We audited the City of Erie, PA’s Community Development Block Grant program because we received a complaint regarding its code enforcement program and we had not audited the City’s program since 1997.  The complaint alleged that the City targeted low- to middle-income residents in certain neighborhoods requiring expensive repairs to their homes and properties, which could result in legal actions and liens if the homeowners did not make...

We audited the Adams County Housing Authority because (1) a news article reported that the executive director received an excessive salary and practiced nepotism, (2) we received a complaint alleging nepotism and potential misuse of Federal funds, and (3) we had never audited the Authority.  Our audit objective was to determine whether the Authority administered its program according to applicable U.S. Department of Housing and Urban...

We audited the City of Providence RI’s HOME Investment Partnerships program based on an OIG risk assessment, which ranked the City as the highest risk HOME grantee in New England.  The objective of the audit was to determine whether the City properly committed and disbursed HOME funds in accordance with Federal and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) rules and regulations. City officials did not properly administer their...

We audited Diamond Park because of concerns raised by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Departmental Enforcement Center regarding the management of the project and we had never audited it.  Our audit objective was to determine whether the owner managed the project in accordance with its regulatory agreement and HUD requirements.  We focused the audit on reviewing (1) participant eligibility and their...

We audited RMS & Associates’ Federal Housing Administration (FHA) loan origination because it was one of the top lenders that originated FHA-insured loans with downpayment assistance from the City of Las Vegas.  A previous U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General (HUD OIG), audit (Evergreen Home Loans, 2016-LA-1011) found that Evergreen originated FHA-insured loans in connection with the City of Las...

We audited the Chester Housing Authority’s Housing Choice Voucher program because (1) it recently regained control of its operations after 20 years in receivership, (2) it had 1,566 vouchers and received more than $14.9 million in fiscal year 2016, and (3) we had not audited its program.  Our audit objective was to determine whether the Authority ensured that its Housing Choice Voucher program units met the U.S. Department of Housing and...

We audited Schwenckfeld Manor because it was a high-risk multifamily project on our multifamily risk assessment for projects within our region and we had never audited it.  Our audit objectives were to determine whether the project owner (1) disbursed project funds for costs that were reasonable, necessary, and supported for the operation and maintenance of the project; and (2) properly disclosed identity-of-interest relationships. The...

We audited SecurityNational Mortgage Company’s Federal Housing Administration (FHA) loan origination because it was among the top lenders that originated FHA-insured loans with downpayment assistance from the City of Las Vegas.  A previous U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General (HUD OIG), audit (Evergreen Home Loans, 2016-LA-1011) found that Evergreen originated FHA-insured loans in connection with...

We audited Venta Financial Group’s Federal Housing Administration (FHA) loan origination because it was one of the top lenders that originated FHA-insured loans with downpayment assistance from the City of Las Vegas.  A previous U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General (HUD OIG) audit (Evergreen Home Loans, 2016-LA-1011) found that Evergreen originated FHA-insured loans in connection with the City of...

We audited the City of Las Vegas’, Homebuyer Assistance Program under the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Neighborhood Stabilization Program 3 (NSP3).  We initiated this review because of a prior HUD Office of Inspector General audit of Evergreen Home Loans issued September 12, 2016 (audit report 2016-LA-1011).  The Evergreen Home Loans audit report identified 14 loans that received home-buyer assistance as...

We audited the Housing Choice Voucher and public housing programs at the West Warwick Housing Authority as a result of concerns from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and a hotline complaint.  The audit objectives were to determine whether (1) procurements were executed in accordance with Federal regulations, (2) West Warwick officials established adequate controls over the Housing Choice Voucher and public housing...

We audited Health Concepts Ltd., a management agent that administers six Federal Housing Administration (FHA)-insured nursing homes.  We conducted this audit based on our review of the Pine Grove Health Center.  The review found that Pine Grove’s owners paid salaries for onsite staff that were covered under the management agreement and charged for services that should have been included in the management fee.  Our objectives for...

We audited Clark County, NV’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program.  We selected Clark County for review due to its large grant size and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) risk assessment.  The reporting objective of the audit was to determine whether Clark County followed procurement requirements, ensured that CDBG projects met CDBG national objectives, and spent CDBG funds on eligible expenses....

We audited Laurentian Hall Apartments (project) because of its failure to submit financial statements in a timely manner and because we had never audited the project before.  Our audit objective was to determine whether the project’s owner managed the project in accordance with its U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)-held mortgage and other HUD requirements. The owner of Laurentian Hall Apartments did not always manage...

We audited the City of Pittsburgh, PA’s administration of its Community Development Block Grant program.  We conducted the audit because the City’s program had the second largest number of completed activities without accomplishment information reported nationwide.  Our audit objective was to determine whether the City administered its Block Grant program in accordance with applicable U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (...

We audited the Federal Housing Administration-insured Burrillville Nursing Home, Incorporated, doing business as Pine Grove Health Center, based on a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Office of Inspector General risk assessment.  Additionally, HUD identified Pine Grove as a high financial risk and a potentially troubled facility, and Pine Grove’s auditors reported substantial doubt regarding its ability to continue as...

The Office of Inspector General (OIG) assisted the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey in the investigation of Finance of America Mortgage LLC.  The investigation began due to a qui tam filing in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.  The relator alleged that Finance of America, through its acquisition of Gateway Funding Diversified Mortgage Services LLP, knowingly participated in a mortgage fraud...

We performed a survey of Evergreen Moneysource Mortgage Company, doing business as Evergreen Home Loans, regarding its Federal Housing Administration (FHA) loan origination process.  The review was part of our efforts to improve the integrity of single-family insurance programs.  We selected Evergreen’s Las Vegas branch because of its compare ratio.  Our audit objective was to determine whether Evergreen’s Las Vegas branch...

We audited Luzerne County, PA’s Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery grant provided through the Disaster Relief Appropriations Act of 2013.  We selected the County for review because (1) it had obligated the most disaster funds of the three Pennsylvania grantees that received funds through the Act and (2) the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) had disbursed approximately $2.1 million to the County as of...

We audited the Westmoreland County Housing Authority’s Housing Choice Voucher program because the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) authorized it more than $8.7 million in program funding per year in fiscal years 2013 and 2014 and we had not audited its program.  This is the second of two audit reports on the Authority’s program.  Our objectives in this audit were to determine whether the Authority ensured that...