§ 4516. Funding

(a) Annual assessments

The Director shall establish and collect from the regulated entities annual assessments in an amount not exceeding the amount sufficient to provide for reasonable costs (including administrative costs) and expenses of the Agency, including—

(1) the expenses of any examinations under section 4517 of this title and under section 1440 of this title;

(2) the expenses of obtaining any reviews and credit assessments under section 4519 of this title;

(3) such amounts in excess of actual expenses for any given year as deemed necessary by the Director to maintain a working capital fund in accordance with subsection (e); and

(4) the windup of the affairs of the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight and the Federal Housing Finance Board under title III of the Federal Housing Finance Regulatory Reform Act of 2008.

(b) Allocation of annual assessment to enterprises

(1) Amount of payment

Each enterprise shall pay to the Director a proportion of the annual assessment made pursuant to subsection (a) of this section that bears the same ratio to the total annual assessment that the total assets of each enterprise bears ^[1] to the total assets of both enterprises.

(2) Separate treatment of Federal home loan bank and enterprise assessments

Assessments collected from the enterprises shall not exceed the amounts sufficient to provide for the costs and expenses described in subsection (a) relating to the enterprises. Assessments collected from the Federal Home Loan Banks shall not exceed the amounts sufficient to provide for the costs and expenses described in subsection (a) relating to the Federal Home Loan Banks.

(3) Timing of payment

The annual assessment shall be payable semiannually for each fiscal year, on October 1 and April 1.

(4) “Total assets” defined

For the purpose of this section, the term “total assets” means, with respect to an enterprise, the sum of—

(A) on-balance-sheet assets of the enterprise, as determined in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles;

(B) the unpaid principal balance of outstanding mortgage-backed securities issued or guaranteed by the enterprise that are not included in subparagraph (A); and

(1) Increase for inadequate capitalization

The semiannual payments made pursuant to subsection (b) by any regulated entity that is not classified (for purposes of subchapter II) as adequately capitalized may be increased, as necessary, in the discretion of the Director to pay additional estimated costs of regulation of the regulated entity.

(2) Adjustment for enforcement activities

The Director may adjust the amounts of any semiannual payments for an assessment under subsection (a) that are to be paid pursuant to subsection (b) by a regulated entity, as necessary in the discretion of the Director, to ensure that the costs of enforcement activities under this Act for a regulated entity are borne only by such regulated entity.

(3) Additional assessment for deficiencies

If at any time, as a result of increased costs of regulation of a regulated entity that is not classified (for purposes of subchapter II) as adequately capitalized or as the result of supervisory or enforcement activities under this Act for a regulated entity, the amount available from any semiannual payment made by such regulated entity pursuant to subsection (b) is insufficient to cover the costs of the Agency with respect to such entity, the Director may make and collect from such regulated entity an immediate assessment to cover the amount of such deficiency for the semiannual period. If, at the end of any semiannual period during which such an assessment is made, any amount remains from such assessment, such remaining amount shall be deducted from the assessment for such regulated entity for the following semiannual period.

(d) Surplus

Except with respect to amounts collected pursuant to subsection (a)(3), if any amount from any annual assessment collected from an enterprise remains unobligated at the end of the year for which the assessment was collected, such amount shall be credited to the assessment to be collected from the enterprise for the following year.

(e) Working capital fund

At the end of each year for which an assessment under this section is made, the Director shall remit to each regulated entity any amount of assessment collected from such regulated entity that is attributable to subsection (a)(3) and is in excess of the amount the Director deems necessary to maintain a working capital fund.

(f) Treatment of assessments

(1) Deposit

Amounts received by the Director from assessments under this section may be deposited by the Director in the manner provided in section 192 of this title for monies deposited by the Comptroller of the Currency.

(2) Not Government funds

The amounts received by the Director from any assessment under this section shall not be construed to be Government or public funds or appropriated money.

(3) No apportionment of funds

Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the amounts received by the Director from any assessment under this section shall not be subject to apportionment for the purpose of chapter 15 of title 31 or under any other authority.

(4) Use of funds

The Director may use any amounts received by the Director from assessments under this section for compensation of the Director and other employees of the Agency and for all other expenses of the Director and the Agency.

(5) Availability of oversight fund amounts

Notwithstanding any other provision of law, any amounts remaining in the Federal Housing Enterprises Oversight Fund established under this section (as in effect before the effective date of the Federal Housing Finance Regulatory Reform Act of 2008, and any amounts remaining from assessments on the Federal Home Loan Banks pursuant to section 1438 (b) of this title), shall, upon such effective date, be treated for purposes of this subsection as amounts received from assessments under this section.

(6) Treasury investments

(A) Authority

The Director may request the Secretary of the Treasury to invest such portions of amounts received by the Director from assessments paid under this section that, in the Director’s discretion, are not required to meet the current working needs of the Agency.

(B) Government obligations

Pursuant to a request under subparagraph (A), the Secretary of the Treasury shall invest such amounts in Government obligations guaranteed as to principal and interest by the United States with maturities suitable to the needs of the Agency and bearing interest at a rate determined by the Secretary of the Treasury taking into consideration current market yields on outstanding marketable obligations of the United States of comparable maturity.

(g) Budget and financial management

(1) Financial operating plans and forecasts

The Director shall provide to the Director of the Office of Management and Budget copies of the Director’s financial operating plans and forecasts, as prepared by the Director in the ordinary course of the Agency’s operations, and copies of the quarterly reports of the Agency’s financial condition and results of operations, as prepared by the Director in the ordinary course of the Agency’s operations.

(2) Financial statements

The Agency shall prepare annually a statement of—

(A) assets and liabilities and surplus or deficit;

(B) income and expenses; and

(3) Financial management systems

The Agency shall implement and maintain financial management systems that—

(A) comply substantially with Federal financial management systems requirements and applicable Federal accounting standards; and

(B) use a general ledger system that accounts for activity at the transaction level.

(4) Assertion of internal controls

The Director shall provide to the Comptroller General of the United States an assertion as to the effectiveness of the internal controls that apply to financial reporting by the Agency, using the standards established in section 3512 (c) of title 31.

(5) Rule of construction

This subsection may not be construed as implying any obligation on the part of the Director to consult with or obtain the consent or approval of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget with respect to any report, plan, forecast, or other information referred to in paragraph (1) or any jurisdiction or oversight over the affairs or operations of the Agency.

(h) Audit of Agency

(1) In general

The Comptroller General shall annually audit the financial transactions of the Agency in accordance with the United States generally accepted government auditing standards as may be prescribed by the Comptroller General of the United States. The audit shall be conducted at the place or places where accounts of the Agency are normally kept. The representatives of the Government Accountability Office shall have access to the personnel and to all books, accounts, documents, papers, records (including electronic records), reports, files, and all other papers, automated data, things, or property belonging to or under the control of or used or employed by the Agency pertaining to its financial transactions and necessary to facilitate the audit, and such representatives shall be afforded full facilities for verifying transactions with the balances or securities held by depositories, fiscal agents, and custodians. All such books, accounts, documents, records, reports, files, papers, and property of the Agency shall remain in possession and custody of the Agency. The Comptroller General may obtain and duplicate any such books, accounts, documents, records, working papers, automated data and files, or other information relevant to such audit without cost to the Comptroller General and the Comptroller General’s right of access to such information shall be enforceable pursuant to section 716 (c) of title 31.

(2) Report

The Comptroller General shall submit to the Congress a report of each annual audit conducted under this subsection. The report to the Congress shall set forth the scope of the audit and shall include the statement of assets and liabilities and surplus or deficit, the statement of income and expenses, the statement of sources and application of funds, and such comments and information as may be deemed necessary to inform Congress of the financial operations and condition of the Agency, together with such recommendations with respect thereto as the Comptroller General may deem advisable. A copy of each report shall be furnished to the President and to the Agency at the time submitted to the Congress.

(3) Assistance and costs

For the purpose of conducting an audit under this subsection, the Comptroller General may, in the discretion of the Comptroller General, employ by contract, without regard to section 5 of title 41, professional services of firms and organizations of certified public accountants for temporary periods or for special purposes. Upon the request of the Comptroller General, the Director of the Agency shall transfer to the Government Accountability Office from funds available, the amount requested by the Comptroller General to cover the full costs of any audit and report conducted by the Comptroller General. The Comptroller General shall credit funds transferred to the account established for salaries and expenses of the Government Accountability Office, and such amount shall be available upon receipt and without fiscal year limitation to cover the full costs of the audit and report.

[1] So in original. Probably should be “bear”.