Native American Bank Helps Bring Modern Utilities to an Alaskan Island

Sometimes, a loan can be something other than a starting point for a customer. It can be a tool to help bring a project to completion: a bridge loan.

In September 2025, $390 million-asset Native American Bank, N.A. (NAB), which is based in Denver, Colorado, provided a $5.2 million bridge loan to Metlakatla Power & Light (MP&L) in southeast Alaska to complete an infrastructure project that will bring lower-cost power and better broadband to the Metlakatla Indian Community. 

MP&L is a tribal utility company and division of the Metlakatla Indian Community, which is located on Annette Island Reserve and is the only Indian reserve in the state of Alaska.

Chartered as a national community development-focused bank, NAB is a certified and self-sustaining community development financial institution (CDFI). It is also the first national American Indian-owned community development bank in the country.

“Without this bridge loan and significant efforts by [Metlakatla Power & Light], the cable could be sitting in a Canadian port right now.”

—Payton Batliner, Native American Bank

A life-changing project

The Metlakatla people have long paid a disproportionate amount of their incomes for electricity. The infrastructure project the bridge loan is supporting is laying submarine electric utility cable, as well as fiber optic cable for broadband, to connect Annette Island to the Ketchikan Public Utilities system. 

The electric intertie will allow MP&L to store and distribute clean hydroelectric and return excess power to the grid from wind energy that is produced on the island. 

MP&L will also become the local broadband provider, offering a stronger and more affordable alternative to the current system used by some on the island. 

The intertie is expected to yield nearly $150,000 in annual savings for MP&L, which will be passed on to customers. It will transition from outdated copper lines to high-speed fiber to offer reliable, affordable and speedy internet and voice over internet protocol (VOIP) services to the Annette Island Reserve and the mainland community of Ketchikan, including households, businesses and government entities.

Built on an existing relationship

How did the loan come about? 

“NAB had an existing relationship with the Annette Island Indian Community’s utility, Metlakatla Power and Light, dating back to 2023,” says Payton Batliner, chief lending officer for NAB. “As we were already a financial partner, they reached out to us to see if we could assist with providing immediate funding to get this project to a point where it could be completed. Since we already had that existing relationship and had already underwritten the utility, NAB was one of the only financial institutions that could get this done within a viable timeframe.”

NAB’s loan will allow the project, which is nearly complete, to cross the finish line. It will close a funding gap that resulted from inflation, including tariff costs, that occurred between the project’s initial backing from other funders in 2021 and the final release of resources for it. 

“The financing provided an immediate financial boost to the project in that the undersea cable was in transit and facing unforeseen tariff impacts, which did ultimately significantly affect the project, as more dollars had to be committed to close the transaction,” says Batliner. “Without this bridge loan and significant efforts by MP&L, the cable could be sitting in a Canadian port right now.” 

“Our partnership with Metlakatla Power & Light on their intertie project is a monumental step towards bridging the digital divide in rural Alaska communities,” says Thomas Ogaard, NAB president and CEO. “Projects like these are impactful to our communities and showcase our commitment to our mission to serve Indian Country.”

“The intertie project is not just about connectivity; it’s about opportunity. … In this digital age, every family in Metlakatla deserves access to resources that can help them thrive.”

—Albert Smith, mayor, Metlakatla Indian Community

A chance to close the digital divide

“The intertie project is not just about connectivity; it’s about opportunity,” says Albert Smith, mayor of the Metlakatla Indian Community. “Bringing more energy options and internet to our community will empower our residents. In this digital age, every family in Metlakatla deserves access to resources that can help them thrive.”

Smith explains that NAB led the financing of the project, but the community was unable to provide all the capital it needed due to unforeseen costs. That meant it had to work behind the scenes to pull together partners to create a complex capital stack that met the project’s financial needs.

The project came together through the collaboration of several key partners. One is Baker Tilly, which is MP&L’s lead consultant. Another is Oweesta Corporation of Longmont, Colorado, which provides financial products and development services to Native American Development Financial Institutions. A third is the Alliance for Tribal Clean Energy, a national nonprofit based in Washington, D.C. 

There are also three Native CDFI partners: Spruce Root in Juneau, Alaska; Nimiipuu Fund in Lapwai, Idaho; and Nixyáawii Community Financial Services in Pendleton, Oregon.

Long-term prospects look good

The project has made considerable headway. “The undersea cable has been laid, and significant work is underway to complete the total project,” says Batliner. 

He notes that NAB is in this relationship for the long haul and is currently leading the placement of a permanent financing facility to pay down the bridge financing. 

“This will be a long-term, approximately 20-year, relationship,” Batliner says.

“As the first national American Indian-owned community development bank, NAB is committed to providing financial services that support economic independence and sustainability,” Batliner adds. “Alaskans and rural residents generally bear a higher cost for energy, which can hinder development. We’re proud to provide this loan that yields benefits for the Metlakatla people for generations.”

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