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Program and management concerns, as a result of Congressional mandates, Administration initiatives, and internal studies have been identified and were considered in the development of this plan. For example:
A Congressional mandate to escrow taxes and insurance for single family housing customers led to the establishment of a centralized servicing center, development of a new automated system, and substantial reorganization of field offices.
Congressional and public concerns about having to deal with a variety of USDA offices has led to the Field Service Center initiative and the Administrative Convergence initiative.
Weaknesses identified in audits on the guaranteed programs resulted in the development of a new guaranteed accounting system.
Public concerns about treatment of minority applicants and borrowers led to the establishment of the Secretary’s Civil Rights initiative.
In addition, the strategic plan development was guided by findings in GAO and OIG audits such as the following:
Rural Development: Patchwork of Federal Programs Needs to be Reappraised.
Rural Development: USDA’s Approach to Funding Water and Sewer Projects.
Rural Development: Steps Towards Realizing the Potential of Telecommunications Technologies.
Empowerment Zones - Enterprise Communities.
Business and Industrial Loan Program - Restructuring Loan Processing Servicing Activities.
Rural Rental Housing Program Management Operations.
RBS has initiated periodic outside evaluation reviews to assess its Cooperative Services operations, programmatic emphases and operational structure.
The policies defined in the strategic plan will be implemented through new regulations and systems. Rural Development will evaluate the impact of these strategically driven changes through Management Control Reviews, State Internal Reviews, and findings in future audits.