We audited the Westmoreland County Housing Authority’s Housing Choice Voucher program.  We selected the Authority for audit because the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) authorized it more than $8.7 million in program funding per year for fiscal years 2013 and 2014 and we had not audited its program.  Our audit objective was to determine whether the Authority managed its waiting list and selected families in...

We conducted a review of the Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh’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...

We audited the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency’s implementation of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Loss Mitigation program for loans insured by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA).  We conducted the audit because the Agency had the largest active portfolio and the largest number of delinquent loans for servicers located in Pennsylvania as of October 2014.  Our objectives were to determine whether...

We audited the Jefferson Metropolitan Housing Authority’s Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program housing quality standards based on a request from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the activities included in our 2015 annual audit plan.  Our audit objective was to determine whether the Authority conducted thorough housing quality standards inspections of its program units in accordance with HUD’s and its own...

We audited the Jefferson Metropolitan Housing Authority’s Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program based on a request from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the activities included in our 2015 annual audit plan.  Our audit objectives were to determine whether the Authority (1) appropriately calculated housing assistance payments, (2) maintained required eligibility documentation to support the admission and...

We audited the Bucks County Housing Authority’s Housing Choice Voucher program because the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) authorized it more than $15 million per year in fiscal years 2012 to 2014 and we had not audited its housing quality standards inspection program.  Our audit objective was to determine whether the Authority ensured that its Housing Choice Voucher program units met HUD’s housing quality standards...

We conducted a review of the Philadelphia Housing Authority’s compliance with Federal lobbying disclosure requirements and restrictions.  We found that the Authority engaged in the prohibited practice of using Federal funds for lobbying and a former executive director certified to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) that it did not do so.  In addition, the former executive director falsely certified to HUD that...

We audited the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) oversight of its Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) program and found that contrary to program residency requirements, 37 borrowers were not living in the property associated with the loan and were renting the property to participants in HUD’s Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program.  Renting the properties to Section 8 program participants violated program...

We audited the County of Beaver, Beaver Falls, PA’s administration of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) HOME Investment Partnerships Program funds.  We audited the County because we received a complaint alleging misuse of Federal funds resulting from a potential conflict of interest involving a County employee.  Our audit objective was to determine whether the County administered its HOME program in...

We investigated allegations that the president of a Federal Housing Administration (FHA)-approved lender violated loan origination requirements under the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), FHA insurance program.  The allegations were that although the loan application showed the lender’s president as the loan officer who originated the loan, it was actually originated by an employee of the lender, who was also the...

We audited the Adams Metropolitan Housing Authority’s public housing program as part of the activities in our fiscal year 2014 annual audit plan.  We selected the Authority based on a request from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) management.  Our objective was to determine whether the Authority used public housing program funds in accordance with HUD’s and its own requirements. The Authority generally used...

We audited the Housing Authority of the County of Lackawanna’s Housing Choice Voucher program because we received an anonymous complaint alleging incompetent leadership and poor quality of life at the Authority.  This is the second of two audit reports on the Authority.  Our objectives in this audit were to determine whether the Authority ensured that its Housing Choice Voucher program units met U.S. Department of Housing and Urban...

We audited the Catholic Social Services of the Diocese of Scranton’s (grantee) use of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Supportive Housing and HOME Investment Partnerships Program funds used for the renovation of St. Hedwig’s Veterans Village.  We audited the grantee because we received a complaint alleging misuse of HUD funds and a potential conflict of interest involving the construction management company....

We conducted a review of the Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh’s compliance with Federal lobbying disclosure requirements and restrictions based on concerns noted during our ongoing internal audit of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) oversight of public housing authorities’ compliance with Federal lobbying disclosure requirements.  Our review objective was to determine whether the Authority complied...

We audited the County of Northumberland, PA’s Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program grant because the chairman of the Northumberland County board of commissioners requested that we audit the program.  Our objective was to determine whether the County administered its program grant in accordance with American Recovery and Reinvestment Act requirements. The County did not administer its program according to Recovery Act...

We audited the Housing Authority of the County of Lackawanna, PA, because we received an anonymous complaint alleging incompetent leadership, nepotism, misuse of funds, and poor quality of life at the Authority.  Our objectives were to determine whether the allegations in the complaint had merit and whether the Authority had effective controls to prevent conflicts of interest, ensure that interfund accounts were settled in a timely manner...

We investigated allegations that Thomas Bechtel, a real estate broker, violated U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) real estate-owned owner occupancy program requirements.  The Cincinnati HUD office referred the complaint to HUD OIG.  Our investigation revealed that a bidder, using Thomas Bechtel as his real estate broker, made a false statement when the bidder purchased a HUD-owned single-family home.  The...

We investigated allegations that Tracie Hoker, a real estate agent, violated U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) real estate-owned owner occupancy program requirements.  The Cincinnati HUD office referred the complaint to our office.  Our investigation revealed that a bidder, using Ms. Tracie Hoker as his real estate agent, made a false statement in 2012 to purchase a HUD-owned single-family home, by submitting a...

We investigated allegations that John Sherman violated U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) real estate-owned (REO) owner occupancy program requirements.  The Cincinnati HUD Office referred the complaint to our office.  Our investigation revealed that John Sherman failed to comply with the HUD REO program requirement that an individual who purchased a REO home during its initial offering period must be the owner-...

We audited the City of Toledo’s Community Development Block Grant funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 as part of the activities in our fiscal year 2013 annual audit plan.  We selected the City’s Block Grant based upon recent media attention regarding the City’s programs, a request by the Honorable Marcy Kaptur, and a referral from the Office of Inspector General’s Office of Investigation.  Our objective was...