First American Bank and Trust is distributing American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA)–funded down payment assistance for first-time homebuyers in Athens-Clarke County, the bank’s mortgage division director said in an ARPA highlight interview.

In an interview with Cameron McLaughlin, equity and engagement coordinator in the People and Belonging department for Athens-Clarke County, Jeff Bishop, mortgage division director at First American Bank and Trust, described eligibility rules, program limits and outreach plans for the locally run initiative.

Bishop said applicants must have lived in Clarke County for at least 12 months, the purchased house must be in Clarke County, and applicants must make a $1,000 buyer contribution. Income limits vary by census tract: the bank initially used an 80% area median income (AMI) cutoff and later expanded the program’s upper threshold for some applicants; Bishop gave an illustrative example that a three-person household’s AMI figure moved from about $66,250 to about $96,000 under the higher threshold used for some applicants. The down payment assistance is delivered as a forgivable loan with 0% interest and no monthly payment; it is forgiven over a 20-year period (Bishop described the monthly forgiveness as roughly one two-hundred-fortieth of the award). If a homeowner sells before the forgiveness period ends, repayment may be required.

The bank caps assistance at 10% of the purchase price or $25,000, whichever is less. "The benefit from the home loan that will give the down payment assistance is up to 10% of the purchase price. Or $25,000. So it caps out at $25,000," Bishop said.

Bishop described partnerships and outreach used to reach eligible households. He said First American convened a focus group and an advisory team that included community members and advocates identified through the Athens Justice and Memory Project and descendants of Linnentown. The bank is working with Athens Land Trust, which provides HUD-certified housing counseling required for program recipients, and it has coordinated with subsidized housing partners such as East Athens and Habitat to identify buyers who qualify. In some cases, Bishop said the bank layered the ARPA-funded assistance with other down payment programs, including funds from the Federal Home Loan Bank, which in an example reduced a buyer’s mortgage payment by roughly $150–$170 per month.

Bishop acknowledged program limits tied to housing supply and affordability. He said program modeling showed that, at typical sale prices in Clarke County, many households still lack sufficient income to qualify for a mortgage even with down payment assistance. To reach more buyers, the county and bank broadened qualifying income thresholds for certain census tracts and the program emphasizes homebuyer education through the Athens Land Trust to prepare households that are not yet ready.

On community trust and outreach, Bishop said the bank relied on community advisers and meetings with neighborhood groups and local real estate agents to reach people who may not regularly use traditional banking services. "We were going to be learning how to communicate with a different part of the community," he said, adding that advisory input from Hattie Whitehead and others shaped how the bank markets and explains the program.

The program is active and available to applicants who meet the stated requirements; Bishop encouraged prospective buyers to call the bank or visit fabt.bank for information and said the bank will provide flyers and speak at local meetings to raise awareness. No formal policy votes or local government decisions were recorded in the interview; the discussion described implementation steps and program design choices already made by the bank in collaboration with county staff and community partners.

The interview was recorded as part of Athens-Clarke County’s ARPA highlight series. Cameron McLaughlin asked questions throughout the segment and Bishop provided the program details and examples.