We audited the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles’ management of lead-based paint and lead-based paint hazards in its public housing units.  We selected the Authority based on our assessment of the risks of lead‐based paint in public housing agencies’ (PHA) housing developments, including the age of buildings, the number of units, household demographics, and reported cases of childhood lead poisoning.  The audit...

We audited the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) with the objective of evaluating HCD’s fraud risk management practices for its Emergency Solutions Grants Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (ESG CARES Act) program and assessing the maturity of its efforts to prevent, detect, and respond to fraud.  Fraudulent activity in the ESG CARES Act program can lead to significant financial...

HUD OIG is auditing the changing hazard insurance market on FHA borrowers and FHA. Our review will involve the review of hazard insurance cost data from January 1, 2018, through July 31, 2024, in Florida, Texas, Louisiana, and California overlayed with FEMA high-risk disaster maps and risk exposure associated with FHA insured homes in those states. Our objective is to assess the impact of the changing hazard insurance market on FHA...

HUD OIG is auditing a California-based grantee's Coronavirus, Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG-CV) program. The CARES Act provided nearly $4 billion in special ESG funds to grantees to prevent, prepare for, and respond to the coronavirus pandemic and supports activities, such as, rapid re-housing, homelessness prevention programs, and emergency shelters for people experiencing homelessness...

HUD OIG is auditing public housing authorities' controls over source of income discrimination. As of February 2023, 20 states have passed laws prohibiting discrimination against voucher holders by officially designing source of income as a protected class. The audit objective is to assess the extent to which public housing authorities have implemented controls to prevent and combat source of income discrimination. 

We selected the State of California’s 2018 disaster owner-occupied rehabilitation and reconstruction program to audit after an internal risk assessment of disaster grantees showed the grant was newer and had not yet disbursed the majority of its funding.  The State received more than $1 billion for the 2018 disasters.  Our audit objective was to determine what the State is considering and to what extent resilience-based...

HUD OIG is auditing a California-based mortgage lender that services FHA single-family loans. Servicers initiate foreclosure when defaulted borrowers cannot or will not resume and complete their mortgage payments. Our objective is to determine whether the servicer (1) established that borrowers were ineligible for loss mitigation assistance before commencing foreclosure, and (2) reviewed requests received during foreclosure before...

HUD OIG is auditing a California-based grantee's Coronavirus, Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG-CV) program. The CARES Act provided nearly $4 billion in special ESG funds to grantees to prevent, prepare for, and respond to the coronavirus pandemic and supports activities, such as, rapid re-housing, homelessness prevention programs, and emergency shelters for people experiencing homelessness...

HUD OIG is conducting a review of a California-based mortgage lender that originates and underwrites FHA single-family loans. Our objective is to evaluate the lender’s quality control program for originating and underwriting loans.

HUD OIG is conducting a review of a California-based mortgage lender that originates and underwrites FHA single-family loans. Our objective is to evaluate the lender’s quality control program for originating and underwriting loans.

HUD OIG is reviewing a housing authority in California. The authority owns and manages public housing units to serve low-income families. The review objective is to determine whether the Authority adequately managed lead-based paint and lead-based paint hazards in its public housing.  

HUD OIG is auditing the State of California’s 2018 Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery funds.  HUD awarded the State more than $1 billion for its 2018 disasters.  Our audit objective will be to assess how effectively the State of California is operating its Owner-Occupied Rehabilitation and Reconstruction program (program).   

We audited the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority’s Continuum of Care (CoC) program.  The audit was initiated because of the homelessness crisis in the City of Los Angeles, which has the highest number of unsheltered people in the United States.  In addition, the Los Angeles city controller issued a report in 2019, criticizing the Authority for falling short of City of Los Angeles homeless outreach goals.  (See...

We audited Neighborhood Housing Services of Los Angeles County’s (NHSLA) Neighborhood Stabilization Program 2 (NSP2).  The audit was based on a complaint alleging questionable NSP2 financial activity, double payments to contractors, and payments to contractors for incomplete work.  Our Office of Audit received the referred complaint in late 2018.  However, because the complaint included concerns regarding activities and...

We audited the City of Compton’s Neighborhood Stabilization Programs (NSP) 1 and 3 due to a referral made by our Office of Investigation because of concerns related to ongoing issues at the City and complaints received about the City’s administration of U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) funds.  In addition, HUD’s Office of Community Planning and Development rated the City as high risk for administering program...

We audited the Los Angeles County Development Authority’s Family Self-Sufficiency Program due to a hotline complaint (HC-2019-4215) alleging that the Authority did not use its program funds in compliance with U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) requirements.  Our audit objectives were to determine whether the Authority met its program goals and objectives to assist eligible families in becoming self-sufficient...

We audited the Housing Authority of the City Long Beach’s Housing Choice Voucher Program based on a referral from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Los Angeles Office of Public Housing due to concerns regarding its financial activity control weaknesses.  The objective of the audit was to determine whether the Authority administered its Housing Choice Voucher Program in accordance with Program...

HUD OIG is auditing a Continuum of Care Program in California.  The City Controller issued a report on August 28, 2019, criticizing the grantee for falling short of its homeless outreach goals and considered the goals as ill-defined and not in alignment with County benchmarks.  Data from HUD indicates the grantee had nine grants expire in 2017 and 2018 with balances totaling nearly $4.5 million as of September 2019.  The...

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Office of Inspector General (OIG), assisted HUD’s Office of Program Enforcement in a civil investigation of Pacific Horizon Bancorp, Inc., and two former loan officers at Pacific Horizon.  Pacific Horizon has its principal place of business in La Crescenta, CA. Based on OIG’s civil investigation, on April 2, 2019, HUD notified Pacific Horizon and the two loan officers...

We audited the Housing Authority of the County of San Diego’s intergovernmental agreement due to the results of our completed internal auditability survey of public housing agencies with intergovernmental agreements.  The auditability survey identified public housing authorities with intergovernmental agreements for potential external reviews due to a recent external audit the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (...