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The U.S. Department of Housing Urban Development (HUD), Office of Inspector General audited HUD to determine whether it identified and collected outstanding partial claims out of surplus proceeds from nonconveyance foreclosures.  We initiated this audit because we learned while doing unrelated audit work that a trustee attorney held surplus proceeds from two nonconveyance foreclosures and HUD had not claimed these funds to offset earlier partial claims it had paid for the properties.

HUD did not always identify and collect partial claims out of surplus proceeds from nonconveyance foreclosures.  Of the 81 foreclosures reviewed, 32 had nearly $768,000 in surplus proceeds that HUD did not recover.  As a result, HUD’s insurance fund did not receive the benefit of nearly $6.8 million, various third parties benefited at HUD’s expense, and the unclaimed funds sat dormant with the custodians.

We recommend that HUD’s Deputy Assistant Secretary for Single Family Housing (1) pursue the collection of $5.7 million in surplus proceeds that HUD is entitled to reclaim from 2017 loan terminations, (2) implement a policy to require servicers to send surplus proceeds notifications to HUD’s national loan-servicing contractor and establish procedures to improve HUD’s surplus proceeds collection efforts, and (3) redesign the partial claim program to eliminate its weaknesses to put $6.8 million to better use.

Recommendations

Housing

  •  
    Status
      Open
      Closed
    2018-KC-0004-001-A
    $5,690,000.00
    Questioned Costs

    Recommendations with questioned costs identify costs: (A) resulting from an alleged violation of a law, regulation, contract, grant, or other document or agreement governing the use of Federal funds; (B) that are not supported by adequate documentation (also known as an unsupported cost); or (C) that appear unnecessary or unreasonable.

    Pursue the collection of the $5,690,000 in surplus proceeds that HUD was entitled to receive from 2017 loan terminations.

  •  
    Status
      Open
      Closed
    2018-KC-0004-001-B

    Implement a policy to require servicers to send surplus proceeds notifications to the HUD Secretary-held assets servicing contractor and establish procedures to improve HUD’s surplus proceeds collection efforts.

  •  
    Status
      Open
      Closed
    2018-KC-0004-001-C
    $6,770,000.00
    Funds Put to Better Use

    Recommendations that funds be put to better use estimate funds that could be used more efficiently. For example, recommendations that funds be put to better use could result in reductions in spending, deobligation of funds, or avoidance of unnecessary spending.

    Redesign the partial claim program to eliminate its weaknesses and ensure that partial claims benefit from a stronger lien position to put $6,770,000 to better use.