A $25K Down Payment Assistance Grant from FHLB Dallas and First National Bank Texas Helps Dental Assistant Achieve Homeownership

EL PASO, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A dental assistant is now a proud first-time homeowner, thanks in part to a $25,000 grant that helped cover her down payment and closing costs. Guadalupe Hernandez received the Homebuyer Equity Leverage Partnership (HELP) grant from the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas (FHLB Dallas), through its member First National Bank Texas (FNBT).

“Buying a house was my first goal when I made the move to El Paso,” said Ms. Hernandez, who moved from Presidio to put down roots in El Paso, Texas. “The HELP grant made it possible to buy a good home in a market where everything was either too expensive or too old to be a good long-term investment.”

She credits her bank, FNBT, with making a key difference in the homebuying process.

“They were always a step ahead in the process and understood the specifics of my case, helping me qualify for a larger loan,” said Ms. Hernandez.

FNBT, an FHLB Dallas member institution, provided Ms. Hernandez with her mortgage and facilitated the HELP grant toward her down payment and closing costs.

HELP assists income-qualified, first-time homebuyers with down payment assistance and closing costs. Up to $25,000 per homebuyer is available in Texas and New Mexico and up to $20,000 per homebuyer is available in Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi. FHLB Dallas allocated $17 million for HELP this year, up from $15.5 million in 2024. The final round of funding for 2025, $4.25 million, opens on August 1.

“We’re proud to play a part in supporting individuals like Ms. Hernandez on their homeownership journey,” said Greg Hettrick, senior vice president and director of Community Investment at FHLB Dallas. “Through this down payment assistance grant, we hope to ease the financial burden and make homeownership more affordable for individuals and families across our communities.”

About First National Bank Texas

First National Bank Texas (FNBT) and First Convenience Bank (FCB), a division of FNBT, remain dedicated to providing customers with quality financial products and services. FNBT was originally founded in 1901 in the Central Texas town of Killeen, only 19 years after the city was established. From humble beginnings, FNBT has grown to over $4 billion in assets and operates in over 340 locations in Texas, Arizona, Arkansas and New Mexico.

About the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas

The Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas is one of 11 district banks in the FHLBank System created by Congress in 1932. FHLB Dallas, with total assets of $109.9 billion as of March 31, 2025, is a member-owned cooperative that supports housing and community development by providing competitively priced loans and other credit products to approximately 800 members and associated institutions in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico and Texas. For more information, visit fhlb.com.