Audit 10477

Finding 2023-001 Eligibility (Significant Deficiency and Noncompliance) Information of the Federal Program: U.S. Department of Treasury CFDA No. 21.026 Homeowner Assistance Fund Criteria: Treasury established a number of requirements in this program to determine whether an applicant is eligible to receive mortgage assistance. To be an eligible household: must be the homeowners primary residence, they must currently occupy the residence, income must be below 150% of the area median income for the household, and experienced financial hardship due to the pandemic. Condition: The eligibility determination is made based on a collection of information and documentation from the applicant. These files document their circumstances and determine the amount awarded. Context/Cause: We tested 53 households paid during the fiscal year. Of those 53, we noted 19 households with one or more exceptions, totaling 25 exceptions out of a total of 583 requirements tested and summarized as follows:  6 instances in which an initial occupancy statement was obtained with the application but occupancy was not confirmed prior to disbursement  3 instances in which the applicant is above the 150% area median income level  13 instances in which income was not properly documented or the calculation of income by the underwriter was not correct  2 instances in which the monthly mortgage assistance awarded to households was not properly supported Questioned Costs: $31,755 Effect: The Authority was not in compliance with eligibility requirements. Recommendation: We recommend the Authority strengthen its policies and procedures surrounding eligibility determination to ensure compliance with federal requirements. View of Responsible Officials: See Management’s review and Corrective Action Plan included at the end of the report.

Finding 2023-001 Eligibility (Significant Deficiency and Noncompliance) Information of the Federal Program: U.S. Department of Treasury CFDA No. 21.026 Homeowner Assistance Fund Criteria: Treasury established a number of requirements in this program to determine whether an applicant is eligible to receive mortgage assistance. To be an eligible household: must be the homeowners primary residence, they must currently occupy the residence, income must be below 150% of the area median income for the household, and experienced financial hardship due to the pandemic. Condition: The eligibility determination is made based on a collection of information and documentation from the applicant. These files document their circumstances and determine the amount awarded. Context/Cause: We tested 53 households paid during the fiscal year. Of those 53, we noted 19 households with one or more exceptions, totaling 25 exceptions out of a total of 583 requirements tested and summarized as follows:  6 instances in which an initial occupancy statement was obtained with the application but occupancy was not confirmed prior to disbursement  3 instances in which the applicant is above the 150% area median income level  13 instances in which income was not properly documented or the calculation of income by the underwriter was not correct  2 instances in which the monthly mortgage assistance awarded to households was not properly supported Questioned Costs: $31,755 Effect: The Authority was not in compliance with eligibility requirements. Recommendation: We recommend the Authority strengthen its policies and procedures surrounding eligibility determination to ensure compliance with federal requirements. View of Responsible Officials: See Management’s review and Corrective Action Plan included at the end of the report.