Department of the Interior • Of

TRUST 

fi ce of Special Trustee for American Indians 

MATTERS

Volume 14/Issue 1 Winter 2014

Trust Services (TS), part of the Offi ce of the Special Trustee for American Indians 

(OST), collaborates with internal and external stakeholders to eff ectively and effi ciently 

process receipts, disbursements, and probate packages through the TS Offi ce of Trust 

Funds Management. Th ese functions are also supported by staff of the TS Offi ce of 

Trust Reporting and Reconciliation, which will be highlighted in the spring issue. As 

stated by Deputy Special Trustee – Trust Services Doug Lords, “We’re the center of the 

wheel.”

More than 400,000 individual and tribal Indian trust benefi ciaries receive 

their funds because of the work done by Trust Services’ Offi ce of Trust Funds 

Management. Th e dedicated individuals who work there process over 37,000 

fi nancial transactions a day for benefi ciaries. Th at is approximately 9.3 million 

fi nancial transactions a year.

In addition to fi nancial transactions, this Offi ce’s employees perform more than a 

million routine fi le maintenance (RFM) transactions a year. Examples of these 

transactions are address and name changes, such as those that occur when someone 

marries. It also includes changing disbursements from mailed checks to wire 

transfers, or making other changes to the ways benefi ciaries choose to receive their 

funds.

Trust Funds Management personnel process approximately 9,000 probate packages 

a year, in addition to all the RFM transactions. Th is complicated behind-the-scenes 

work requires attention to detail. Th e TS team members who do this are proud of 

the diff erence they make to the lives of benefi ciaries.

Trust Services: Where the Money Hits the Mail 

www.doi.gov/ost

Th e employees who work in Trust Services constantly strive to improve work processes 

to provide better service and achieve their goal to timely and accurately process 

trust transactions. Th ey are always on the lookout for ways to make improvements. 

A major soft ware revision is in the works. Th is “control desk” soft ware will track 

work, from the time a request comes in until it is completed. Currently, TS uses a 

paper system to track the work. Th e new soft ware will not only track the work but it 

will create a paperless system, which will also cut costs. Moving from a paper-based 

system to one that is paperless means that employees will be able to do this work 

from diff erent locations, creating the opportunity for employees to telework. Th e 

benefi ts of teleworking include improved work/life balance, reduced offi ce space 

costs, and less traffi c and reduced emissions into the environment.

To streamline and improve effi ciency, Trust Services eliminated a $750,000 service 

contract, eff ective fi scal year 2013. Th ey redistributed work internally, without hiring new staff . Th is meant they had to 

reorganize their people to implement the improved processes. Th ey are rightfully proud of their three-quarter of a million 

dollar savings, and their excellent productivity.

During the government shutdown in October 2013, with minimal staffi ng, Trust Services ensured that deposits into benefi ciary 

accounts and disbursement requests were processed timely and accurately. Trust Services also worked with OST Field Operations 

and Bureau of Indian Aff airs staff to process tribal disbursements that were desperately needed to keep vital tribal programs 

running during the shutdown. Th e personnel of Trust Services are proud to put the well-being of benefi ciaries fi rst!

Table of Contents

Trust Services

New Contact Us Webpage

Vince Logan Vetted

Indian Trust Commission

Field Operations Outreach

Sales at Reservations

IIM Audit Outcome

1

2

2

3

3

4

4
2 TRUST MATTERS

New “Contact Us” Web Page 

Includes Facebook Links

Are you looking for a local offi ce to 

help with Indian trust issues? Click 

on the new “contact us” page on 

the Offi ce of the Special Trustee for 

American Indians (OST) website. 

Th e page provides links to pages 

for all OST fi eld offi ces and their 

Facebook pages. It also includes 

links to other Interior offi ces that 

support Indian trust matters.

Th e new contact us page is available 

at www.doi.gov/ost. Look for the 

link in the yellow navigation box 

on the right side of the home page. 

Th e link is also listed in the drop 

down list under the “About OST” 

green tab at the top of the home

page. 

OST’s fi eld offi ce webpages and 

Facebook pages were created to 

allow users to access trust information using a variety of diff erent 

tools. When you visit a local OST 

Facebook page, please take a second 

to click on its Like button.

Vince Logan Vetted for Special Trustee Position by Senate Committee 

Vincent G. Logan was nominated by the Obama Administration to be the 

fourth Special Trustee for American Indians. A candidate for the 

position of Special Trustee requires approval by the Senate.

The Senate Committee on Indian Affairs held a confirmation hearing on 

December 11, 2013. Due to Senate rules, the nomination was resubmitted 

to the 113th Congress, Second Session. A subsequent vote to “report 

out of committee favorably” was successful on January 29, 2014. 

Logan still must be approved by a vote of the full Senate. 

No date has been set for that vote.

Logan is owner of The Nations Group Advisors, LLC. His 

company works with Native American tribes on asset 

management, investment strategies, and financial 

education. He is a member of the Osage Nation.

page looks like this

Did you know? Pay.gov shortens 

the time it takes for lease 

payments to get to benefi ciaries.
VOLUME 14, ISSUE 1 3

Th ere has been a lot of hard work for two years by the 

Secretarial Commission on Indian Trust Administration 

and Reform (Commission). On December 10, 2013, 

the fi ve Commissioners held a fi nal webinar to approve 

their fi nal report to be submitted to the Secretary of 

the Interior. 

Th e Commission was tasked with conducting a 

comprehensive evaluation of the Department of the 

Interior’s management of American Indian trust 

assets and off ering recommendations for improvements 

to the trust administration system. Serving on the 

Commission were Chairwoman Fawn Sharp, Quinault 

Indian Nation (Commission Chair); Chairman Tex G. 

