We audited the Housing Authority of the City of Little Rock’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 funding. The Authority received more than $6.5 million in Recovery Act funds through three grants: one formula and two competitive. Our objectives were to determine whether the Authority (1) obligated and expended its Recovery Act funding in accordance with HUD rules and regulations and (2) followed Recovery Act reporting requirements...

We audited the Housing Authority of the City of New Haven’s (Authority) Public Housing Capital Fund (Capital Fund) and American Reinvestment and Recovery Act of 2009 Capital Fund (Recovery Act Capital Fund) projects for compliance with environmental and labor law requirements. We initiated this assignment because a previous Office of Inspector General (OIG) audit of the Authority’s Recovery Act Capital Fund activities identified a significant...

We audited the West Memphis Housing Authority (Authority) in Arkansas as part of our annual audit plan to review American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (Recovery Act). Our objective was to determine whether obligations the Authority made between January 30 and March 17, 2010, were appropriate, prudent, eligible, and supported, whether procurements and disbursements were made in accordance with requirements. Generally, the Authority complied...

We selected the Housing Authority of the City of New Haven (Authority), a Moving to Work agency, because it obligated a majority of its $6 million in Public Housing Capital Fund Stimulus (formula) Recovery Act Funded grant (grant) received under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act) just before the required obligation deadline. Our objectives were to determine whether the Authority (I) obligated its Recovery Act...

We audited the Manchester Housing Authority (Authority) in Manchester, CT, because it obligated the majority of its $520,654 Public Housing Capital Fund Stimulus (Formula) Recovery Act Funded grant awarded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act) just before the required obligation deadline. Our objectives were to determine whether the Authority (1) obligated its grant funds in a timely manner for eligible...

We conducted a review of Federal Housing Administration (FHA) loans underwritten by Webster Bank (Webster), an FHA direct endorsement lender. This review was conducted as part of our “Operation Watchdog” initiative to review the underwriting of 15 direct endorsement lenders at the suggestion of the FHA Commissioner. The Commissioner expressed concern regarding the increasing claim rates against the FHA insurance fund for failed loans. The...

We audited the Hartford Housing Authority (Authority) because it was awarded a $5 million Public Housing Capital Fund grant under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act) and obligated the majority of the grant just before the required obligation deadline. Our objectives were to determine whether the Authority (1) had adequate management controls over its obligation process, (2) maintained support for obligations, and (...

In accordance with our goal to review and ensure the proper administration of Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP) funds provided under the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 (HERA) and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act), we conducted a capacity review of the City of Waterbury’s (subgrantee), Waterbury Development Corporation’s, operations (subrecipient), who has responsibility for administering the City...

In accordance with our goal to review and ensure the proper administration of Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP) funds provided under the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 (HERA), we conducted a capacity review of the City of Meriden’s (City) operations. The City has responsibility for administering the State’s NSP. Our objective was to determine whether the City had the necessary capacity to effectively administer the State’s NSP...

The State of Arkansas (State) is scheduled to receive more than $15.67 million under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act). As part of our organization’s commitment to ensure the proper use of Recovery Act funds, we reviewed the State’s controls and operations. Specifically, our objective was to determine whether the State has the capacity to account for Recovery Act funding and the controls to ensure that its...

We audited the State of Connecticut Department of Social Services’ (agency) administration of its housing quality standards program for its Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program (Voucher program) as part of our fiscal year 2009 audit plan. The agency was selected based upon our analysis of risk factors relating to rental housing authorities in Region 1. The audit objectives were to determine whether (1) Section 8 housing units met HUD’s...

We initiated this audit of the City of New London, Connecticut, Housing Authority (the Authority) as part of OIG’s initiative to evaluate public housing authority’s capability to administer the capital funds provided under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (The Recovery Act). The Authority has had significant management deficiencies for more than ten years and HUD identified the Authority as “overall troubled” in May of 2004....

We audited the Casa Otonal multifamily housing project, located in New Haven, Connecticut, based on a referral received from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Hartford Program Center. The referral disclosed compliance findings regarding the project’s audited financial statements, including instances of unauthorized loans/disbursements to an affiliate. Our primary audit objective was to determine whether the project...

We initiated this audit as part of our annual audit plan to determine whether the State of Connecticut Department of Social Services (agency) properly administered its Housing Choice Voucher program (Voucher program) in compliance with its annual contributions contracts and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) regulations. Our objectives focused on whether tenant eligibility, rent determinations, and annual reexaminations were...

We audited the City of Hartford, Connecticut's (City) administration of its Housing Choice Voucher program (Voucher program) as part of our annual audit plan. Our overall audit objective was to determine whether the City properly administered its Voucher program in compliance with its annual contributions contracts and HUD regulations. The City generally administered its Voucher program in compliance with its annual contributions contracts...

We audited the Fort Smith Housing Authority (Authority) in response to a request from the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) Office of Public Housing. The objectives were to determine whether the Authority and its instrumentality, North Pointe Limited Partnership (Partnership), spent HUD-provided funds in compliance with HUD's rules and regulations for costs related to North Pointe Development (the development),...

We initiated this audit as part of the audit plan to determine whether the State of Connecticut Department of Social Services (agency) properly administered its Housing Choice Voucher program (Voucher program) in compliance with its annual contributions contracts and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) regulations. Our objectives were to determine whether the agency (1) adequately (95 percent or more) leased up its Voucher...

We audited the Milford, Connecticut, branch office of Countrywide Bank, FSB (Countrywide), which is a supervised national bank approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to originate, underwrite, and service Federal Housing Administration (FHA) single-family insured loans. We selected the Milford, Connecticut, branch office largely based on a lender risk analysis, which showed that the loans it originated had a higher...

We audited Vesta Windham Heights, LLC (Windham Heights), after completing an audit of the owners' related project, Vesta Moosup, LLC (Moosup Gardens). The Moosup Gardens audit (OIG Audit Report Number 2007-BO-1006) disclosed cost exceptions totaling more than $700,000 related to unauthorized distributions and repayments of owner advances while in a non-surplus-cash position and unreasonable payments to identity-of-interest (related)...

We audited Vesta Mohegan, LLC (Mohegan Commons), after completing an audit of the owners' related project, Vesta Moosup, LLC (Moosup Gardens). The Moosup Gardens audit (OIG Audit Report Number 2007-BO-1006) disclosed cost exceptions totaling more than $700,000 related to unauthorized distributions and repayments of owner advances while in a non-surplus-cash position and unreasonable payments to identity-of-interest (related) companies. Our...