The first full year of the Indian Financing Act of 1974 was fiscal 1976, after which $91 million had been appropriated for the Revolving Loan Fund, the Loan Guaranty and Insurance Fund, and the Indian Business Development Grant Program. The Revolving Loan Fund, consolidated from 4 previous funds, was underutilized. Only $13.3 million was loaned to…

The Indian Financing Act of 1974 was vital legislation to Indians, previously prevented from obtaining credit from non-Indian lenders who customarily categorized Indians as poor credit risks or set interest rates prohibitively high. Problems in preparation of the administrative regulations delayed initial implementation of the Act until December…