Residential

  • February 20, 2026

    Zillow Fights Class Claims It Pushed Buyers Into Pricey Loans

    Real estate marketplace Zillow urged a Seattle federal judge Friday to throw out homebuyers' accusations it violated a Washington consumer protection law and federal anti-racketeering and real estate statutes, rejecting claims that it directed buyers to its own more costly mortgage services and steered website visitors toward Zillow-affiliated sales agents.

  • February 20, 2026

    Fintech Mortgage Co. Hit With Class Action Over Data Breach

    Blockchain home loan company Figure Lending LLC was hit with a proposed class action in North Carolina federal court accusing it of failing to safeguard customers' data from cybercriminals during a breach of its computer systems earlier this month.

  • February 20, 2026

    Veterans Accuse Mortgage Lender Of Illegal Kickback Scheme

    Veterans United Home Loans is facing a proposed class action that claims it steers servicemembers into costly mortgages through a system of illegal referrals and kickbacks with preferred sales agents.

  • February 20, 2026

    Multifamily Developer Raises $222M To Back Work In 7 States

    Multifamily developer Thompson Thrift said it has raised more than $222 million to fund seven new Class A apartment developments in five states.

  • February 20, 2026

    Building Company's 65-Hour Weeks Omitted OT, Court Told

    A New Jersey construction company and two of its owners systematically failed to pay overtime, regular wages and earned sick leave in violation of state labor laws, a worker has claimed in a complaint filed in state court.

  • February 20, 2026

    Up Next At High Court: Cuban Seizures & Removal Deadlines

    The U.S. Supreme Court will kick off its February oral argument session by hearing cases that could expand or limit the availability of damages for U.S. victims of property seized by the Cuban government and a defendant's chance to remove state court cases to federal court.

  • February 20, 2026

    Fried Frank, Szenberg Guide $143M Discounted NYC Lot Sale

    Fried Frank Harris Shriver & Jacobson LLP and Szenberg & Okun PLLC guided the sale of a $143 million vacant New York City lot to a close, a price slightly below the $150.5 million the seller first announced in August.

  • February 20, 2026

    Pa. County Doesn't Owe Interest On Overpaid Property Tax

    A Pennsylvania county that overassessed property tax on parcels of land doesn't owe interest on the property owner's refund, the state's Commonwealth Court ruled.

  • February 20, 2026

    CRE Brokers Tout Q4 Results Despite AI Disruption Concern

    Commercial real estate's biggest brokerages disputed the notion that artificial intelligence technology could eventually replace the work of brokers or drive down demand for office space during fourth-quarter earnings calls announcing brisk earnings and revenue growth.

  • February 20, 2026

    HUD Rekindles Bid To Cut Undocumented Immigrant Aid

    The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has unveiled a proposed rule that would cut benefits to citizens who have undocumented immigrants in their household, a change the prior Trump administration also proposed and later abandoned.

  • February 20, 2026

    Apollo Invests $1B In 5th Contribution To UAE Developer

    Asset manager Apollo said Friday that it has invested $1 billion in UAE real estate developer and investment firm Aldar Properties — the fifth such investment from Apollo into the company.

  • February 20, 2026

    Partnership Defends $22M Donation Under 5th Amendment

    A Georgia partnership raised arguments under the Fifth, Seventh and Eighth amendments in defending a $22.9 million conservation easement deduction for 2018, saying the denial of the deduction amounts to the government taking property for public use without just compensation.

  • February 19, 2026

    Ohio Justices Shield Lenders From COVID-Era Class Claims

    The Ohio Supreme Court ruled Thursday that a state resident can collect damages from Quicken Loans for the company's failure to report within 90 days that his mortgage had been paid off, but reversed a trial court's certification of a class of individuals who experienced the same issue, finding an amended state law prohibits the action.

