H.R. 2130 — Tribal Trust Land Homeownership Act of 2025

This section defines 11 terms used in the Act, including "applicable Bureau office" (i.e., a regional, agency, or land titles and records office of the Bureau of Indian Affairs); "Bureau" (i.e., Bureau of Indian Affairs); "land mortgage" (i.e., a mortgage by an individual Indian trust land owner for home acquisition, construction, improvements, or economic development); "leasehold mortgage" (i.e., a mortgage or deed of trust securing a lessee's debt with a leasehold interest); "mortgage package" (i.e., a proposed residential or business leasehold mortgage, land mortgage, or right-of-way document submitted to a Bureau office); and "relevant Federal agency" (i.e., the Department of Agriculture, Department of Housing and Urban Development, or Department of Veterans Affairs).

This section establishes deadlines for applicable Bureau of Indian Affairs offices to review and process proposed residential leasehold mortgages, business leasehold mortgages, land mortgages, and right-of-way documents on restricted Indian lands. Deadlines include (1) notification to the lender upon receipt; (2) preliminary review within 10 calendar days to verify complete documentation, with notice of missing documents within 2 calendar days; (3) approval or disapproval in writing within 20 calendar days for leasehold mortgages and 30 calendar days for land mortgages and right-of-way documents (with stated basis for any disapproval; excluding certain tribal self-leases under 25 U.S.C. 415(h)); and (4) certified title status reports within 10 calendar days after approval (or 14 calendar days for a first report upon request), with notice to the lender electronically and by mail. If deadlines are missed, the Bureau office must immediately notify the submitter and lender and respond to inquiries within 2 calendar days.

This section establishes within the Division of Real Estate Services of the Bureau of Indian Affairs the position of Realty Ombudsman, who reports directly to the Secretary of the Interior. The Realty Ombudsman must (1) ensure applicable Bureau offices meet mortgage review and processing deadlines and comply with required notices under section 3; (2) serve as a liaison to other federal agencies by ensuring responsiveness to their inquiries and facilitating communications on mortgages on Indian land; and (3) receive inquiries, questions, and complaints from Indian Tribes, tribal members, and lenders regarding executed residential leasehold mortgages, business leasehold mortgages, land mortgages, or right-of-way documents, and act as intermediary in resolving them with the Bureau.