Office of Management and Budget, the General Accounting Office, the Department of the Treasury, and the U.S. Congress. The Office of Multifamily Programs is respon- sible for the execution and management of all Ginnie Mae multifamily MBS programs and serves as the principal point of contact for multifamily issuers to ensure satisfactory working relationships with program partici- pants and stakeholders.  The Multifamily account executives handle all multifamily related activities from identifying and approv- ing new issuers to the disposition of the acquired portfolios.  The Office also repre- sents Ginnie Mae’s interests in the multifamily mortgage lending community and markets, and promotes new and existing multifamily products and programs. Ginnie Mae account executives are available to help customers with all matters pertaining to Ginnie Mae multifamily programs.  For assis- tance to customers, account executives can be reached by calling the following number: •   Multifamily MBS Issuers  (202) 708-2043 The Office of Policy, Planning and Risk Management evaluates the effectiveness of Ginnie Mae’s programs and products in order to refine their usefulness to the public and the mortgage industry.  The Office formulates policy, develops products and identifies busi- ness risks, and develops controls and strategies for mitigating them.  It also develops and tracks progress against strategic and annual business plans, and identifies staff develop- ment needs and training programs to meet those needs.  In addition, through this office, customers have direct access to Ginnie Mae’s Capital Markets division and its expertise in mortgage securities markets.  Ginnie Mae’s Capital Markets division ensures closer con- tact with, and improved services to, its securi- ties customers on Wall Street. The Office of Program Administration provides day-to-day operational support for the MBS program.  The Office oversees the processing of a variety of actions initiated by Ginnie Mae’s customers, manages and directs the activities of several major contractors that support program operations, and coordinates all information technology initiatives. Technology Improvements In Fiscal Year 2001, Ginnie Mae further lever- aged the benefits of information technology for the public and its customers.  By continu- ing to incorporate technology into business and marketing processes, Ginnie Mae has improved its operational efficiencies and mar- ket capabilities.  Following are some examples of how Ginnie Mae has integrated technology into its programs and services to enhance cus- tomer service and meet its mission: GinnieNET. GinnieNET is Ginnie Mae’s pri- mary network for conducting business with its customers.  GinnieNET users have been able to reduce their costs by millions of dollars annually in the form of lower warehousing, staffing and mailing costs.  GinnieNET’s new enhancements provide users with additional savings in staffing and mailing costs as a result of further streamlining of Ginnie Mae’s deliv- ery and reporting processes.  GinnieNET streamlined the investor reporting process by consolidating required reports in a separate module and enhancing the functionality of the software to provide increased flexibility. Electronic Commerce.  The benefits of electron- ic commerce have helped Ginnie Mae inte- grate and modernize its risk management system and provide more efficient services. Three separate risk systems have been consoli- dated into a single web-based system, Ginnie Mae Portfolio Analysis Data System (GPADS), that is utilized by staff of Ginnie Mae, FHA, VA and RHS.  The new system improves risk monitoring and eliminates data and system redundancies across multiple agencies, which should result in substantial cost savings among the participating agencies. 9 G i n n i e   M a e   A n n u a l   R e p o r t   2 0 0 1