  • February 19, 2026

    Texas Tornado Ruling Puts Policy Definitions In Spotlight

    A Texas Supreme Court ruling that classified tornadoes as a type of "windstorm" in a homeowners policy underscored different approaches to interpreting definitions in insurance policies and the increasing importance of deductibles.

  • February 19, 2026

    SEC Says Calif. Man Dragging Feet On Fraud Suit Settlement

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has moved to reopen a securities fraud case accusing a California man of misappropriating more than $1.6 million from investors through five real estate funds, saying that despite reaching a settlement in principle a few months ago, the defendants have failed to finalize the agreement.

  • February 19, 2026

    Feds Hit 7 People With COVID Relief, Mortgage Fraud Claims

    Seven people were charged separately in Massachusetts federal court with defrauding mortgage lenders and the Paycheck Protection Program, a defunct coronavirus loan relief program, in multimillion-dollar schemes, the U.S. Department of Justice announced.

  • February 19, 2026

    Fla. House Advances Property Tax Cut Toward Ballot

    Florida voters would decide whether to exempt all homesteads from property taxes other than school levies beginning in 2027 under a resolution passed by the state House of Representatives.

  • February 19, 2026

    Henderson Park, Green Room Buy Ga. Multifamily Community

    Henderson Park, a private equity real estate firm, and developer Green Room Partners have acquired a 288-unit "garden-style" multifamily property in Port Wentworth, Georgia, with plans to improve the property's amenities, the companies announced.

  • February 19, 2026

    NM Lawmakers OK Longer Redevelopment Property Tax Break

    New Mexico would extend a property tax exemption period for eligible redevelopment projects under a bill approved by state lawmakers and headed to the governor.

  • February 18, 2026

    Equifax's Bid To Arbitrate 'Too Clever By Half,' Judge Says

    Equifax waived its right to arbitrate a proposed class action accusing it of monopolizing the income and employment verification market, a Pennsylvania federal judge ruled, calling the credit reporting agency's post-complaint addition of an arbitration provision in its user agreement a legal tactic "too clever by half."

  • February 18, 2026

    Trump Admin Doubles Down At DC Circ. In Fight Over CFPB

    The Trump administration has pressed the D.C. Circuit to lift an injunction barring mass layoffs at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, slamming it as a "sweeping intrusion" on agency management that rests on incorrect speculation about what the end goal is.

  • February 18, 2026

    NYC Mayor Mamdani Appoints Majority Of Rent Board

    On Wednesday, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced six appointments to the Rent Guidelines Board, a nine-member body that could green-light a rent freeze for the city's 1 million rent-stabilized apartments, a key plank of the mayor's campaign.

  • February 18, 2026

    Florida Court Revives Homeowner Suit Against Insurer

    A Florida appeals court on Wednesday revived a suit by two homeowners against their insurer after finding that the lawsuit was wrongly tossed because the homeowners' counsel failed to appear at trial.

  • February 18, 2026

    Merus Plans To Convert Tenn. Mall To Mixed-Use District

    Merus acquired a closed down Middle Tennessee mall in order to start a $450 million redevelopment plan that aims to turn the property into a 57-acre mixed-use district with housing, offices, retail areas and more, the developer announced.

  • February 18, 2026

    Real Estate Group Of The Year: Willkie

    Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP guided Henry Crown & Co. in a record-setting $3.5 billion refinancing of Rockefeller Center, along with advising Saks Global on its $2.7 billion acquisition of Neiman Marcus Group, earning the firm a spot among the 2025 Law360 Real Estate Groups of the Year.

Expert Analysis

  • 3 Securities Litigation Trends To Watch In 2026

    Author Photo

    Pending federal appellate cases suggest that 2026 will be a significant year for securities litigation, with long-standing debates about class certification, new questions about the risks and value of artificial intelligence features, and private plaintiffs' growing role in cryptocurrency enforcement likely to be major themes, say attorneys at Willkie.

