Continue testing the financial and credit history variables, including default data, and include the appropriate reliable and sufficient variables for the cash flow model used to estimate and reestimate the credit subsidy for the cohorts of mortgages within the Section 232 program.

We recommend that the Office of Multifamily Housing Programs enforce written policies and procedures to ensure that the verification and payment of housing assistance payment subsidies for properties it subsidizes are based on accurate and supported information.

We recommend that the Office of Multifamily Housing Programs establish and implement policies to ensure effective contract administration, including providing funding approvals for project-based contract administrators in a timely manner.

We recommend that the Office of Multifamily Housing Programs develop contingency policies and procedures to ensure that the properties it subsidizes receive adequate and verifiable continuous monitoring.

Update and implement the internal procedures for processing housing conversion actions to require documentation, including but not limited to expired contracts or financial documentation from HUD’s Line of Credit Control System, to show when the last payment was made for the contract to support the proposed housing conversion actions before allotment of tenant protection funds.

Update and implement internal procedures to require verification that tenant protection funds were not previously allotted for the same type of housing conversion action.

For the remaining retroactive RAD conversion not completed, to take steps, including but not limited to maintaining adequate approval documentation to ensure that it enforces its requirement that the tenant protection assistance is provided to tenants before the submission of the RAD application.

For the remaining retroactive RAD conversion not completed, to take steps including but not limited to training staff responsible for reviewing and approving RAD applications to ensure that it enforces its requirement that the tenant protection assistance is provided to tenants before the submission of the RAD application.

Develop and implement policy and procedures for the incremental obligation process used for project-based Section 8 funds, including documentation for determining the incremental amounts and controls to review the amounts for accuracy.

Update HUD’s loss mitigation policies, to include deadlines for the servicers to file the FHA-HAMP nonincentivized partial claims, and consider imposing sanctions for noncompliance with these deadline requirements.

Update HUD’s loss mitigation policies, to include deadlines for the servicers to report the new terms of the FHA-HAMP nonincentivized loan modifications, and consider imposing sanctions for noncompliance with these deadline requirements.

Ensure that the HECM cash flow model assumptions capture all valid assignments or provide an analysis showing that the model results are not biased due to the exclusion of valid HECM assignments.

Document and implement policies and procedures to ensure that data observations for key assumptions that are inconsistent with FHA’s understanding of program operations are researched and further analyzed and that all results are concurrently documented and included in the model documentation.

Update the posting models to ensure that refunds relating to payments made in prior years are properly recorded in accordance with OMB Circular A-11.

Correct the programming error in the HERMIT system to ensure that the correct insurance-in-force balances are reported on the note disclosures.

Develop policies and procedures to ensure that the line items in the required note disclosures are understood, properly calculated, and properly disclosed in the financial statements in accordance with OMB Circular A-136.

Require lenders to obtain the borrowers’ consent to verify the existence of delinquent Federal taxes with the IRS during loan origination and deny any applicant with delinquent Federal tax debt and no payment plan or a noncompliant payment plan or an applicant refusing to provide consent from receiving FHA insurance to put at least $6.1 billion to better use by avoiding potential future costs to the FHA insurance fund.

Status

As of October 2023, the Office of Single Family Housing reported it will need additional tax information from the Internal Revenue Service to complete the planned action, and that the Office of the Chief Financial Officer will assist the Office of Single Family Housing. As of June 2024, no new update has been reported.

The final action target date was May 23, 2024, but was updated in June 2024 to May 23, 2025.

Analysis

To fully address this recommendation, HUD will need to provide evidence that it established a method of borrower consent to verify the existence of delinquent federal taxes.

Implementation of this rule should result in HUD putting $6.1 billion to better use.

Revise HUD handbooks for forward and reverse mortgages to reflect that tax liens and judgments are no longer reported on credit reports.

Revise HUD handbooks for forward and reverse mortgages for uniformity in the treatment of delinquent tax debt and the existence of payment plans as only the forward mortgage handbook requires 3 months of payments.

Reimburse the project $17,761 from nonproject funds for the project operating funds disbursed for ineligible expenses.