Hall, Th ree Affi liated Tribes; Dr. Peterson Zah, former 

President, Navajo Nation; Robert Anderson, Minnesota 

Chippewa Tribe-Boise Forte Band; and Stacy Leeds, 

Cherokee.

Th e fi nal report recommends the establishment of a 

new independent organizational structure, the Indian 

Trust Administration Commission (ITAC), which 

would report directly to the Secretary of the Interior. 

Th e new structure would handle all Indian trust 

matters that are currently carried out by a variety of 

Interior bureaus and offi ces. Functions of the Offi ce of 

the Special Trustee for American Indians (OST) would 

be included within that structure. Th e establishment of 

the ITAC would require legislative action. In the event 

it takes longer than two years to launch the new organizational structure, the report recommends a “temporary 

transfer of OST functions to the Assistant Secretary – 

Indian Aff airs....” 

A copy of the fi nal report is available on Interior’s 

website at www.doi.gov/cobell/commission. Th e 

complete report is currently being reviewed in the 

Offi ce of the Secretary. 

Indian Trust Commission Issues Final Report

Alaska Region personnel were very involved at the Bureau of Indian Aff airs 

Tribal Providers Conference, December 2013. Fiduciary Trust Offi cer 

Glenda Miller presented at the trust services workshop. OST staff interacted 

with attendees at their conference booth, collecting 288 leads on benefi ciaries 

whose name and/or address information needed to be updated. Keeping 

contact information current ensures benefi ciaries receive regular communications from OST, including fi nancial disbursements and statements.

About the same time, 

much further south in 

New Mexico, Orlinda 

Mute with OST’s Navajo 

Region and Emeline Begay 

with OST’s Eastern Navajo 

Agency were advancing 

fi nancial skills. Th is workshop about managing money was 

off ered to high school students. It was presented by First Nations 

Development Institute with assistance from volunteers from the 

community, including staff from OST.

Offi ce of the Special Trustee for American Indians (OST) Field Operations Reaches Out

OST’s Glenda Miller (middle) and Tammy 

Buff one (right) assist a benefi ciary (left) at the 

outreach booth.

OST’s Emeline Begay (right) signs up a workshop attendee (left).
4 TRUST MATTERS

Sales Occurring for Landowners with Interests at Pine Ridge and Makah Reservations —

More to Come!

Th e Department of the Interior announced in 

December 2013 that owners of fractionated land 

interests at the Pine Ridge and Makah Reservations

were the fi rst to receive purchase off ers under the 

Department’s Land Buy-Back Program for Tribal 

Nations (Buy-Back Program). Th e Pine Ridge 

Reservation is among the most highly-fractionated 

locations in the United States; landowners with 

purchasable interests have been located in 46 states 

across the country. As of late February 2014, over $5 

million worth of fractionated land had been acquired.

Sellers received fair market value for their land based 

on objective appraisals. In addition, sellers also 

received a base payment of $75 per off er, regardless of 

the value of the land. Some owners received more than 

$100,000 for their interests (off er amounts will vary 

based on the particular interests held). In addition, 

sales trigger a contribution to the Cobell Education 

Scholarship Fund. Th is contribution is in addition to 

purchase amounts paid to individual sellers, so it will 

not reduce the amount landowners receive for their 

fractionated interests.

Th e Buy-Back Program was created to implement 

the land consolidation component of the Cobell

Settlement, which provided a $1.9 billion fund to 

purchase fractionated interests in trust or restricted 

land from willing sellers at fair market value within a 

ten year period. Interested sellers will receive payments 

directly into their IIM accounts. Once acquired, these 

consolidated interests will be held in trust for tribal 

governments to manage for uses benefi ting the tribes 

and their members.

Interior holds about 56 million acres in trust or 

restricted status for American Indians. Th e Department 

holds this land in more than 200,000 tracts, of which 

about 93,500 – on approximately 150 reservations – 

contain fractional ownership interests available for 

purchase by the Buy-Back Program. Approximately 

90% of the fractionated lands available to purchase are 

in 40 of the 150 reservations. To learn more about the 

Buy-Back Program, go to www.doi.gov/buybackprogram.

Participation in the Buy-Back Program is voluntary 

and selling land does not jeopardize a landowner’s 

ability to receive individual settlement payments from 

the Cobell Settlement. Settlement payments are being 

handled separately from the Buy-Back Program by 

the Garden City Group, at 1-800-961-6109. More 

information on the Cobell Settlement is available at 

http://www.indiantrust.com. 

Th e Department of the Interior’s Offi ce of the Special Trustee for American Indians’ (OST) independent annual 

audit resulted in an unqualifi ed opinion for the Individual Indian Money (IIM) Trust Fund fi nancial statements 

for fi scal year 2013. Th is is the fi rst time the audit has resulted in an unqualifi ed opinion, informally referred to 

as a “clean” audit, since the initial audit was prepared in 1995. Th e audit was completed November 18, 2013, by 

KPMG LLP. 

Since taking over the trust funds management in 1996, OST has corrected more than 47 defi ciencies and seven 

material weaknesses that existed from that fi rst audit in fi scal year 1995. Moving forward, OST’s goal is to sustain 

this level of performance to continue to provide effi cient and accurate accounting of the funds entrusted to its 

management. Current and past annual audits are available on the OST website at www.doi.gov/ost/audit. 

OST manages signifi cant fi nancial assets of tribal and individual Indian trust accounts. In fi scal year 2013, 

$1.4 billion was received into and $1.2 billion was disbursed from tribal and individual accounts with 73 percent 

of the funds disbursed electronically. Approximately $4.6 billion of trust funds were invested to help meet the 

needs and objectives of tribal and individual benefi ciaries.

IIM Trust Fund Independent Audit Outcome is “Clean”