  • Funding Haze And Deregulatory Pursuits: The CFPB In 2026

    Author Photo

    In 2025, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau did not seek additional funding from the Federal Reserve and unwound the legacy of former bureau leadership, and this year will bring further efforts to rescind or rewrite bureau regulations, as well as a changed tone to supervision efforts, say attorneys at Covington.

  • Regulatory Rollback And Lingering Limbo: The CFPB In 2025

    Author Photo

    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has implemented significant changes since President Donald Trump took office in January, including dismissing actions with prejudice, withdrawing guidance and rescinding rules, casting the bureau in uncertain light heading into 2026, say attorneys at Mayer Brown.

  • 2025 Calif. Banking Oversight Centered On Consumer Issues

    Author Photo

    The combination of statutory reform, registration mandates and enforcement activity in 2025 signals that California's financial regulatory landscape is focused on consumer protection, particularly in the areas of crypto kiosk fee practices, earned wage access providers and elder fraud, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.

  • The Major Securities Litigation Rulings And Trends Of 2025

    Author Photo

    The past 12 months saw increased regulator focus on disclosures concerning artificial intelligence, signs of growing judicial scrutiny at the class certification stage, and shifting regulatory priorities at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission — all major developments that may significantly affect securities litigation strategy in 2026 and beyond, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • How Cos. Can Roll With NY's New Algorithmic Pricing Rules

    Author Photo

    Despite uncertainty from New York’s new ban on artificial intelligence and computer algorithms for setting rents, and efforts to further restrict individualizing prices based on consumers' personal data, property managers, software providers and merchants can take several steps to stay compliant, say attorneys at Foley & Lardner.

  • Navigating A Sea Change In Rent Algorithm Regulation

    Author Photo

    The U.S. Department of Justice's proposed settlement of the RealPage lawsuit represents a pivotal moment in the regulation of algorithmic rent-setting, restraining use of these tools amid a growing trend of regulatory limits on use of algorithmic data and methodologies in establishing housing rental prices. say attorneys at Wilson Elser.

  • The Hidden Pitfalls Of Letters Of Credit In Lease Negotiations

    Author Photo

    Amid a surge in commercial office leasing driven by artificial intelligence firms, it's crucial for landlords to be aware of the potential downside of accepting letters of credit — in particular, for amounts of security that are less than the statutory bankruptcy claim cap, say attorneys at Allen Matkins.

  • Recent Proposals May Spell Supervision Overhaul For Banks

    Author Photo

    A slew of rules recently proposed by the federal banking agencies with approaching comment deadlines would rewrite supervision standards to be further tailored to banks' size and activities, while prioritizing financial risks over process, documentation and other nonfinancial risks, say attorneys at Davis Wright.

  • Where Things Stand At The CFPB As Funding Dries Up

    Author Photo

    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is on pace to run out of funding in the new year, threatening current and future rulemaking efforts, but a rapid series of recent actions still carries significant implications for regulated entities and warrants careful monitoring in the remaining weeks of the year, say attorneys at Brownstein Hyatt.

  • Steps For Cos. To Comply With Colo. Deceptive Pricing Law

    Author Photo

    Colorado's newly passed law protecting against deceptive pricing practices will take effect on Jan. 1, broadening the consumer protection framework and standardizing total price disclosure requirements across a variety of industries, and there are several steps businesses can take to comply, say attorneys at Haynes Boone.

  • California Vapor Intrusion Policy Should Focus On Site Risks

    Author Photo

    As California environmental regulators consider whether to change the attenuation factor used in screenings for vapor intrusion, the most prudent path forward is to keep the current value for screening purposes, while using site-specific, risk-based numbers for cleanup and closure targets, says Thierry Montoya at Frost Brown.

  • 'Measure Twice, Cut Once' Also Applies To Builders' Insurance

    Author Photo

    A New York federal court's recent decision in Ohio Security Insurance v. Southwest Marine and General Insurance, denying additional insured coverage, shows why it's key to apply the caution of "measure twice, cut once" to construction contracts and insurance policy language, say attorneys at Reed Smith.