Tribal Trust Land Homeownership Act of 2025

This bill would speed up how the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) handles mortgages and right‑of‑way paperwork on Indian land. It sets clear timelines: a 10‑day preliminary check after receiving an application and a 2‑day notice if anything is missing; final decisions within 20 days for mortgages tied to leases and 30 days for land mortgages and right‑of‑way documents, with written reasons if a loan is denied . It also requires quick title status reports—within 10 days after approval or 14 days after a request—and notice to lenders when those reports are ready; if the agency misses a deadline, it must immediately tell the applicant and lender and respond to update requests within 2 days. BIA must also let lenders know when it receives the paperwork.

The bill directs BIA to deliver title status reports directly to lenders and the relevant federal agency that insures or guarantees the loan, and it opens read‑only access to land records in the BIA’s TAAMS system for federal agencies and tribes starting the day this becomes law. It requires a yearly report by March 1 on how fast requests are handled, orders a GAO study within one year on digitizing records to speed things up, and creates a Realty Ombudsman inside BIA to track deadlines, work with other agencies, and help tribes, tribal members, and lenders resolve problems; some tribal‑run leasing cases are exempt from the deadlines .

• Who is affected: Tribal members seeking home or business loans on trust land, tribal governments, lenders, and the BIA.
• What changes: Faster timelines for review and decisions, quicker title status reports, required notices of delays, and direct delivery of reports; read‑only access to BIA land records for agencies and tribes; a new Realty Ombudsman to solve problems .
• When: TAAMS access begins on the day this becomes law; the GAO report is due within one year; the BIA’s performance report is due each year by March 1 .