By Sherry Byers, CPN Housing Department Home Ownership Manager
The end of 2018 marks an important milestone at the Citizen Potawatomi Nation Housing Department — two decades using the One Time Grant Program. It has evolved and improved over the course of time, assisting hundreds of Tribal members with funds for down payments, closing costs, construction or refinancing of a home.
A key to the program’s success has been its association with First National Bank & Trust Co., a CPN-owned bank. The Tribal financial institution offers most loan programs that other lending institutions provide except for those suggested with predatory lending services.
Despite its success, there are many CPN members unaware of the program or that the Nation owns a bank with several branches across Oklahoma.
All Citizen Potawatomi tribal members are eligible to receive the grant one-time only. The maximum amount available is $2,125 and does not have to be repaid.
The grant cannot be used for:
- Any type of mobile home
- A home where a felon resides
- A home being purchased as a secondary or vacation residence
To qualify, a CPN Tribal member’s name must be on the loan. The application must be completed thoroughly with the following:
- A copy of the borrower’s CPN membership card
- A copy of Social Security cards for household members without Tribal ID cards
- A copy of the loan estimate from a lender
- Income verification for all household members (either the most recent 3-4 pay stubs or the last two years of tax returns)
- Name of the closing entity (Title Co., Escrow Co., Attorney, etc.)
- Completed W-9 form
- Copy of appraisal when available
The application and support information must be in the CPN Housing Department’s hands at least three weeks before the closing date. This gives our office enough time to get the paperwork processed and the check mailed back to the Tribal member by the specified date.
This grant may be used after closing, in which case the required paperwork must be in our office at least 30 days from the loan closing date.
To request the application and/or general information regarding the One Time Grant, please contact me at 405-273-2833 or sbyers@potawatomi.org. For more information on housing opportunities at CPN, please visit cpn.news/housing.
For information regarding loan products and lending requirements at First National Bank & Trust Co., please contact Jeff Scroggins, mortgage loan officer at 405-275-8830 or 1-800-227-8362. To learn more about FNB, please visit www.fnbokla.bank.