CHAPTER 7. HEADQUARTERS PERSONNEL ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

7-1. HEADQUARTERS DEBT COLLECTION. Debts originating at Headquarters

are handled just as they are in the field, except for the

following differences:

At Headquarters, when the initial request for payment is made to

a debtor, the Action Official will send a copy of the invoice

and other source documentation to the Cash and Credit Management

Staff (CCM). The CCM will forward the source documentation to

the appropriate organization within the Office of Finance and

Accounting (OFA) for recording in the general ledger.

Collections received will be handled in accordance with proper

cash management techniques and with [[HUD Handbook
1911.1]{.mark}](http://www.hud.gov/offices/adm/hudclips/handbooks/cfoh/19111/index.cfm)
REV,

Handling and Protecting Cash and Other Negotiable Instruments.

If a payment is past due on a Headquarters debt account, the

action Official will generate up to two follow-up demand letters

to the debtor. If these letters do not result in satisfactory

resolution of the debt, the originating Action Official will

forward the debt file to the appropriate Claims Collection

Officer (CCO) for aggressive collection.

7-2. ACTION OFFICIAL. Headquarters Action Officials have the same

responsibilities with regard to debt as do Field Office Action

Officials, except that accounting coordination will be carried

out with the DCP as described above (see 7-1).

7-3. CLAIMS COLLECTION OFFICER. Headquarters CCOs are appointed by

each Assistant Secretary. Their responsibilities for

aggressive collection and coordination are the same as Field

Office CCOs, except that accounting coordination is maintained

as described above. In addition, Headquarters CCOs are

responsible for direct entry and update of claims information in

the Delinquent Debt Collection System (i.e., the A97 System).

7-4. DEBT COLLECTION PROJECT. The DCP reports to the Departmental

Claims Officer (DCO) and is responsible for:

o Managing all HUD delinquent debts.

o Managing and controlling the A97 System.

o Recommending, developing, and implementing improvements to

debt collection policy and procedures.

o Making improvements to the A97 System.

OCT 26 1987

7-1

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o Developing delinquent debt collection training packages

for Department-wide use.

o Training all Regional Claims Collection Officers (RCCOs)

and Headquarters claims collection personnel.

o Performing reviews of regional claims collection

activities.

7-5. DEPARTMENTAL CLAIMS OFFICER. The Assistant Secretary for

Administration appoints the DCO; this is either the OFA

Director or Deputy Director. The DCO establishes and maintains

policies and procedures for claims collection and coordinates

all claims collection activities in the Field Offices and at

Headquarters. The DCO designates a staff member to serve as

Claims Officer and assist in debt/claims control activities.

The DCO\'s responsibilities include developing and implementing

the claims collection system and reporting and adjudicating on

claims received from CCOs. Specific duties performed by the DCO

include:

o Compromising, suspending, or terminating claims through

\$20,000 exclusive of interest, penalties, and

administrative costs.

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Program officials have this authority under four HUD

program areas: Title I property improvement loans,

Section 312 rehabilitation loans, tenants or former

tenants of HUD-owned properties and those properties

where HUD is mortgagee-in-possession, and Government

National Mortgage Association (GNMA) operational

(nonadministrative) activities.

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o Forwarding claims referred from program officials in

excess of \$20,000 to the Department of Justice (DOJ), with

specific recommendations to compromise, terminate, or

litigate the claims.

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The DCO forwards claims arising from a General

Accounting Office (GAO) audit exception to GAO.

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o Obtaining proper releases from DOJ to process actions on

uncollected claims exceeding \$20,000 exclusive of

interest, penalties, and administrative costs.

o Reporting to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) as

additional income for the debtor the amount of a claim

that remains uncollectible after the DCO has compromised or

terminated a claim.

OCT 26 1987

7-2

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o Acting as a liaison between CCOs when a claim involves more

than one region and between CCOs and Headquarters when

Headquarters requires additional documentation or

assistance.

o Developing and implementing a training program for

debt/claims collection personnel at Headquarters and in

Field Offices.

o Providing \-- to appropriate personnel as necessary \-- debt

and claims information and changes in personnel and

regulations, including changes in U.S. Treasury interest

rates.

o Reconciling, on a quarterly basis, the claims inventory to

the accounting records to ensure that receivables have been

established and current transactions reflected.

o Providing quarterly and fiscal year-end reporting to the

Assistant Secretary for Administration.

7-6. ASSISTANT INSPECTOR GENERAL FOR AUDIT (AIGA). AIGA

responsibilities relating to sustained costs include:

o Maintaining a record of all audit reports issued that

contain sustained costs.

o Forwarding a copy of the audit report to the appropriate

Action Official

o Validating each Concurrence Memorandum and conferring with

the Action Official as necessary to make corrections.

o Forwarding a copy of all audit reports issued which contain

findings with sustained costs due HUD, in addition to the

Concurrence Memorandum, to the Regional Accounting

Divisions or OFA.

o Coordinating with Action Officials regarding the status of

any audit findings raised in the resolution process.

OCT 26 1987

7-3

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