversee the initiative.

“To thrive, rural America needs a creative and forward-thinking partner in USDA,” said Assistant to the Secretary for Rural Development Anne Hazlett, who added that her Department is “harnessing innovation so we can be a better, more effective partner to Tribal communities in building their futures.”

About the author

Phil Hall

Link copied

Published

Jun 04, 2018

Sales and Marketing

How Originators Are Getting First-Time Buyers To The Closing Table

Three originators shared their first-time buyer strategies during the latest installment of NMP Ignite

The Loan Originators helping first-time buyers in 2026 are not relying on a better mortgage rate to solve every affordability problem.During the latest NMP Ignite webinar, three originators shared distinct approaches to getting buyers to the closing table, from structuring s...

Regulation and Compliance

ROAD Act’s Housing Incentive May Be Too Small To Move Supply

Realtor.com finds the median city risks losing only about $84,000, although the policy could carry more weight in supply-starved Northeast and Midwest markets

A key housing-supply provision in the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act may be too small to unlock meaningful purchase inventory in most markets, according to a Realtor.com analysis.The provision ties a portion of municipalities’ Community Development Block Grant funding to h...

Oct

Denver, CO

More from

Rural Lending

CHLA Warns USDA Relocation Could Disrupt Rural Loan Overhaul

Trade group says the loss of experienced Rural Housing Service staff could complicate delegated underwriting, lender onboarding, and program guidance

Rural Lending

Jul 23, 2026

Friday Harbor Adds AI Pre-Underwriting Support For USDA Loans

The platform alerts production teams to documentation, eligibility, and GUS-related issues before files reach underwriting

Tech

Jul 23, 2026

USDA Streamlines Rural Housing Loans, Grants Lenders More Authority

Delegated underwriting and new borrower portal aim to speed closings, reduce friction, and expand access to credit without changing program rules

Rural Lending

Mar 24, 2026

Rural Housing Markets Feeling The Squeeze

Rural homebuyers need to earn at least $75,000 to afford the typical home, up from $36,000 before the pandemic, with the median home sale price in rural areas up 61% from before the pandemic

Rural Lending

Nov 20, 2025

Rural Lending Covers A Lot Of Ground

Time to look at a different kind of farming system for originators.

Rural Lending

Mar 22, 2022

For Sale By Owner Listings Mostly Used By Rural And Low-Income Sellers

A new report from Zillow found that “For Sale By Owner” listings made up just 4-6% of all monthly listings nationwide and that they are mostly used by rural and low-income sellers.

Analysis and Data

Nov 23, 2021

Popular