This report presents the results of Urbach Kahn and Werlin LLP's audit of the Federal Housing Administration's (FHA) financial statements for the years ended September 30, 2007 and 2006. In Urbach Kahn and Werlin's opinion, FHA's principal financial statements are presented fairly, in all material respects, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. The report identifies three…

This report presents the results of Carmichael, Brasher, Tuvell and Company's audit of the Government National Mortgage Association's (Ginnie Mae) financial statements for the years ended September 30, 2007 and 2006. In Carmichael, Brasher, Tuvell and Company's opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of Ginnie Mae as of September 30, 2007 and September 30, 2006 and the…

We audited the District of Columbia Housing Authority's (Authority) administration of its leased housing under its Moving to Work Demonstration (Moving to Work) program based on our analysis of various risk factors relating to the housing authorities under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) Baltimore field office. This is the second of three audit reports to be issued on the Authority'…

We completed a limited review of social security number validation procedures used by lenders to qualify single family loans for FHA mortgage insurance. Prior to 2005, the use of invalid or false social security numbers (SSNs) by borrowers and co-borrowers to obtain FHA insured mortgages was an issue. Effective June 2005, FHA required the lenders to validate borrowers social security numbers by matching their names and dates of birth through…

We completed a limited review concerning Sprint FONCARDS or calling cards. We conducted the review to ensure adequate controls were present. The objectives of our review were to determine the controls in place to identify waste, fraud or abuse regarding the FTS 2001 Sprint FONCARD. We determined that verification memorandums were not being sent to individuals to verify that calls were official and were made by the individual as required in…

We completed a limited review concerning college students living in Section 8 subsidized housing. We conducted the review in response to media and congressional attention and subsequent issuance of new regulations and policy guidance by HUD that restricted the eligibility of the students. The media had reported that taxpayer subsidized housing was being occupied by students to offset the high price of college. It also reported concerns by the…

We audited the Benton Harbor Housing Commission's (Commission) Public Housing Captial Fund program (program). The audit was conducted based upon a request from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) Detroit Office of Public Housing. Our objectives were to determine whether the Commission operated its program in a manner that provides reasonable assurance that (1) expenditures were adequately supported and eligible and (2)…

We audited the Housing Authority of the City of Gary's (Authority) Section 8 housing program. The audit was part of the activities in our fiscal year 2005 annual audit plan. We selected the Authority based upon a risk analysis the identified it as having a high risk Section 8 housing program. The objective of the audit was to determine whether the Authority managed its Section 8 program in accordance with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban…

We audited the Kankakee County Housing Authority's (Authority) Low-Rent Housing Program. The audit was conducted in response to a citizen's complaint to our office and was part of our comprehensive audit of the Authority. The object of our audit was to determine whether the Authority administered its Low-Rent Housing program in an efficient and effective manner. We determined whether the Authority had adequate procedures and controls over its…

We completed an audit of the Kankakee Count Housing Authority's Section 8 Housing Program. The audit was conducted based upon a citizen's complaint to our Office. The objectives of our audit were to determine where the Authority: (1) administered its Section 8 Program in an efficient and effective manner; and (2) provided decent, safe, and sanitary housing for its Section 8 tenants. This audit is part of our on-going comprehensive audit of the…

WASHINGTON DC— Today, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Office of Inspector General (OIG) issued a report examining how HUD tracks elevated blood lead levels in children under six reported by multifamily properties receiving Section 8 project-based rental assistance.  The report found that the Office of Multifamily Housing (Multifamily) lacks policies, processes, and a tracking system to effectively ensure…

WASHINGTON, DC— Today, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Office of Inspector General (OIG) issued its annual audit report assessing HUD’s efforts to estimate, test, and reduce improper payments under the Payment Integrity Information Act of 2019. The audit found that for the eighth consecutive year, HUD was unable to estimate improper payments for its two largest rental assistance programs. Together, the Office…

WASHINGTON DC— Today, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Office of Inspector General (OIG) issued a report examining how the New York City Housing Authority’s (NYCHA) evaluates fraud risk, designs antifraud controls, and responds to known fraud to prevent it in the future. The audit found that NYCHA has several antifraud measures in place but lacks a comprehensive strategy or framework for identifying and…

WASHINGTON DC— Today, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Office of Inspector General (OIG) released a report examining the Boston Housing Authority’s (Authority) compliance with HUD and local requirements for maintaining Public Housing units in decent, safe, sanitary, conditions and in good repair.The audit found that the Authority’s units and buildings were not consistently maintained in accordance with HUD’s and the…

WASHINGTON DC— An Illinois man was sentenced today in federal court to seven months for his role in a scheme to defraud financial institutions in connection with over $800,000 in loans.Lamar Spells, 60, of Flossmoor, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Steven C. Seeger of the Northern District of Illinois, who also ordered Spells to pay $276,788 in restitution, joint and severally. In April 2023, Spells pleaded guilty to one count of an…