La. officials to take over Katrina collections

Gentry Brann, a spokeswoman for ICF, indicated in an e-mail Thursday that the company should not take all the blame for wanting to hire a collection agency. It won the Road Home contract and formulated most of its policies under the administration of former Gov. Kathleen Blanco, it pointed out.

"Every stage of the grant recovery and appeals processes was designed previously with the full approval of the state," Brann said. "As the contractor, we will follow the state's direction and will continue to work to implement the processes they determine most effective moving forward."

ICF faces a state investigation into a $156 million contract increase it received in the waning days Blanco's administration. ICF and subcontractors stand to earn $912 million for running Road Home, though state audits have repeatedly found grant miscalculations and other mistakes.