Residential
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November 21, 2025
Judge Blocks Meritage's Bid To Split Defect Coverage Claims
A Texas federal court has refused to separate claims for stucco home construction defects, which it previously held are covered under Meritage Homes' policies with AIG, from claims that have yet to be resolved or asserted in a coverage dispute over $11 million in underlying settlements.
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November 21, 2025
Nextdoor Beats Investor Suit Over Post-SPAC Woes For Good
A California federal judge has permanently dismissed a shareholder class action alleging hyperlocal social networking service Nextdoor Holdings Inc. misled investors about its projected profitability when combining with a special purpose acquisition company, finding the investors failed to cure issues from a previous complaint.
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November 21, 2025
3 Firms Guide American Healthcare REIT's Public Offering
American Healthcare REIT Inc., guided by Sidley Austin LLP, announced a public offering for 8.1 million of its common stock shares, which are underwritten by Paul Hastings LLP-led RBC Capital Markets in a deal partially guided by Venable LLP, according to a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filing.
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November 21, 2025
Escrow Agent Accused Of $4.6M 'Insider Payoff' In NC Sale
Stewart Title Guaranty Co. facilitated the unauthorized sale of a financially struggling luxury apartment complex and then handed a $4.6 million "insider" payout to one of the operating owners, according to a lawsuit by a real estate investment trust that claims it was cut out of the decision process.
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November 21, 2025
Feds Aim To Put Sackett Into Practice With New Water Rules
After the U.S. Supreme Court's 2023 ruling in Sackett v. EPA set new boundaries for which bodies of water are subject to federal oversight, the Trump administration is rolling out rulemaking to put into effect the court's more limited vision.
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November 21, 2025
3rd Circ. Panel Will Rethink Solar Panels Fraud Suit Dismissal
The Third Circuit granted a panel rehearing Friday for an elderly New Jersey woman who accused two solar panel financiers of saddling her with a nearly $100,000 debt after she was tricked into getting rooftop solar panels she believed would be free.
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November 21, 2025
NC Judge Rejects Elevator Safety Deal Over Missing Details
A North Carolina Business Court judge declined to approve a proposed settlement from a group of residential condominium owners who live in Asheville, North Carolina's tallest building, after finding key information was missing.
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November 21, 2025
Firm Wants Lender's Attys To Bear Blame In $16.2M Loan Suit
Willinger Willinger & Bucci PLLC is responsible for any damages suffered by a New York lender that relied on falsified documents to approve a $16.2 million loan to the development arm of a Connecticut housing authority, Pullman & Comley LLC said in seeking to shift the blame away from itself.
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November 21, 2025
Mich. Mortgage Co. Hit With Data Breach Class Actions
A Michigan mortgage lender was hit with several proposed data breach class actions that alleged in Michigan federal court that the lender failed to do enough to protect consumers' personally identifiable information, such as their Social Security numbers, from a June data breach.
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November 21, 2025
PEM Nabs 2 Georgia Resi Properties In $175M Deal
Phoenix-based Professional Equity Management says it has acquired two Georgia multifamily communities in deals guided by Snell & Wilmer, noting that both are located in metro markets that have witnessed steep economic and population growth in recent years.
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November 20, 2025
Subletting Co. Settles NYC's Illegal STR 'Matchmaker' Claims
A subletting company has agreed to resolve claims that it was used as a "'matchmaker'" of sorts for advertising and setting up illegal short-term rentals in New York City, the Mayor's Office of Special Enforcement announced.
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November 20, 2025
'Not Well-Taken': 2nd Bid To Halt CFPB Energy Loan Rule Fails
A Florida federal judge on Thursday smacked down a lender trade group's renewed bid to halt a Biden-era Consumer Financial Protection Bureau rule that will tighten standards on clean-energy home improvement loans, calling the emergency request wasteful and "not well-taken."
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November 20, 2025
NY Plans 2,000 Homes For 46-Acre Queens Project
The New York State Public Authorities Control Board has greenlit a 46.5-acre redevelopment plan that aims to build more than 2,000 new homes on "largely vacant and underutilized" state-owned land in eastern Queens, the governor announced Thursday.
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November 20, 2025
Ohio Senate OKs Inflation-Related Property Tax Increase Caps
Ohio would institute inflation-related caps on certain property tax increases and raise property tax credits for certain homeowners under a package of bills approved by the state Senate.
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November 20, 2025
Husch Blackwell Adds Jackson Walker RE Pro In Texas
Husch Blackwell LLP announced Thursday that it is continuing to expand its national real estate practice with the addition of an attorney in Austin, Texas, who came aboard from Jackson Walker LLP.
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November 20, 2025
Realtors Rule Change Backs Antitrust Suit, Agents Argue
A proposed class of Michigan real estate brokers and agents have asserted that the National Association of Realtors effectively admitted to the litigants' antitrust claim when it revoked its disputed policy, which required membership in the organization to use multiple listing services.
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November 20, 2025
Congressional Dems Revive Bill To Curb Rental Price-Fixing
A group of Democratic lawmakers have reintroduced legislation in Congress to crack down on landlords using algorithms to systematically raise rental prices.
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November 20, 2025
IRS Unveils Interim Rules For Tax Perk For Rural Loan Interest
The IRS released temporary guidance Thursday on a new incentive that would exclude from taxable income 25% of interest from loans secured by a rural or agricultural property, including the definition of an eligible loan and the determination of the property's fair market value.
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November 19, 2025
Senior Living Co. Inks $7.2M Deal To End Wash. AG's Probe
Oregon-based senior living provider Bonaventure will invest $7 million in staffing and upgrades and shell out $200,000 in resident credits to resolve allegations of substandard care at 10 Washington state facilities, under a settlement filed Wednesday.
