Residential
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July 17, 2025
Mass Deportations Could Raise Insurance Costs, Profs Say
The Trump administration's mass deportation program could increase costs for insurance carriers and homeowners by reducing the number of undocumented immigrants so critical to the construction industry, business and insurance professors say.
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July 17, 2025
Mortgage Co. Says Military Service Rule Bars Interest Lawsuit
A mortgage loan servicer accused of charging military members interest rates that exceeded a federal statutory cap says the leader of a proposed class action didn't perform qualifying service under the statute he invoked and his Connecticut federal case should probably be dismissed.
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July 17, 2025
Firm Named Lead Counsel For REIT Securities Fraud Class
The Rosen Law Firm PA will serve as lead counsel for a proposed class of Sun Communities investors who claim the real estate investment trust failed to disclose that its CEO received a loan from a board member's relatives.
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July 16, 2025
Wells Fargo Sued Over 'Flippant' Mortgage Fee Refunds
A Wells Fargo mortgage borrower has filed a proposed class action against the bank, alleging the bank made an "inadequate" effort to resolve purported mortgage origination fee errors it has vaguely alerted certain borrowers to.
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July 16, 2025
4th Circ. Upends Gated Community's Win In Fair Housing Row
The owner of several assisted-living group homes for seniors won a second chance Tuesday to press claims that his Maryland gated community is illegally refusing to let him open a new home there, with the Fourth Circuit ruling that a reasonable jury could find violations of the federal Fair Housing Act.
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July 16, 2025
AvalonBay Looks To Exit DC's RealPage Case Again
Real estate investment trust AvalonBay has asked to end the claims against it in the D.C. attorney general's case accusing RealPage of helping more than a dozen building owners inflate rental prices by using its software, after enforcers renewed their claims against the landlord earlier this year.
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July 16, 2025
Senior Placement Co. Wants Out Of False Ad Suit
A company that places senior citizens in retirement homes has asked a Georgia federal judge to toss a proposed class action alleging it falsely advertised free services and steered business away from communities that declined to participate in its "pay-to-play" business model, arguing the claims were just "speculation and conjecture."
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July 16, 2025
Attys Tout 3 Real Estate Investment Wins In Federal Budget
Real estate investors can breathe a collective sigh of relief seeing the final version of the "One, Big, Beautiful Bill Act" that President Donald Trump signed into law this month, as it is largely favorable to the industry and keeps several much-admired tax breaks alive.
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July 16, 2025
Related Nets $46M Loan For NY Residential Development
Related Companies obtained a $46.2 million senior secured loan for its 1,200-acre residential community project in Tuxedo, New York, the lender announced Wednesday.
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July 16, 2025
K&L Gates Hires CRE Finance Atty From Dechert
K&L Gates LLP has brought on an ex-Dechert LLP attorney who specializes in commercial real estate finance as a partner in its Charlotte, North Carolina, office, the firm announced Tuesday.
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July 16, 2025
Wells Fargo Says JPMorgan No Victim In $481M CMBS Suit
Wells Fargo has told a New York federal court that it need only prove that JPMorgan knew a seller falsified financial data underlying a $481 million commercial mortgage-backed securities loan, not that it was aware of any fraud, in a suit seeking to hold the bank liable for the defaulted loan.
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July 16, 2025
Utah Judge Ends Startup's Antitrust Suit Against NAR, Brokerages
A Utah federal judge permanently tossed an antitrust suit lodged by a residential brokerage startup against the National Association of Realtors and multiple brokerages, ruling that the claims were time-barred.
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July 16, 2025
Nixon Peabody Adds Former HUD Managing Attorney
Nixon Peabody LLP bolstered its affordable housing and real estate practice by hiring an attorney who most recently served on the leadership team for the southwest regional office for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
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July 15, 2025
HomeServices, Douglas Elliman Nix Broker Fee Antitrust Suit
HomeServices of America and Douglas Elliman escaped homebuyers' proposed antitrust class action alleging real estate agents conspired to artificially inflate broke service commissions for home sales, after a Florida federal judge ruled the buyers lacked standing since home sellers are the ones who paid those commission fees.
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July 15, 2025
Ex-NY Attorney Pleads Guilty To Stealing $4.7M From Clients
A former New York lawyer admitted to stealing millions from clients, including draining more than $4.4 million from the attorney escrow account of a company seeking to buy 500,000 boxes of hard-to-find latex gloves during the COVID-19 pandemic, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg Jr., announced Tuesday.
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July 15, 2025
Calif. Homeowners Win Cert. In State Farm Underpayment Suit
A California federal court certified a class of nearly 200,000 homeowners alleging State Farm systematically underpaid property insurance claims in violation of the state's insurance code, ruling Tuesday that the plaintiffs offered a feasible methodology for calculating damages classwide and demonstrated that class members are identifiable.
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July 15, 2025
Ex-Yankee Wants $69K Tacked Onto Moldy Mansion Trial Win
A retired New York Yankees player is seeking nearly $70,000 in prejudgment interest after a Connecticut federal jury handed him a $222,000 win in his suit that sought to hold his former landlord liable for mold in a Greenwich mansion.
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July 15, 2025
State Farm 'Maliciously' Denied Property Coverage, Court Told
A California property owner accused State Farm of "maliciously" denying its property insurance claim in a lawsuit removed to federal court, further alleging that the insurer intentionally ignored evidence of the extent of the property damage.
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July 15, 2025
Property Co. Says Storm Coverage Row Can't Be Arbitrated
The owner of a New Orleans luxury apartment and retail complex urged the Fifth Circuit to affirm a lower court's decision to vacate a previous order forcing it to arbitrate its $7 million Hurricane Ida damage claims against a group of domestic insurers, saying Louisiana law applies and bars arbitration.
