Tribal Trust Land Homeownership Act of 2025
The Tribal Trust Land Homeownership Act of 2025 would require the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) to establish firm processing deadlines for mortgage packages tied to Indian land, including residential leasehold mortgages, business leasehold mortgages, land mortgages, and certain right-of-way documents. The bill creates a structured timeline for initial review, approval/disapproval, and the delivery of certified title status reports, with specific notice requirements to lenders. It also mandates read-only access to land records in TAAMS for relevant federal agencies and Indian Tribes, requires an annual Congress-facing report on processing performance, and directs a Government Accountability Office study on digitizing land records to speed up mortgage processing. Finally, the bill would establish a Realty Ombudsman within the BIA to monitor compliance, facilitate interagency communication, and handle inquiries and complaints from Tribes and lenders. In short, the bill aims to speed up and bring more transparency to mortgage processing on Indian trust land by imposing deadlines, standardizing notices and report deliveries, enhancing information access, and adding an independent ombudsperson to oversee operations and resolve issues.
Key Points
- 1Deadline-driven mortgage processing: The bill sets concrete timelines for reviewing and deciding on mortgage packages (leasehold and land mortgages, and right-of-way documents), including a 10-day preliminary review, and specific final decision windows (20 days for leasehold mortgages; 30 days for land mortgages and right-of-way documents) after complete submission.
- 2Title status report requirements and notices: After approval of a mortgage package, the BIA must process first and subsequent certified title status reports within set timeframes and notify the lender of completion, with notices delivered electronically (and by mail) and an option for lenders to opt out of electronic notices.
- 3Access to TAAMS and document delivery: The bill requires read-only access to TAAMS for relevant federal agencies and Tribes, and directs that title status reports be delivered directly to lenders, BIA offices, the federal agency insuring/guaranteeing the loan, and others upon request.
- 4Realty Ombudsman: The Act would create a Realty Ombudsman within the BIA to ensure deadlines are met, handle notices and inquiries, liaison with other federal agencies, and resolve complaints from Tribes, members, and lenders.
- 5Oversight, reporting, and digitization study: An annual report to Congress would track requests, deadline performance, and reasons for delays, while the GAO would study the need and cost of digitizing mortgage-related records to streamline processing, including timeframes and potential Tribal support.