HUD Section 184 Loan
Section 184 is the federal home loan guarantee program for American Indian and Alaska Native families. At least one Section 184 program we offer has no minimum credit score, and borrowers without a score can be reviewed with non-traditional credit.
Quick answer
Saxton Mortgage does. At least one Section 184 program we offer has no minimum credit score, can review borrowers without a score using nontraditional credit, and is underwritten manually. The home must be owner occupied, and single-wide and double-wide manufactured homes built after June 15, 1976 are eligible.
A federal program written for Native homeownership
Section 184 is guaranteed by HUD and designed around Native and Alaska Native families.
- Created for American Indian and Alaska Native families, Alaska villages, tribes, and tribally designated housing entities.
- One program sets no credit score minimum and accepts nontraditional credit*
- Available for the purchase of a home.
- The home must be owner-occupied.
- No minimum credit score requirement with at least one program.
- The borrower must be a U.S. citizen.
For American Indian and Alaska Native families
Guaranteed by HUD
Purchase transactions
Owner-occupied properties only
Non-traditional credit accepted
U.S. citizenship required
What is the Saxton HUD Section 184 Loan?
The Indian Home Loan Guarantee Program, written for Native and Alaska Native homebuyers.
Section 184 is a home mortgage product created specifically for American Indian and Alaska Native families, Alaska villages, tribes, and tribally designated housing entities. It exists because conventional lending has historically been difficult to access for Native homebuyers, particularly on trust and tribal land.
The loan is guaranteed by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. That federal guarantee is what makes lenders able to offer it, and it is the reason the program can be structured around the needs of Native households rather than around a standard underwriting box.
It is a purchase program for owner-occupied homes, and with at least one program the file is underwritten manually rather than by an automated system. The borrower needs to be a U.S. citizen or a lawful permanent resident. Because eligibility runs through tribal enrollment and the property itself can sit in a range of ownership situations, it is worth an early conversation rather than a guess.
Why choose the Saxton HUD Section 184 Loan?
For Native and Alaska Native families who have found conventional financing hard to reach.
Written For This Purpose
This is not a general program with an exception carved out. It was built specifically for American Indian and Alaska Native homeownership.
A Federal Guarantee
HUD stands behind the loan, which is what allows it to work in situations conventional lending often cannot reach.
Tribes And Housing Entities
Eligibility extends beyond individual families to Alaska villages, tribes, and tribally designated housing entities.
No Minimum Credit Score
At least one Section 184 program sets no minimum credit score, and a borrower with no score can be reviewed with non-traditional credit instead.
We Will Walk The Eligibility
Enrollment documentation and the land situation both matter here. We would rather work through it with you early than late.
Underwritten By A Person
With at least one program every Section 184 file is manually underwritten, which is how thin or non-traditional credit gets a full read instead of an automated decline.
Hear From Homeowners Like You
Frequently Asked Questions
Straight answers about the Section 184 Indian Home Loan Guarantee Program.
Saxton Mortgage does. At least one Section 184 program we offer has no minimum credit score, can review borrowers without a score using nontraditional credit, and is underwritten manually. The home must be owner occupied, and single-wide and double-wide manufactured homes built after June 15, 1976 are eligible.
Section 184 requires that one or more borrowers be enrolled members of a federally recognized tribe or of one of five state tribes accepted at one program*. Membership is shown with a tribal enrollment card or a letter from the tribal enrollment office, and the eligible borrower needs U.S. citizenship or lawful permanent residence.
Yes, a Section 184 loan is for an owner-occupied primary residence. If the property has two to four units, you occupy one unit yourself and may lease the others, and anyone added to the note as a co-borrower or cosigner must live there too. Learn more about co-borrower.
Yes, Section 184 allows rate and term, streamline and cash-out refinances. The streamline is limited to loans already backed by Section 184, and a cash-out pays the borrower no more than $25,000 at one program*.
At least one program has no minimum credit score requirement for Section 184. A borrower with no score can be reviewed using non-traditional credit, and the file is underwritten manually. Credit history still matters; a score is not the gate.
Not necessarily. Section 184 is designed to work across a range of land situations, which is one of the reasons it exists. The specifics affect the process, so tell us early where the property is. The type of home is flexible too. At least one program accepts single-wide and double-wide manufactured homes built after June 15, 1976.
Tribal enrollment documentation is central to it. We will tell you exactly what is needed for your tribe rather than sending you off to guess.
No, Section 184 is a separate HUD loan guarantee program designed for American Indian and Alaska Native families, Alaska villages, tribes and tribally designated housing entities. It uses its own county loan limits, is underwritten manually, and does not require mortgage insurance at one program*. A past foreclosure or short sale on a Section 184 home makes a borrower permanently ineligible.
You apply through an approved lender rather than through HUD directly. The steps look like any other purchase application with one extra piece. You start the application with us, we collect the usual income, asset and credit documentation, and alongside that you provide proof of enrollment in a federally recognized tribe. The file then goes to HUD for the loan guarantee before the loan can close.
Three things drive eligibility. You have to be an enrolled member of a federally recognized tribe, an Alaska Native, or a tribe or tribally designated housing entity. The home has to be one you will live in as your primary residence. And the borrower must be a U.S. citizen or a lawful permanent resident. The normal income, credit and asset review applies on top of those three. On the credit side, at least one program requires any collection accounts to be paid in full before closing.
Yes. HUD 184, Section 184 and the Section 184 Indian Home Loan Guarantee Program are three names for the same program. People search for it under all three, and lenders use them interchangeably.
It is a fixed rate for the whole term, and it is quoted when you lock rather than published as one national number, because it moves with market conditions. Ask us for a quote against your own file instead of working from an advertised figure.
It is written for American Indian and Alaska Native households, which is what most people mean by Native American, and eligibility runs through enrolled membership of a federally recognized tribe. Tribes and tribally designated housing entities can use the program as borrowers too, not just individual families.
Yes. Saxton lends in California and is headquartered in San Diego. Eligibility for a Section 184 loan runs on enrolled membership of a federally recognized tribe rather than on which state you live in, so California Native American home loans work the same way the program does anywhere else. The program is designed to work across a range of land situations, so tell us early where the property sits. That affects the process rather than whether you qualify.
Yes, with at least one program. Single-wide and double-wide manufactured homes built after June 15, 1976 are eligible, and you must live in the home.
Yes, with at least one program. You must live in one unit as your principal residence, and you may rent the other units.
Find out what you qualify for
If you are an American Indian or Alaska Native family looking at buying, this program was written for you. Let us talk through eligibility.
Get Pre-Qualified*Loan amounts, rates, terms, and eligibility are subject to credit approval, income and asset verification, and program guidelines. The Section 184 Indian Home Loan Guarantee Program is limited to eligible American Indian and Alaska Native borrowers, Alaska villages, tribes, and tribally designated housing entities, and requires owner occupancy. Not all applicants will qualify. Saxton Mortgage, LLC is an Equal Housing Lender.