Residential
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June 26, 2025
Calif. FAIR Plan Fire Policy Is Unlawful, Court Rules
Fire insurance offered by California's insurer of last resort does not meet the minimum coverage standards laid out in the state insurance code, a California state court ruled, finding the policy's definition of "direct physical loss" and its smoke damage provision to be unlawfully restrictive.
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June 26, 2025
Ga. Appeals Court Reverses Sanctions In Sinkhole Fight
The Georgia Court of Appeals has reversed a trial court's decision to strike the complaint of a property owner over discovery violations in a fight over a sinkhole, ruling that Peachtree Renaissance Property LLC was not given a fair hearing before the sanctions were handed down.
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June 26, 2025
Silverstein Adds Plans For 2K Apartments In NYC Casino Bid
Developer Silverstein Properties on Thursday added plans to develop more than 2,000 apartments to its bid to win the rights to develop a Manhattan casino, ahead of a New York City application deadline Friday.
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June 26, 2025
NYC Tests Out Rental Payment Reporting Program
New York City's Mayor Eric Adams has started a free pilot program that will allow renters who live in affordable housing to notify "major credit bureaus" when they pay rent on time so that the renters can build up their credit score, the Office of the Mayor announced.
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June 26, 2025
Marcus & Millichap Closes $121M Conn. Multifamily Sale
Marcus & Millichap's Institutional Property Advisors division wrapped up a $121 million sale of a 693-unit Connecticut multifamily portfolio with four properties in the state's New London, New Haven and Hartford counties, the brokerage announced Thursday.
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June 26, 2025
Fair Housing Groups Argue HUD Wrongly Withheld Grants
A pair of advocacy groups have sued the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in D.C. federal court over the Trump administration's purported move to withhold grants meant to help private nonprofits enforce housing laws.
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June 26, 2025
Maine To Hike Sales Tax On Cannabis, Add Streaming To Base
Maine will raise its sales tax rate on adult-use cannabis and lower its excise tax rate on cannabis flower and add streaming services such as Netflix and Hulu to the sales tax base under budget legislation signed by the governor.
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June 26, 2025
Houston Apartments Owner Files Ch. 11 With Over $10M Debt
The owner of a Houston apartment complex filed for Chapter 11 protection in New York bankruptcy court with up to $50 million in debt.
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June 26, 2025
Developer, IRS Drop Suit Over $18M Loan Deductions
A Florida real estate developer seeking $18 million in tax deductions for loans he said became worthless during the Great Recession agreed to drop his suit against the Internal Revenue Service after reaching a deal with the agency, according to an Eleventh Circuit court filing.
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June 25, 2025
Judge Tosses Suit Over Wash. Race-Based Home Program
A Washington federal judge has thrown out a nonprofit's suit alleging that a state homeownership program is unconstitutional because it allegedly only helps first-time homebuyers who belong to specific minority groups.
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June 25, 2025
Antitrust Experts Weigh In On Compass V. Zillow
The latest front in real estate antitrust litigation opened this week when Compass sued rival Zillow, alleging it violated antitrust law.
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June 25, 2025
Michigan Builders Sue State Over Energy Code Mandates
Michigan homebuilders have sued to challenge the state's adoption of new construction codes, saying the energy efficiency demands will make new homes more expensive.
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June 25, 2025
RI Allows Providence To Exceed Tax Levy Cap For Fiscal 2026
Providence, Rhode Island, may exceed the state's limit on property tax increases for the 2026 fiscal year under legislation signed by the governor.
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June 25, 2025
FHFA Tells Fannie, Freddie To Count Crypto In Loan Reviews
The director of the regulatory agency for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac said he ordered the government-sponsored enterprises on Wednesday to explore how they can consider cryptocurrency reserves when conducting risk assessments for loan applications.
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June 25, 2025
Missouri Judge Grants $24M Atty Award For Broker Fees Suits
A Missouri federal judge has granted final approval of settlements for two antitrust class actions and awarded roughly $24 million to class counsel representing home sellers who accused multiple real estate brokerages of conspiring to artificially inflate buyer-broker commission fees for home sales.
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June 25, 2025
Ballar Spahr Steers Financing For $593M Bronx Housing Reno
The New York City Housing Authority closed on financing for its $593 million renovation of 14 public housing buildings scattered across the Bronx, funding unlocked via the properties' conversion to Section 8 units under a federal program.
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June 25, 2025
Title Resources Group Names New NC Underwriting Counsel
Insurance underwriter Title Resources Group announced on Wednesday that it has added attorney Natasha Branch as vice president of education and underwriting counsel for North Carolina.
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June 25, 2025
Billionaires, Endowment Back $163M Tryperion CRE Fund
Beverly Hills, California-based real estate investment firm Tryperion Holdings said it has raised $163 million in a fund focused on a variety of U.S. real estate investments with backing from billionaires and a university endowment.
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June 25, 2025
Ore. Lawmakers OK Requiring Report On Property Taxes
The Oregon Legislature would issue a report on the state's property tax system and options to modernize it, including an analysis of two tax-limiting initiatives, under legislation approved by lawmakers.
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June 25, 2025
Ga. University Contract Lands Dorm Operator In Ch. 11
The Georgia affiliate of student and military housing provider Corvias filed for Chapter 11 protection in Delaware bankruptcy court Wednesday saying an unsustainable contract with Georgia's public universities has left it unable to support its $532 million in debt.
