Finding 8244 (2022-001)

Material Weakness
Requirement
N
Questioned Costs
-
Year
2022
Accepted
2024-01-10
Audit: 10874
Auditor: Snd Partners LLP

AI Summary

  • Core Issue: Financial statements were not completed and reconciled on time after the fiscal year end due to insufficient internal controls.
  • Impacted Requirements: Delays in accurate reporting can lead to material misstatements in financial statements, affecting compliance and decision-making.
  • Recommended Follow-Up: Management should enhance their accounting processes and controls to ensure timely and accurate financial reporting moving forward.

Finding Text

Questioned Costs: N/A Condition: Complete and reconciled financials were not available within a reasonable period after the fiscal year end. Criteria: A deficiency in internal control exists when the design or operation of a control does not allow management or employees, in the normal course of performing their assigned functions, to prevent or detect and correct misstatements on a timely basis. A material weakness is a deficiency, or combination of deficiencies, in internal control, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of HIP Housing Development Corporation and Subsidiaries’ financial statements will not be prevented, or detected and corrected on a timely basis. Cause: Management's accounting and review process does not have sufficient controls to ensure accurate and timely reporting. Effect: Management's was unable to produce accurate and timely financial statements to meet the reporting requirements of the entity. Recommendation: We recommend that Management review their processes and procedures for identifying and reconciling the financials for the entity. Reporting Views of Responsible Officials: HIP Housing had a system conversion from QuickBooks to Yardi in July 2021. Our go live date was July 1, 2021 which makes fiscal year 21-22 our first year of audit in our new system for HHAV, HIP Housing, and HHDC. Due to difficulties and complications related to our conversion, mapping of conversion data, validating beginning balances, and closing out the year took us much longer that we expected. That significantly delayed our year end closing process. Such a delay is common when organizations are going through system conversions. Now that we will have audited beginning balances in Yardi, such delays should be reduced. We have already started taking measures to ensure that financials are completed and reconciled in a reasonable period for future audits. Some of these measures include monthly A/R and A/P tie outs of the A/R and A/P sub-ledgers to the general ledger and also a monthly reconciliation of intercompany reconciliations. We have also started using import files to record most of the intercompany transactions which will simplify/improve our intercompany reconciliation.

Corrective Action Plan

HIP Housing had a system conversion from QuickBooks to Yardi in July 2021. Our go live date was July 1, 2021 which makes fiscal year 21-22 our first year of audit in our new system for HHAV, HIP Housing, and HHDC. Due to difficulties and complications related to our conversion, mapping of conversion data, validating beginning balances, and closing out the year took us much longer that we expected. That significantly delayed our year end closing process. Such a delay is common when organizations are going through system conversions. Now that we will have audited beginning balances in Yardi, such delays should be reduced. We have already started taking measures to ensure that financials are completed and reconciled in a reasonable period for future audits. Some of these measures include monthly A/R and A/P tie outs of the A/R and A/P sub-ledgers to the general ledger and also a monthly reconciliation of intercompany reconciliations. We have also started using import files to record most of the intercompany transactions which will simplify/improve our intercompany reconciliation. Ghion Dessie – VP of Finance

Categories

Material Weakness Reporting Internal Control / Segregation of Duties

Other Findings in this Audit

  • 8245 2022-002
    Material Weakness
  • 584686 2022-001
    Material Weakness
  • 584687 2022-002
    Material Weakness

Programs in Audit

ALN Program Name Expenditures
14.239 Home Investment Partnerships Program $4.89M
14.218 Community Development Block Grants/entitlement Grants $848,085