§5903 Establishment of Realty Ombudsman Position

Summary

The Director must create a Realty Ombudsman job inside the Bureau’s Division of Real Estate Services. The Ombudsman will report directly to the Secretary of the Interior. The Ombudsman must make sure the Bureau meets the mortgage review and processing deadlines in section 5902(a) and follows the notice rules in section 5902(a) and (b). The Ombudsman will be a contact for other Federal agencies, make sure the Bureau answers their questions, and help with communication about mortgages on Indian land. The Ombudsman will also take questions and complaints from Indian Tribes, members of Indian Tribes, and lenders about residential leasehold mortgages, business leasehold mortgages, land mortgages, or right-of-way documents, and act as the middle person to help resolve them.