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June 24, 2025
NJ Bank, DOJ Push To End Redlining Deal Amid Opposition
Lakeland Bank and the U.S. Department of Justice urged a New Jersey federal judge to reject a brief from three fair housing groups opposing the early termination of the bank's $13 million redlining settlement, arguing the groups' call for housing discrimination accountability is irrelevant to the settlement's termination.
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June 24, 2025
Fox Rothschild Hires Veteran Real Estate Atty For Minn. Office
Fox Rothschild LLP has brought on board an experienced commercial real estate transactions attorney for a counsel role in its Minneapolis office, the firm announced on Tuesday.
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June 24, 2025
Carlton Fields Adds HUD Expert To Real Estate Group
Carlton Fields has brought on a title insurance expert to its real estate and commercial finance practice, who joins the firm on the heels of a 16-year tenure at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
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June 24, 2025
NJ Agency Fights $26M Property Taking Verdict In Ch. 11
A New Jersey development agency pushed back against a move in bankruptcy court by the owner of a former tire factory site to collect a $25.6 million jury verdict stemming from the agency's decision to condemn the property and make way for housing.
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June 24, 2025
Ga. High Court Balks At Housing Authority's Immunity Stance
The Supreme Court of Georgia has tossed a ruling that sovereign immunity can shield a local housing authority from a shooting victim's lawsuit, saying Tuesday that lower courts had wrongly extended the state government's immunity to a city, and from there to the authority.
Expert Analysis
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8 Fla. Statutes That Construction Cos. Should Prepare For
In this article, Jason Lambert at Hill Ward discusses a number of recent bills out of the Florida Legislature targeting construction companies in the Sunshine State that have been sent to the governor for signature, at least some of which will have broad impacts that affected companies should prepare for ahead of the July 1 effective date.
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Time To Fix NYC's Broken Property Assessment System
A New York appellate court's decision to revive Tax Equity Now New York v. City of New York may force the city to revamp its outdated and unfair real estate tax assessment system, which could be fixed with a couple of simple changes, says Seth Feldman at Romer Debbas.
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Understanding The IRC's Excessive Refund Claim Penalty
Taxpayers considering protective refund claims pending resolution of major questions in tax cases like Moore v. U.S., which is pending before the U.S. Supreme Court, should understand how doing so may also leave them vulnerable to an excessive refund claim penalty under Internal Revenue Code Section 6676, say attorneys at McDermott.
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Bankruptcy Ruling Shifts Lease Rejection Claim Calculation
A New York federal court’s recent ruling in In re: Cortlandt provides guidance on how to calculate a landlord's damages claim when a bankruptcy debtor rejects a lease, changing from an approach that considers the remaining rent due under the lease to one that considers the remaining time, say Bethany Simmons and Noah Weingarten at Loeb & Loeb.
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Do Not Overstate Fla. Condo Termination Ruling's Impact
A close look at the unique language at issue in Avila v. Biscayne, in which a Florida appellate court deemed a condo termination to be invalid, shows that the case is unlikely to significantly affect other potential terminations, say Barry Lapides and Edward Baker at Berger Singerman.
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Takeaways From FDIC's Spring Supervisory Highlights
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.'s spring 2024 consumer compliance supervisory report found that relatively few institutions had significant consumer compliance issues last year, but the common thread among those that did were inadequacies or failures in disclosures to consumers, says Matthew Hanaghan at Nutter.
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What Calif. Eviction Ruling Means For Defaulting Borrowers
A California appellate court's recent decision in Homeward Opportunities v. Taptelis found that a defaulting borrower could not delay foreclosure with an improperly served notice of pendency of action, but leaves open a possibility for borrowers to delay eviction proceedings merely by filing lawsuits, say Anne Beehler and Krystal Anderson at Holland & Knight.
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How 3D Printing And Prefab Are Changing Construction
The growing popularity of trends like 3D printing technology and prefabrication in the construction industry have positive ramifications ranging from reducing risks at project sites to streamlining construction schedules, say Josephine Bahn and Jeffery Mullen at Cozen O'Connor.
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Wave Of Final Rules Reflects Race Against CRA Deadline
The flurry of final rules now leaping off the Federal Register press — some of which will affect entire industries and millions of Americans — shows President Joe Biden's determination to protect his regulatory legacy from reversal by the next Congress, given the impending statutory look-back period under the Congressional Review Act, say attorneys at Jenner & Block.
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A Deep Dive Into High Court's Permit Fee Ruling
David Robinson and Daniel Golub at Holland & Knight explore the U.S. Supreme Court's recent ruling that a local traffic impact fee charged to a California property owner may be a Fifth Amendment taking — and where it leaves localities and real estate developers.
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The Case For Overturning Florida Foreclosure Ruling
A Florida appellate court's recent decision in Desbrunes v. U.S. Bank National Association will potentially put foreclosure cases across the state in jeopardy, and unless it is reconsidered, foreclosing plaintiffs will need to choose between frustrating and uncertain options in the new legal landscape, say Sara Accardi and Paige Knight at Bradley.
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Bracing For The CFPB's War On Mortgage Fees
As the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau homes in on the legality of certain residential mortgage fees, the industry should consult the bureau's steady stream of consumer lending guidance for hints on its priorities, say Nanci Weissgold and Melissa Malpass at Alston & Bird.
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DOJ Consent Orders Chart Road Map For Lending Compliance
Two recent consent orders issued by the U.S. Department of Justice as part of its efforts to fight mortgage lending discrimination highlight issues that pose fair lending compliance risks, and should be carefully studied by banks to avoid enforcement actions, says Memrie Fortenberry at Jones Walker.