Request indemnification for the 7 of the 11 loans that had material underwriting deficiencies (appendix D). The unpaid balance for these loans is $1.3 million and the estimated potential loss to HUD is $607,598.

Require the lender to develop and implement enhanced policies and procedures to ensure electronic signatures from borrowers are properly supported.

Require the lender to fully implement its quality control plan with respect to reverifications and provide HUD with periodic reports for 12 months to ensure that it conducts its quality control reviews in accordance with the requirements.

Put $256,824 to better use by cancelling the project-based voucher housing assistance payments contract resulting from the RAD conversion. The Authority should work with HUD and the owner to protect the tenancy of the affected tenants at the time of contract cancellation.

Reimburse its Section 8 program $138,925 in associated administrative fees from non-Federal funds for the improper issuance of tenant protection assistance and an improper conversion to the project-based voucher program.

Develop and implement procedures to ensure that forms HUD-50059 and or tenant profiles is received from HUD before providing tenant protection assistance resulting from a completed housing conversion action.

Provide adequate training to staff associated with administering tenant protection and project-based vouchers to help address its lack of familiarity with requirements and ensure compliance with program requirements.

Develop and implement procedures for executing Section 8 Project-Based Voucher Program housing assistance payments contracts related to RAD conversions.

Require lenders to obtain the borrowers’ consent to verify the existence of delinquent Federal taxes with the IRS during loan origination and deny any applicant with delinquent Federal tax debt and no payment plan or a noncompliant payment plan or an applicant refusing to provide consent from receiving FHA insurance to put at least $6.1 billion to better use by avoiding potential future costs to the FHA insurance fund.

Status

To fully address this recommendation, HUD will need to provide evidence that it established a method of borrower consent to verify the existence of delinquent federal taxes including, but not limited to one of the options OIG provided, which were (1) lenders obtaining the borrowers' consent to obtain their tax records directly from the IRS or (2) borrowers accessing their own tax information and submitting it to the lenders.

Implementation of this rule should result in HUD putting $6.1 billion to better use.

Analysis

To fully address this recommendation, HUD will need to provide evidence that it established a method of borrower consent to verify the existence of delinquent federal taxes including, but not limited to one of the options OIG provided, which were (1) lenders obtaining the borrowers' consent to obtain their tax records directly from the IRS or (2) borrowers accessing their own tax information and submitting it to the lenders.

Implementation of this rule should result in HUD putting $6.1 billion to better use.

Develop and implement an action plan that includes sufficient policies, procedures, and controls that address households living in assisted units having a sufficient supply of safe drinking water. Such policies, procedures, and controls should include but not be limited to (1) developing and implementing internal procedures to be notified, and share with public housing agencies, when the public water systems’ water exceeds the Environmental Protection Agency’s lead action level and (2) revising HUD’s applicable regulations, providing guidance to public housing agencies and Housing Choice Voucher Program landlords, and taking appropriate actions so that households living in assisted units have a sufficient supply of safe drinking water.

Evaluate the risk that employee benefit contributions expensed at PHAs may be unreasonable and, if determined necessary, establish and implement controls to reduce or eliminate the evaluated risk.

Develop and implement additional guidance to ensure that PHAs enter accurate employee benefit data into FASS-PH.

Designate a Senior Agency Official for Records Management at the Assistant Secretary level or its equivalent.

Update and issue agency formal records policy, including detailed procedures and requirements for completing and maintaining program office and agencywide inventories of systems, records, and PII.

Update and obtain final NARA approval of all HUD records retention schedules, including the Capstone email schedule, to comply with Federal requirements, including OMB M-19-21.

Develop and approve an enterprise strategy to meet all M-19-21 electronic transition requirements.

Issue a formal policy and requirements for managing CUI.

Establish and disseminate a policy on safeguarding or prohibiting the transportation of PII records out of the office for telework purposes.

Complete the development of performance measures and establish a formal records evaluation process to measure the effectiveness and progress of the records management program.

Standardize processes and duties for all RMLOs.