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 Stonebrook Apartments Phase I and Phase II (projects) to determine whether the projects' owners complied with the regulatory agreements and U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) regulations. Specifically, we wanted to determine whether the owners (1) made unauthorized distributions of project funds when the projects were in a non-surplus-cash position, (2) fully funded the tenant security deposit accounts, and (…

We audited the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), Supplemental II Disaster Recovery program funds, administered by the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA). Specifically, we wanted to determine whether TDHCA monitored its program management firm (the Firm) to ensure compliance with Federal and State regulations and to ensure costs reimbursed for the Housing…

We reviewed Allied Home Mortgage Capital Corporation (Allied), a nonsupervised loan correspondent. The objective of the review was to determine the validity of a hotline complaint that Allied operated its branches in violation of U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) requirements. The complaint was partially valid as Allied did not fully follow HUD's branch office requirements. Allied required branch managers to personally…

We audited the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), Supplemental I Disaster Recovery program, administered by the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (Department). We performed the audit as part of the Office of Inspector General's commitment to HUD to implement oversight of the Disaster Recovery funds to prevent fraud, waste, and abuse and duplication of…

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…

Based on a congressional request, we performed an audit of the Housing Authority City of El Paso's (Authority) procurement process and board of commissioners (board) activities. Our objectives were to determine whether the Authority properly followed procurement requirements and whether the executive director was selected in accordance with applicable procedures. The Authority did not follow its procurement policies or the U. S. Department…

As part of the Office of Inspector General's (OIG) annual audit plan and because of significant regulatory violations identified at another property owned by an entity related to Century Ebony Lake - GEAC, LLC (owner), we audited Ebony Lake Healthcare Center (project). Our objectives were to determine whether the project's owner (1) transferred funds from the project in violation of its regulatory agreement with the U. S. Department of…

We audited Wells Fargo Mortgage (Wells Fargo) as part of our annual audit plan objective of improving the integrity of single family insurance programs. Our objective was to determine whether Wells Fargo complied with U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) origination requirements for the Home Equity Conversion Mortgage program, commonly known as a reverse mortgage. Wells Fargo generally complied with HUD's reverse mortgage…

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…

As part of our strategic plan objective to assist the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) efforts to reduce rental assistance overpayments, we audited the Dallas Housing Authority's (Authority) Housing Choice Voucher program (voucher program). Our objective was to determine whether the Authority properly administered its overall voucher program. The Authority acknowledged its longstanding weaknesses, as previously…

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 reviewed Senior Reverse Mortgage Services, Incorporated (originator), a home equity conversion mortgage (HECM) originator. The originator originated loans for one of the largest lenders in Texas, Financial Freedom Senior Funding Corporation. Our objective was to determine whether the originator complied with U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) regulations and adequately counseled borrowers and disclosed costs. Generally,…

As part of the Office of Inspector General's (OIG) annual audit plan, we audited Century Mission Oaks (project). Our objectives were to determine whether the project's owner-manager, Century Mission Oaks GEAC, LLC (owner), complied with the regulatory agreement with the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) during fiscal years 2005 and 2006. Specifically, we wanted to determine whether the owner (1) adequately…

As part of our strategic plan objective to assist the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) efforts to reduce rental assistance overpayments, we audited the Dallas Housing Authority's (Authority) financial management of its Housing Choice Voucher program (voucher program). Our objective was to determine whether the Authority had the necessary financial controls in place to operate its voucher program in an efficient…

We conducted a review of the City of Dallas' (City) Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) grant. Our objectives were to determine whether the City and its program sponsors provided rent, mortgage, and utility assistance to persons who met program criteria and whether the 2005 and 2006 competitive grants provided transitional and replacement housing. Generally, the City complied with program requirements to ensure that it and…

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…

Based on a hotline complaint, we audited the Housing Authority of the City of McKinney (Authority). Our objective was to determine whether the Authority's transactions with its affiliated nonprofit, the McKinney Housing Opportunity Corporation (Corporation), complied with U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) requirements. In violation of its annual contributions contract, the Authority inappropriately provided $915,487 in…

We audited the Community Development Corporation of Brownsville, Inc. (Corporation), at the request of the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) San Antonio Director of Community Planning and Development. Our objective was to determine whether the Corporation correctly charged administrative costs to its various federal funding sources. We expanded our objective to also determine whether the Corporation used housing…