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July 15, 2025
Denver Defends Affordable Housing Fees, Citing Alternatives
The city of Denver has urged a Colorado federal court to toss a homebuilder's suit challenging the constitutionality of an affordable housing fee for new development, arguing the developer's claims overlook a clause that allows it to construct affordable housing as an alternative.
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July 15, 2025
Calif. Legislature OKs Retroactive Solar Property Exclusion
California would allow the purchaser of a new property a three-year window to apply for a property tax exclusion for solar energy systems under a bill passed by the state Senate and sent to Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom for approval.
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July 15, 2025
Leech Tishman Hires Fla. Real Estate Atty For Counsel Role
Leech Tishman hired an experienced Florida real estate transactional attorney for a counsel role in the firm's teams in Sarasota and Lakewood Ranch while working in its Sarasota office, the firm announced.
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July 15, 2025
Pa. Senate Bill Seeks To End School District Property Taxes
Pennsylvania would propose an amendment to the state constitution to eliminate school districts' authority to levy or collect property taxes after June 30, 2029, under a bill introduced in the state Senate.
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July 15, 2025
2 Firms Guide Cavco's $190M Manufactured Home Co. Buy
Cavco Industries said it has reached an agreement to acquire Houston-based homebuilder American Homestar Corp. and its subsidiaries for $190 million, in a transaction advised by DLA Piper and Jackson Walker LLP.
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July 14, 2025
OCC Drops 'Disparate Impact' From Fair Lending Oversight
The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency said Monday that it will stop checking to see whether banks' lending practices are causing potentially unintended discrimination, scrubbing so-called disparate-impact liability from its examination policies.
Expert Analysis
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Fla. Insurer-Breach Cases Split On Unrepaired Property Issue
A Florida appellate court's recent decision in Universal v. Qureshi is directly at odds with a 2020 decision from another Florida appellate court, and raises important questions for policyholders and insurers about the proper measure of damages in breach claims involving unrepaired property, say Andrea DeField and Yaniel Abreu at Hunton.
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Colorado Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q3
In the third quarter of 2024, Colorado's banking and financial services sector faced both regulatory updates and changes to state law due to recent federal court decisions — with consequences for local governments, mortgage lenders, state-chartered trust companies and federally chartered lenders serving Colorado consumers, says Sarah Auchterlonie at Brownstein Hyatt.
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In The CFPB Playbook: No Lazy, Hazy Days Of Summer
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is headed for a brisk fall season, on the heels of a heated summer, which included the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling that the CFPB funding structure is constitutional, and in advance of the November election, says Eamonn Moran at Holland & Knight.
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Basel Endgame Rules: A Change Is Coming
The Federal Reserve Board's recently announced recalibration of the Basel endgame proposal begins a critical chapter in the evolution of not only the safety and soundness of U.S. banks, but also of banks' abilities to lend and support American businesses and consumers, say attorneys at Davis Wright.
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Reassessing Lease Provisions To Account For ESG Initiatives
As companies seek to build ESG considerations into their businesses, it's crucial to understand how such initiatives can quickly become significant enough to compel reassessment of lease agreement provisions, and how best to modify leases accordingly, say Julian Freeman and Gabe Pitassi at Cox Castle.
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Avoid Getting Burned By Agencies' Solar Financing Spotlight
Recently coordinated reports and advisories from the U.S. Department of the Treasury, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Federal Trade Commission maximize the spotlight on the consumer solar financing market and highlight pitfalls for lenders to avoid in this burgeoning field, says Mercedes Tunstall at Cadwalader.
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Assessing Algorithmic Versus Generative AI Pricing Tools
A comparison of traditional algorithmic pricing models and those powered by generative artificial intelligence can help regulators and practitioners weigh the pros and cons of relying on large language models to price products or services, say Maxime Cohen at McGill University, and Tim Spittle and Jimmy Royer at Analysis Group.
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Navigating A Potpourri Of Possible Transparency Act Pitfalls
Despite the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network's continued release of guidance for complying with the Corporate Transparency Act, its interpretation remains in flux, making it important for companies to understand potentially problematic areas of ambiguity in the practical application of the law, say attorneys at Sidley.
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DOJ Must Overcome Hurdles In RealPage Antitrust Case
The U.S. Department of Justice's recent claims that RealPage's pricing software violates the Sherman Act mark a creative, and apparently contradictory, shift in the agency's approach to algorithmic price-fixing that will face several key challenges, say attorneys at Clifford Chance.
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What To Know About CFPB Stance On Confidentiality Terms
A recent circular from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau represents a growing effort across government agencies to address overbroad confidentiality agreements, and gives employers insight into the bureau's perspective on the issue as it relates to the Consumer Financial Protection Act, say Holly Williamson and Elizabeth King at Hunton.
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What's Next For Federal Preemption In Financial Services
The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency's review of its preemption interpretations and growing pressure from state regulators signal potential changes ahead for preemption in U.S. financial services, and the path forward will likely involve a reevaluation of the entire framework, say attorneys at Clark Hill.
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Increased Scrutiny Raises Int'l Real Estate Transaction Risks
Recently proposed regulations expanding the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States' oversight, a White House divestment order and state-level legislative efforts signal increasing scrutiny of real estate transactions that may trigger national security concerns, say Luciano Racco and Aleksis Fernández Caballero at Foley Hoag.
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Financial Incentives May Alleviate Affordable Housing Crisis
There is a wide array of financial incentives and assistance that the government can provide to both real estate developers and individuals to chip away at the housing affordability problem from multiple angles, say Eric DeBear and Madeline Williams at Cozen.