Indian Home Loan Suspended As Result Of Federal Budget Cuts

The effects of sequestration are starting to impact people here at home.

A Verdigris family planned to use a special loan called the Section 184 Indian Home Loan to buy a new home. The loan funded by the federal government and is specifically for Native Americans.

Just days before closing on the new house, they found out their loan isn't going to happen.

"It just completely changes the whole financial situation," said Emily Williams.

Williams and her husband are first time home buyers.

They're members of the Cherokee Nation and were in negotiations to use the Indian Home Loan to buy their new house.

That was until the sequester threw a monkey wrench in their plans.

"I think, in the state that our country is in, it's going to have to hit everyone eventually, but I did not expect it to hit me now and here," Williams said.

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She was scheduled to close on the house in less than two weeks, and now she's forced to use a different type of loan.

"It's going to increase our down payment. It's going to increase our PMI. It's going to change everything," Williams said. "It's going to almost triple our down payment."

With this loan home buyers are required to put a 2.25 percent down payment.

Using a standard Federal Housing Administration loan, the percentage is bumped to 3.5 percent.

"On a $100,000 house, that's like $1,200 difference," said loan officer Todd Sparks.

He said the Williams family isn't alone.

"I work with a lot of real estate agents in the community and I sent out an email to everybody, and I said, ‘Hey, if you've got somebody that you're working with right now, you better take a look at this,'" Sparks said.

He said the Indian Home loan is not funded through the annual federal budget, and that's why it was first to get cut.

"This Section 184 loan is kind of an ‘as needed' basis, so when Congress realized they were on a freeze, they were on a sequester, they're going to go ahead and chop off everything that they're not required to spend money on," Sparks said.

The loan officer said Congress will decide if they will lift the suspension on the loan on March 27, 2013.

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