HUD Addressed Multifamily Mortgage Application Processing Delays, but Additional Action Is Needed To Better Manage Future Backlogs
Update policies and procedures to include methods that will be used when applications exceed underwriter capacity, align intake and screening processes, and explain when timeframes will be enforced, including in PLUS.
Open Recommendation
HUD Addressed Multifamily Mortgage Application Processing Delays, but Additional Action Is Needed To Better Manage Future Backlogs
Issue an industry wide letter to reinforce how intake, screening, and enforcement of timeframes will be handled.
Open Recommendation
HUD's FHA Appraiser Roster is Generally Reliable but Opportunities to Improve Data Management Exist
Update relevant policies and procedures for appraiser roster management so that they align with each other and with regulations and reflect HUD practice. At a minimum, the policies and procedures should clearly cover appraiser roster status, license expiration, disciplinary actions, removals, Read More
Open Recommendation
HUD's FHA Appraiser Roster is Generally Reliable but Opportunities to Improve Data Management Exist
Maintain historical data for each appraiser record, including history on expiration dates, when appraisers are moved on or off the appraiser roster and when they are and are not allowed to be assigned to conduct appraisals.
Open Recommendation
HUD's FHA Appraiser Roster is Generally Reliable but Opportunities to Improve Data Management Exist
Improve quality assurance processes by adding steps to verify that the appraiser roster is accurate and reliable over time through testing of its logic-based system controls and data fields.
Open Recommendation
Former Clermont housing official pleads guilty to federal program theft
CINCINNATI – The former executive director of the Clermont Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA) pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court today to federal program theft.Timothy Holland, 57, of Williamsburg, Ohio, admitted to stealing tens of thousands of dollars intended to assist low-income residents Read More
September 13, 2024
News
Press Release
Former Scranton Police Officer And Police Union President Sentenced To Imprisonment For Federal Program Fraud In Connection With Overtime Patrol Shifts At Scranton Area Housing Complexes
SCRANTON- The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that Paul Helring, age 48, a former Scranton police officer and the former elected police union president, was sentenced on June 4, 2024, by United States District Court Judge Robert D. Mariani to Read More
June 04, 2024
News
Press Release
Justice Department Secures Agreement to Resolve Sexual Harassment Lawsuit Against Savannah, Georgia, Landlord
The Justice Department announced today that Iraj Shambayati, a landlord who owns and manages over 45 residential properties in and around Savannah, Georgia, has agreed to pay $600,000 to resolve allegations that he violated the Fair Housing Act (FHA) by sexually harassing and retaliating against Read More
April 29, 2024
News
Press Release
San Francisco Resident Sentenced To One Year In Prison For Stealing Over $340,000 In Funds Intended For Low-Income Families
Defendant Falsely Claimed Eligibility for Housing VouchersSAN FRANCISCO – Gregory Finkelson was sentenced to one year in prison for theft of government property in connection with his fraudulent receipt of hundreds of thousands of dollars in low-income housing benefits, announced United States Read More
September 11, 2024
News
Press Release
Puerto Rico Community Energy and Water Resilience Installations Program
HUD OIG is auditing Puerto Rico's Community Energy and Water Resilience Installations Program (CEWRI). HUD awarded Puerto Rico over $20 billion dollars in CDBG-DR funding after the impact of Hurricanes Irma and Maria. Of the total award, $395 million was budgeted to the CEWRI program. Our objective Read More
September 01, 2024
Work Start Notification
#FW 24 0009
Supervisor and Employee of City of Trenton Bureau of Environmental Health Charged with Receiving Illegal Overtime Payments
TRENTON, N.J. – A Burlington County, New Jersey, man and a Mercer County, New Jersey, man made their initial court appearances today on charges of participating in a conspiracy to obtain overtime payments from the city of Trenton for work they did not perform, by fraudulently inflating the overtime Read More
September 09, 2024
News
Press Release
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Reporting of Elevated Blood Lead Levels in HUD-Assisted Multifamily Properties Receiving Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance
HUD OIG is conducting an evaluation of HUD’s reporting of elevated blood lead levels (EBLL) in HUD-assisted Multifamily properties receiving Section 8 project-based rental assistance. Our objective is to (1) determine how the Office of Multifamily Housing tracks and reports EBLL cases in HUD- Read More
September 01, 2024
Work Start Notification
#2024-OE-0005
New York City Department of Social Services ESG CARES Act Improper Payments
HUD OIG is auditing a New York-based grantee's Coronavirus, Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG-CV) program. The CARES Act provided nearly $4 billion in special ESG funds to grantees to prevent, prepare for, and respond to the coronavirus pandemic and Read More
September 01, 2024
Work Start Notification
#LA 24 0017
Clarksville Felon Sentenced to 1.5 Years in Federal Prison for Stealing Over $125,000 in Federal Benefits After Prior Conviction for a Similar Scheme
NEW ALBANY—Willie D. Watts, 42, of Clarksville, has been sentenced to eighteen months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to theft of federal benefits from the Section 8 Housing Voucher, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance, and Social Security Read More
August 19, 2024
News
Press Release
City of Los Angeles Agrees to Pay $38.2M to Resolve False Claims Act Suit for Alleged Misuse of Department of Housing and Urban Development Grant Funds
The City of Los Angeles has agreed to pay $38.2 million to resolve allegations that it knowingly failed to meet federal accessibility requirements when it sought and used Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) grant funds for multifamily affordable housing.HUD provides grant funds to Los Read More
August 26, 2024
News
Press Release
Quincy Landlord Agrees to $15,200 Settlement for False Claims Act Violations
BOSTON – A Quincy landlord has agreed to a settlement for a False Claims Act violation. Mario Bianco, 79, of Quincy has agreed to pay a $15,200 settlement for submitting false claims to the government after receiving side payments in excess of approved monthly rent from a low-income tenant Read More
August 26, 2024
News
Press Release
The Boston Housing Authority Did Not Always Comply with HUD’s Requirements for Its Housing Choice Voucher Program Units
HUD OIG found that the Authority did not always ensure that its HCV Program units met HUD’s housing quality standards and did not consistently stop payments to owners who failed to correct unit deficiencies. We also found the Authority did not comply with HUD’s monitoring and data collection Read More
August 27, 2024
News
Press Release
The Boston Housing Authority Did Not Always Comply With HUD’s Requirements for Its Housing Choice Voucher Program Units
We audited the Boston Housing Authority’s Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Program. We initiated this audit based upon our assessment of risks associated with public housing agencies' HCV Program units, as well as recent media attention and public concern about the conditions of subsidized Read More
August 23, 2024
Report
#2024-CH-1004
The Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles Did Not Adequately Manage Lead-Based Paint in Its Public Housing
HUD OIG found that the Authority did not adequately manage lead-based paint and lead-based paint hazards in its public housing, including failing to perform timely lead‐based paint visual inspections in an estimated 4,762 units.
August 20, 2024
News
Press Release
The Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles Did Not Adequately Manage Lead-Based Paint in Its Public Housing Units
We audited the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles’ management of lead-based paint and lead-based paint hazards in its public housing units. We selected the Authority based on our assessment of the risks of lead‐based paint in public housing agencies’ (PHA) housing developments, Read More
August 20, 2024
Report
#2024-CH-1003