We audited the Stone Terrace Apartments’ Section 8 housing assistance payments program based on a citizen’s complaint alleging mismanagement of its housing assistance payments contract.  The audit was part of the activities in our fiscal year 2017 annual audit plan.  Our audit objective was to determine whether the management agent administered the project’s program in accordance with the owner’s contract with the U.S. Department of…

We audited Alpine First Preston Joint Venture II, LLC, a contracted asset manager in HUD’s real estate-owned Management and Marketing III program, as part of the activities included in our 2017 annual audit plan and because it was the sole contractor to market and sell U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) owned properties located in Illinois. Our audit objective was to determine whether Alpine complied with its contract with…

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Office of Inspector General (OIG), in coordination with the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois’ Eastern Division, conducted a joint review of the former president and founder of MDR Mortgage Corporation. MDR Mortgage provided annual verifications to HUD in 2006, 2007, and 2008, certifying that none of its…

We audited the Puerto Rico Department of Housing’s multifamily special escrow funds.  This audit was the result of a referral from the San Juan Office of Multifamily Housing Programs.  The objectives of the audit were to determine whether the Department administered and disbursed its escrow funds in accordance with its memorandum of understanding with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and whether funded…

We audited the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) resident home-ownership program grant for West Park Place Condominium (project) based on the results of a risk assessment of multifamily housing programs in Region 5’s jurisdiction (States of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin) and the activities in our fiscal year 2016 annual audit plan.  Our objective was to determine whether the West Park…

We audited Mortgage Services III, LLC, a Federal Housing Administration (FHA)-approved direct endorsement lender, as part of the activities in our fiscal year 2016 annual audit plan.  We selected Mortgage Services for review based on an analysis of data in the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Single Family Data Warehouse system  for single-family lenders with home offices in Region 5’s jurisdiction. …

We audited the Municipality of Bayamon’s Emergency Shelter Grants and Emergency Solutions Grants programs.  We selected this auditee based on congressional and hotline complaints alleging that the Municipality improperly used Emergency funds to transport people from Puerto Rico to mainland U.S. cities to receive rehabilitation treatment.  Our main audit objectives were to determine whether allegations included in the complaints had…

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Office of Inspector General, audited the Alton Housing Authority because it appeared to have flat rents set at a rate below 80 percent of the fair market rent in that area based on the information available in the Public and Indian Housing Information Center system.  Our objective was to determine whether the Authority complied with HUD’s flat rent requirements. The Authority did…

We audited the Puerto Rico Department of Housing’s Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program’s housing quality standards as part of the activities in our fiscal year 2014 audit plan.  We selected the Department because it had a large program receiving more than $54 million in 2014.  Our main audit objective was to determine whether the Department’s inspection process adequately ensured that its units complied with the U.S. Department…

We audited the Municipality of Toa Alta’s Section 108 Loan Guarantee program.  This audit was the result of a referral from the San Juan Office of Community Planning and Development.  The objectives of the audit were to determine whether program funds were effectively used to meet a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program national objective and provide the intended benefits and whether the Municipality complied with loan…

We audited EdgeAlliance, Inc.’s Continuum of Care program funds for The Daniel R. Ruscitti Phoenix House (project).  The audit was part of the activities in our fiscal year 2015 annual audit plan.  We selected the project for review based upon a citizen’s complaint.  Our objectives were to determine whether EdgeAlliance complied with Federal requirements in its (1) maintenance of financial management systems for program funds and…

We audited the State of Illinois’ Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery program.  The audit was part of the activities in our fiscal year 2015 annual audit plan.  We selected the State’s program based on a congressional request from the Honorable Mark Kirk to review the State’s awards of program funds under the Consolidated Security, Disaster Assistance, and Continuing Appropriations Act of 2009 for three projects.…

We audited the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Resident Homeownership Program grant for Carmen-Marine Apartments (project).  The audit was part of the activities in our fiscal year 2015 annual audit plan.  We selected the project based on a request from HUD’s Chicago Multifamily Housing Hub.  Our objective was to determine whether the Carmen-Marine Cooperative and management agent operated the project in…

HUD OIG assisted the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Illinois, in the investigation of Lakeview Sheridan, LLC, and Fremont Sheridan Properties.  Lakeview Sheridan is a multifamily property located in Chicago, IL, and Fremont Sheridan was the management company for Lakeview Sheridan.  Under section 223(f) of the National Housing Act, HUD insured the mortgage on Lakeview Sheridan in May 2006 through its Federal Housing…

We conducted a review of the Chicago Housing Authority’s payments for outside legal services in conjunction with an ongoing internal audit of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) oversight of public housing agencies’ expenditures for outside legal services.  Our review objective was to determine whether the Authority made payments for outside legal services in compliance with applicable requirements. We found that…

We audited the Chicago Housing Authority’s Moving to Work Housing Choice Voucher program as part of the activities in our fiscal year 2014 annual audit plan.  We selected the Authority based on a request from Congressman Aaron Schock and recent media attention regarding the Authority’s exception payment standards.  Our objective was to determine whether the Authority complied with its Moving to Work agreement, the U.S. Department of…

We audited the Office of the Commissioner for Municipal Affairs’ Section 108 Loan Guarantee program as part of our strategic plan and based on the deficiencies noted during our recent review of Municipal Affairs’ Section 108 Loan Guarantee program, concerning the slow progress of the Vieques Sports Complex project (Audit memorandum number 2014-AT-1801, issued March 20, 2014).  The objectives of the audit were to determine whether Section…

We audited the City of Chicago’s HOME Investment Partnerships Program.  We selected the City’s Program based upon our analysis of risk factors related to Program grantees in Region 5’s jurisdiction.  Our objectives were to determine whether the City complied with HUD’s requirements regarding (1) leases between rental new construction projects’ owners and households, (2) use and reporting of Program income, and (3) monitoring of…

We reviewed HUD’s San Juan, PR, Office of Community Planning and Development’s monitoring of the Vieques, PR, Sports City Complex project.  The review was performed based on indicators identified in the audit of the Vieques Sports City Complex, Office of the Commissioner for Municipal Affairs’ (OCMA) Puerto Rico State Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Section 108 Loan Guarantee program.  More than 11 years had elapsed since HUD…

We audited the Municipality of Carolina’s HOME Investment Partnerships Program as part of our strategic plan, based on the amount of HOME funds approved.  The objectives of the audit were to determine whether HOME-funded activities met program objectives, home buyers complied with HOME’s primary residency requirement for the duration of the period of affordability, and the Municipality maintained a financial management system in compliance…