The Federal Home Loan Bank (FHLB) System - a stock-owned, government-chartered cooperative owned by its savings and loan (S&L) and bank members - is showing signs of becoming one of the foremost innovators in warehouse lending to mortgage bankers, offering a welcome relief to the credit crunch. Beginning in late 1991, the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas started offering independent mortgage bankers an opportunity to tap the FHLB System's vastly underused resources. Instead of going to a money center commercial bank or outside investors to obtain a warehouse line of credit, independent mortgage bankers can now borrow indirectly from the Dallas Bank through one of its S&L or bank members. Thus far, the Dallas-only program, dubbed The Third Party Participation Program (TPP), has been successful enough that at least 3 more FHLBs are considering adopting it. Some players in the home mortgage market hope the TPP program will make the FHLBs into an alternative source of funding.