Housing: Millions of Dollars in Delinquent Mortgage Insurance Premiums Should Be Collected by the Department of Housing and Urban Development - Government Accountability Office (GAO) report

Housing: Millions of Dollars in Delinquent Mortgage Insurance Premiums Should Be Collected by the Department of Housing and Urban Development - GAO Report

Date:	Sept. 8, 1977
Report No.:	FGMSD-77-33
Pages:	32
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Subjects: Federal aid programs Insurance premiums Late payments Loans Mortgage programs Mortgage protection insurance Program evaluation Program management Billing procedures Summary: In a 14-month period ended March 1977, an average of $38 million per month in mortgage insurance premiums was past due to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) because many lending institutions did not pay their bills on time. By changing its premium collection cycle from a yearly to a monthly basis, the agency could save the Government $16.5 million in interest costs. HUD does not: promptly identify delinquent premiums due and notify lending institutions of the delinquencies; use effective collection procedures; charge interest for late payments; or use its authority to suspend persistently delinquent lending institutions from the program. HUD has outlined specific actions taken and planned to collect delinquent premiums, improve accounting and supporting computer systems, and get prompt payments of future premiums. However, HUD does not agree that insurance premiums should be collected monthly.