Report 2010-123 All Recommendation Responses

Report 2010-123: California Housing Finance Agency: Most Indicators Point to Continued Solvency Despite Its Financial Difficulties Created, in Part, by Its Past Decisions (Release Date: February 2011)

Recommendation #1 To: Housing Finance Agency

To provide better oversight of CalHFA, its board should issue a policy stating that it must approve any new debt-issuance strategy or mortgage product prior to its implementation, either directly or by inclusion in CalHFA's annual business plan. The board should, where appropriate, prescribe limits on how much of the debt portfolio can be fixed- or variable-rate bonds, and what proportion of the loans it purchases can consist of mortgage products it identifies as riskier than other mortgage products.

6-Month Agency Response

A board resolution approved May 2011 requires staff to present new financing strategies and new loan products for full discussion and approval by majority vote of the board prior to implementation by CalHFA. This resolution also specifies that proposed annual business plans submitted to the board by CalHFA staff shall address limitations on the use of variable rate debt and identification of loan products that CalHFA identifies as involving higher levels of risk than traditional CalHFA loan products. (See 2012-406 p. 31)

California State Auditor's Assessment of 6-Month Status: Fully Implemented

Recommendation #2 To: Housing Finance Agency

Within its annual resolutions delegating authority to CalHFA staff, the CalHFA board should include language restricting staff's actions regarding debt strategies and mortgage products to those specified in the annual delegations themselves, the approved business plans, or subsequent board resolutions.

6-Month Agency Response

Board resolutions approved in January 2011 and amended in March 2011 include restrictions on actions CalHFA staff may take regarding debt strategies and mortgage products. When taken together with the May 2011 board resolution (See Recommendation 1), these actions restrict CalHFA staff to implementing only financing strategies and loan products approved by the board. (See 2012-406 p. 32)

California State Auditor's Assessment of 6-Month Status: Fully Implemented

All Recommendations in 2010-123

Agency responses received after June 2013 are posted verbatim.