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November 19, 2025
Would REITs Seize On Semiannual Reporting?
As the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission preps a rulemaking to relax quarterly reporting mandates, attorneys say numerous factors — including market adoption and investor and analyst pressure — would ultimately determine whether real estate investment trusts report less frequently.
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November 19, 2025
NJ Jury Awards $1.7M To Housing Authority Whistleblowers
A New Jersey federal jury has awarded $1.7 million to two former and current city of Camden housing authority employees who claimed they were terminated for raising concerns about corruption within the agency, according to a court order entering the judgment.
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November 19, 2025
Greystar Cuts $7M Deal With 9 AGs In Rent Price-Fixing Suit
Greystar Management Services LLC has agreed to pay North Carolina, California and seven other states $7 million to resolve allegations against it in a sprawling antitrust lawsuit alleging major landlords used software company RealPage to fix rent prices, according to documents filed in North Carolina federal court Tuesday.
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November 19, 2025
MVP: Latham's Rachel S.K. Bates
Rachel Bates of Latham & Watkins LLP was the lead real estate counsel guiding Hyatt Hotels Corp. through multiple multibillion-dollar transactions and also worked on one of the year's biggest deals as Bridge Investment Group sold to Apollo Global Management for $1.5 billion, earning her a spot as one of the 2025 Law360 Real Estate MVPs.
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November 19, 2025
Re/Max Enabled DR Property Sales Scheme, Buyers Say
A proposed class of U.S. consumers accused Re/Max in New Jersey federal court of doing nothing to stop a multimillion-dollar scheme that involved franchisee real estate agents selling fake developments in the Dominican Republic.
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November 19, 2025
Ore. Tax Court Lets Property Owner Amend Complaint Again
An Oregon homeowner can file a third amendment to his challenge of his property's valuation for 2022-2023 after the state tax court rejected the man's second amended complaint, the court ruled.
Expert Analysis
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Illuminating The Trend Of Florida's Unpaid Hurricane Claims
The sheer number of insurance claims closed without payment for damage caused by Hurricanes Milton and Helene reveals a systemic problem within Florida's insurance industry exacerbated by complex issues, including climate change and state regulators' resource limitations, say attorneys at Farah & Farah.
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Insurance Considerations For LA Wildfire Recovery
Businesses and homeowners affected by the destructive Southern California wildfires must act swiftly and strategically to navigate the complexities of the insurance recovery process, including by identifying all applicable policies, documenting damage thoroughly and keeping abreast of relevant state law, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.
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LA Wildfires' Effect On Calif. Insurer Of Last Resort
Attorneys at Willkie discuss the background of California's insurer of last resort — known as the Fair Access to Insurance Requirements Plan — and examine the process of assessing member insurers and relevant recent property insurance market developments in light of the destruction from the ongoing Los Angeles wildfires.
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Algorithm Price-Fixing Ruling May Lower Antitrust Claims Bar
A Washington federal court's refusal to dismiss Duffy v. Yardi Systems, an antitrust case over rent prices allegedly inflated by revenue management software, creates an apparent split in the lower courts over how to assess such claims, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.
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California's New Homeowner Law Could Hamper Foreclosures
While A.B. 2424, which took effect this month in California, gives homeowners in default additional protections, it also provides loopholes that can be used to delay foreclosure auctions, and the cost of these delays will likely be passed on to the borrower, says Stephen Britt at Severson & Werson.
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Small Biz Caught In Corporate Transparency Act Crossfire
Despite compliance being put on hold due to a nationwide preliminary injunction, small businesses have been caught in the middle of the legal battle over the Corporate Transparency Act — and confusion over the law's requirements could result in major penalties, say attorneys at Snell & Wilmer.
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What's Ahead As Transparency Act Comes To A Crossroads
Synthesizing the contrasting federal district and appellate court rulings on the Corporate Transparency Act’s validity reveals several main areas of debate that will likely remain at issue as challenges to the law continue winding through the courts, say attorneys at Farella Braun.
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Ohio Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q4
Ohio's banking and financial services sector saw several significant developments in the fourth quarter of 2024, including a landmark Uniform Commercial Code ruling, adjustments to the state's Homebuyer Plus Program and the launch of the state's first women-led bank, says attorney Alex Durst.
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In The CFPB Playbook: A Sprint To The Finish Line
The fourth quarter of 2024 was an impressive demonstration of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's ability to regulate, enforce and supervise, even on borrowed time following the election results, and we should expect the current bureau to run nonstop until Jan. 20, say attorneys at Covington.
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The 6 Most Significant FCRA Litigation Developments Of 2024
From a key sovereign immunity decision at the U.S. Supreme Court to a ruling on creditworthiness out of the Seventh Circuit, several important Fair Credit Reporting Act cases wound their way through the courts in 2024, each offering takeaways for both plaintiffs and defendants, say attorneys at Shipkevich.
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10 Noteworthy CFPB Developments From 2024
In a banner year for consumer finance regulation, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau made significant strides in its efforts to rein in Big Tech and nonbank financial firms, including via rules regarding open banking, credit card late fees, and buy now, pay later products, say attorneys at Wiley.
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The Story Of 2024's Biggest Bank Regs, And Their Fate In 2025
U.S. federal bank regulators were very active in 2024 with initiatives ranging from antitrust and capital to proposals regarding controlling shareholders and incentive-based compensation, but many regulations face an uncertain future under the new administration, say attorneys at Latham.
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Conducting A 'Reasonably Expected Market Area' Analysis
Regardless of whether the incoming administration scales back on redlining examinations and investigations, lenders should take steps to understand how regulators define "reasonably expected market areas," and how to conduct analyses of such areas, say attorneys at Mitchell Sandler.