The Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria, FMBN, has moved to decentralise its mortgage operations as it empowered field offices to process, approve and disburse loans and refunds in a major operational reform aimed at reducing delays, and improving access to affordable housing finance.
The Bank also resolved to enforce a 30-day timeline for mortgage origination and limit documentation requirements for loan processing to a maximum of eight, in line with a ministerial directive.
The decisions formed part of resolutions reached at the Bank’s 2026 Management Strategy Retreat, which ended in Kano on Friday, following three days of deliberations on measures to improve customer experience, strengthen operational efficiency and expand housing finance opportunities.
Under the decentralisation arrangement, field offices will receive expanded authority to handle loan and refund transactions, with appropriate accountability mechanisms to ensure transparency and effective oversight.
The reforms are expected to bring decision-making closer to customers, reduce administrative bottlenecks and make mortgage services more accessible to Nigerians.
Another significant resolution was the institutionalisation of annual Customer Town Hall meetings across the country’s six geopolitical zones to provide a platform for direct engagement with National Housing Fund, NHF, contributors and beneficiaries.
The meetings are expected to enable the Bank to obtain feedback from customers, identify service delivery challenges and introduce improvements based on their experiences.
The retreat, themed “Building Resilience Through Innovative Customer Service”, brought together 80 participants, including Managing Director and Chief Executive, Shehu Usman Osidi; executive directors; group heads; zonal managers and branch managers.
Participants reviewed the implementation of the Bank’s Five-Year Strategy Blueprint, 2022–2026, assessed developments in the housing finance sector and considered strategic priorities for the proposed Three-Year Strategy Blueprint, 2027–2029.
The review showed that 49 of the 59 resolutions reached at the 2025 management retreat, representing 83.1 per cent, had been fully implemented.
Participants also examined findings from a customer experience documentary and a mystery shopping exercise designed to assess service quality, staff attitude and compliance with established standards across the Bank’s regional operations.
In his opening address, Osidi challenged management staff to place customers at the centre of the Bank’s operations, eliminate bureaucratic obstacles, embrace technology and develop practical solutions to make its services more responsive and efficient.
The retreat further resolved to undertake a comprehensive review of the Bank’s corporate culture to strengthen professionalism, integrity, accountability, teamwork and customer sensitivity.
It also recommended developing a legal and operational framework to empower branch managers to issue allocation letters for housing units in FMBN-funded estates, a measure expected to simplify the allocation process.
In addition, the Bank plans to establish mini offices in strategic business locations to improve accessibility and convenience for customers.
Participants also asked the Legal Group to examine the possibility of extending Individual Construction Loans to NHF contributors who have been allocated plots of land within housing estates, subject to relevant legal and regulatory provisions.
The proposed 2027–2029 strategy blueprint, built around six strategic pillars, was adopted at the retreat, subject to the necessary consideration and approval.
The Bank also acknowledged the importance of recapitalisation to its institutional repositioning, while emphasising the need to pursue broader organisational and operational reforms to strengthen its capacity and performance.
The resolutions mark a renewed push by FMBN to improve mortgage administration, strengthen customer confidence and expand access to affordable housing finance.
