Rural Development works with private lenders to guarantee loans to borrowers for the construction of multi-family housing units, community facilities, and individual homes. Opportunities to finance utilities, business, industry, and employment in rural communities is also available.

The reasons investors might choose to work with Rural Development are many. Loan guarantees issued by Rural Development are backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Treasury and, as such, many lenders consider these programs to be a relatively risk-free way to expand their portfolios. Loans made possible by partnerships between Rural Development and private lenders also improve the economic health of rural communities which in turn provides more opportunities for lending institutions to invest in those communities

Programs of special interest to lenders include: