A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Various public records in the United States, including some generated by the federal government, contain Social Security numbers (SSN) and other personal identifying information that could be used to commit fraud and identity theft. Public records are generally defined as government agency-held records made available to the public in their entirety for inspection, such as property records and court records. Although public records were traditionally accessed locally in county courthouses and government record centers, in recent years, some state and local public record keepers have begun to make these records available to the public through the Internet. While it is important for the public to have access to these records, concerns about the use of information in these records for criminal purposes have been raised. In 2006, these concerns were heightened when an Ohio woman pled guilty to conspiracy, bank fraud, and aggravated identity theft as the leader of a group that stole citizens' personal identifying information from a local public record keeper's Web site and other sources, resulting in over $450,000 in losses to individuals, financial institutions, and other businesses. Although we previously reported on …

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "In 2003, the U.S. government extended its economic assistance to the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) and Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) through Amended Compacts of Free Association. From 2004 to 2023, the United States will provide an estimated combined total of $3.6 billion, with annually decreasing grants as well as annually increasing contributions to trust funds for each country. The trust funds are to be invested and provide income for the FSM and RMI after the compact grants end. A trust fund committee for each country is to establish and oversee the funds. This report examines (1) the committees' progress in establishing, investing, and reporting on the funds; (2) the sustainability of income from the trust funds; and (3) potential options to supplement or enhance the trust funds' income. GAO reviewed trust fund-related documents and legislation; interviewed U.S., FSM, RMI, and industry officials and used a simulation model to project the trust funds' income."

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) spends nearly $1 billion yearly to support its information technology (IT) needs; yet it has encountered persistent challenges in managing IT projects. In October 2005, VA initiated a realignment to centralize its IT management program that it plans to complete by July 2008. GAO was requested to determine (1) whether the department's realignment plan includes critical factors for successful implementation and (2) how the centralized management approach is to ensure that the chief information officer (CIO) is accountable for the department's entire IT budget. To do so, GAO identified critical success factors, analyzed realignment and budget documents, and held discussions with VA officials."

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The proportion of U.S. corporate-defined benefit pension funds investing in hedge funds has increased to 24% in 2006, up from 19% in 2004 and 12% in 2000. Although statistics vary, total corporate pension fund assets allocated to hedge funds in 2006 was 2.1%. Because of hedge funds’ risky nature, rapid growth, lack of oversight, and recent losses, some wonder if they are appropriate investments for workers’ retirement funds. This report discusses concerns regarding hedge funds and examines possible policy options.

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