The Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) is the federal government’s primary program for encouraging the investment of private equity in the development of affordable rental housing for low-income households. Since its creation in 1986, the LIHTC has helped to finance more than 2.4 million affordable rental housing units for low-income households.1 This Insights report describes how LIHTCs are used to finance the development of affordable housing and how national banks and federal savings associations (collectively, banks) can participate as investors and lenders in LIHTC financed projects. The report outlines the risks and regulatory considerations of LIHTC investments, including the considerations these investments, receive in Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) examinations.

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) obtained the information for this report from a variety of sources, including banks, non-supervised financial intermediaries, investment fund advisers, and other parties actively using LIHTCs to finance affordable housing. The information and examples offered are typical of LIHTC-financed projects. The report includes an overview of U.S. federal income tax laws and regulations applicable to the LIHTC program; however, the information in this report does not constitute tax advice, and investors should consult tax advisers about tax treatments for LIHTC investments.