As part of the tenth of our ongoing audits of the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation's (LMDC) administration of Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery Assistance funds, we reviewed the nature of costs incurred under the activity entitled "World Trade Center Memorial and Cultural" program related to the deconstruction of the Deutsche Bank building in New York City. The review raised concern about funding of the…

We completed an audit of Wells Fargo Bank NA, Rochester, New York, Branch Office (Wells Fargo), a national bank and supervised lender. The audit objectives were to determine whether Wells Fargo (1) approved insured loans in accordance with U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)/Federal Housing Administration (FHA) requirements, which include following prudent lending practices, and (2) developed and implemented a quality control…

At HUD's request, we audited the Housing Choice Voucher program of the Richland Housing Authority (Authority). HUD was concerned about the results of an audit of the Authority performed by the Washington State Auditor's Office. Our objective was to determine whether the Authority made ineligible purchases with program funds. We found that the Authority did not track its program expenses. Also, it charged more than $57,000 in…

We audited the Tuckahoe Housing Authority (Authority) to assess the merits of a complaint and determine whether the Authority administered its low-rent housing program and nonprofit entity activities in accordance with the annual contributions contract and other U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) regulations. The audit disclosed that the Authority did not adequately administer its low-rent program and nonprofit entity…

We audited Renton Housing Authority (Authority), Renton, Washington. The review was initiated due to a hotline complaint from a Housing Choice Voucher program recipient. The complainant stated that the contract rent was unreasonable because it exceeded the rent for comparable unassisted units on the premises. The audit objective was to determine whether the complaint was valid. We also wanted to determine whether the Authority had controls in…

We completed an audit of the operations of the City of Troy, New York (the City), pertaining to its administration of its Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program. The objective of our audit was to determine whether the City administered its CDBG program in an effective and efficient manner in compliance with applicable HUD rules and regulations. The audit disclosed that the City generally complied with HUD program requirements when…

We audited A Plus Mortgage, Inc. (A Plus), to determine whether (1) the fees charged to Federal Housing Administration (FHA) borrowers by A Plus were appropriate under U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), FHA, and Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA) regulations and (2) the loan officers originating FHA-insured loans were employees of A Plus. A Plus disregarded HUD FHA requirements and provisions of RESPA and engaged…

This is the tenth report in our ongoing audits of the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation's (the auditee) administration of the Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery Assistance funds provided to the State of New York. During our audit period, April 1, 2007, through September 30, 2007, the auditee disbursed approximately $132.7 million of the $2.783 billion funds appropriated. The objectives of this audit were to determine…

We completed an audit of Richard A. Hutchens and Associates (agent) pertaining to its management of the financial operations of Cayuga Village and Touraine Apartments. The objectives of our audit were to determine whether the agent used project funds in accordance with the regulatory agreement and HUD requirements. Specifically, to determine whether the agent (1) provided adequate documentation to support the reasonableness of payments made to…

We completed an audit of the City of New Rochelle, located in New Rochelle, New York, in order to evaluate its administration of the HOME Investment Partnerships Program (HOME). The objectives of the audit were to determine whether the City of New Rochelle (1) committed and expended HOME funds in accordance with HUD rules and regulations, (2) disbursed funds for only eligible activities, and (3) used funds for eligible administrative and…

During the ninth in our series of on-going audits of the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation's (LMDC) administration of the $2.783 billion of Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery Assistance funds provided to the State of New York following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City, we noted that the final action plan approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban…

We audited the Tacoma Consortium HOME Investment Partnerships Program as a result of a risk assessment performed by HUD-OIG Region IX. Our objective was to determine whether the Consortium complied with HOME requirements, laws, and regulations with respect to the homeowner rehabilitation program and HUD procurement regulations. The Consortium generally administered HOME in accordance with HUD requirements but violated HOME regulations when it…

HUD OIG performed the ninth of the ongoing audits of the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation’s (LMDC’s) administration of the Community Development Block Grant (Block Grant) Disaster Recovery Assistance funds provided to the State of New York following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City.  HUD has allocated $2.783 billion in Disaster Recovery Assistance funds to the LMDC.  OIG’s…

During the eighth in our series of ongoing audits of the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation's (LMDC) administration of the $2.783 billion in Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery Assistance funds provided to the State of New York following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City, we identified a concern about whether certain activities, for which funds have been disbursed and…