Require the Authority to determine whether the Authority improperly used Federal funds totaling $11,833 which were used to cancel an existing phone system and purchase a new one. If Federal funds were improperly used, the Authority should repay $11,833 to its Federal program accounts from non-Federal funds. If the Authority is unable to accurately determine the amount due to and due from each program or support that the funds charged to the Federal program were appropriate, the full $11,833 should be repaid to HUD.

Require the Authority to determine whether the Authority improperly used Federal funds totaling $50,000 which were used to pay unnecessary severance contract costs. If Federal funds were improperly used, the Authority should repay $50,000 to its Federal program accounts from non-Federal funds. If the Authority is unable to accurately determine the amount due to and due from each program or support that the funds charged to the Federal program were appropriate, the full $50,000 should be repaid to HUD.

Implement controls to prevent or mitigate instances of borrowers violating HECM program residency requirements by concurrently participating in the Voucher program, including policies and procedures to at least annually coordinate with HUD’s Office of Public Housing to match borrower data in the Single Family Data Warehouse to member data in the Public Housing Information Center.

We recommend that the Director of HUD’s New York Office of Community Planning and Development instruct Palladia officials to provide documentation to justify that the $1,615,057 in unsupported costs is associated with eligible program activities. Any unsupported costs determined to be ineligible should be reimbursed from non-Federal funds.

We recommend that the Director of HUD’s New York Office of Community Planning and Development instruct Palladia officials to strengthen oversight controls over disbursements to ensure that adequate supporting documentation is maintained and complies with applicable regulations.

We recommend that the Director of HUD’s New York Office of Community Planning and Development instruct Palladia officials to follow its policies and procedures for record-keeping to maintain records that adequately identify the source and application of funds provided for financially assisted activities.

We recommend that the Director of HUD’s New York Office of Community Planning and Development instruct Palladia officials to provide records detailing the funding sources of the non-Federal cash match for the six grant activities reviewed.

We recommend that the Director of HUD’s New York Office of Community Planning and Development instruct Palladia officials to provide source documentation to substantiate that the $584,579 in required non-Federal cash matching funds for five of the six program projects reviewed were met.

We recommend that the Director of HUD’s New York Office of Community Planning and Development instruct Palladia officials to reconcile its accounting records to ensure that total revenues and expenditures in its general ledgers reconcile to the revenues and expenditures reported in its annual performance reports and LOCCS.

Update selection rules for CAIVRS to provide for complete reporting of all ineligible borrowers to put $9.5 million to better use.

Status

In 2020, HUD suspended reporting delinquencies and defaults to the Credit Alert Verification Reporting System (CAIVRS) because these debts are owed to the lender and are not delinquent Federal debt. A debt is not delinquent until a payment is past due to HUD for a deficiency judgment against the borrower in connection with an FHA claim. Rather than add the missing borrowers to CAIVRS, HUD determined it would remove default and claim data from the system and use it to exclusively identify borrowers with delinquent Federal debt. This will resolve the issue of incomplete reporting of delinquent federal debts greater than 3 years old. As of early June 2024, the Office of Single Family Housing stated that it was on target to complete its action plan by June 28, 2024.

Analysis

To fully address this recommendation, HUD must provide evidence that it removed default and claim data from CAIVRS.

Implementation of this recommendation should result in HUD putting $9.5 million to better use.

Revise HUD’s asset management fee policy to refederalize the Operating Fund program’s management and bookkeeping fees and the Capital Fund program’s management fees.

HUD should remove the provision that allows public housing authorities to charge asset management fees, which would ensure that at least $81.6 million in operating funds could be put to better use in meeting HUD program objectives.

Establish and implement procedures to reassess the management and bookkeeping fees periodically to ensure that they are reasonable. HUD should retain the documentation justifying the calculation of the rates.

Develop, document, and implement written procedures to ensure that fees charged to the asset management projects and Capital Fund program and expenses from the central office cost center are used to support HUD’s mission.

Discontinue using its low-rent public housing fund as a general fund to pay costs associated with its business activities until it has established appropriate controls.

We recommend that the Director of HUD’s Buffalo Office of Community Planning and Development instruct City officials to provide documentation to support the reasonableness and eligibility of the administrative program delivery costs charged to the CDBG program, including $597,048 in program delivery costs that could have been allocated to the State program, and repay the CDBG program from non-Federal funds any amounts determined to be unreasonable or ineligible.

Require the Authority to support or repay its various program accounts $109,861 from nonfederal funds for unsupported payroll, other compensation, bonuses, travel, supplies, contractor payments and petty cash disbursements.

Provide all supporting documentation associated with the $10,838,880 (Footnote 13) Total disbursements of $10,876,095 were adjusted to consider $37,215 questioned in recommendation 1D. in State CDBG, Section 108, and program income proceeds disbursed for the development of the sports complex, if HUD determines the plan to be feasible (recommendation 1A). HUD must determine the eligibility, reasonableness, and allocability of the funds disbursed. OCMA must reimburse its State CDBG program from non-Federal funds any amount determined ineligible.

We recommend that the Director, Office of Multifamily Asset Management, require that each Hub or field office review its refinanced Section 202/223(f) projects for debt service savings amounts, utilizing data provided from this audit for possible additional debt service savings. Where legally possible each Hub or field office should identify, account for by project, and use these amounts for current and future opportunities benefiting tenants or to fund reductions in housing assistance payments.

Implement a cost-effective method for automating the cash management process to include an electronic interface of transactions to the standard general ledger.