Residential
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September 02, 2025
5th Circ. Says Firm Is Making 'Circular Problem' In Doc Dispute
A Fifth Circuit panel pushed back Tuesday on a law firm's assertion that it gets to keep documents associated with a $30 million settlement with Ocwen Financial Corp. even though those documents were allegedly used to breach the settlement agreement, saying they were making a circular argument.
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September 02, 2025
Freddie Mac Beats Investor Suit Over Subprime Exposure
An Ohio federal judge has tossed a nearly two-decade-old lawsuit accusing Freddie Mac of failing to warn investors about its exposure to the flagging subprime market, ruling that the lawsuit hadn't identified any material misleading statements made by the company in the lead-up to the housing crisis.
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September 02, 2025
Colo. Court Blocks Vote To End Vail Condo Association
A Colorado state court forestalled a real estate developer's immediate efforts to terminate a Vail condo association, amid residents' claims that the developer had unilaterally terminated agreements promising them units in a luxury residential project in exchange for their support for the project.
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September 02, 2025
NYC Real Estate Week In Review
Fried Frank and Krauss Legal are among the law firms that landed work on the largest New York City real estate deals to hit public records last week, a period that saw multiple large Brooklyn trades.
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September 02, 2025
Hines Picks Ex-Cantor Fitzgerald Atty For GC Position
Global real estate firm Hines announced Tuesday that it's hired a former executive managing director and general counsel for financial company Cantor Fitzgerald as its new general counsel, chief compliance officer and managing partner in its New York City office.
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September 02, 2025
Real Estate Trio Join Winstead In NY, Nashville
Texas firm Winstead PC announced Tuesday that three experienced real estate attorneys have joined its real estate practice as shareholders based in Nashville, Tennessee, and New York.
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August 29, 2025
8th Circ.'s 'Erie Guess' Affirms Apt. Co.'s $27M Insurance Win
A partially split Eighth Circuit panel affirmed an apartment complex's $27 million jury award against Travelers Insurance, holding that an expert's testimony about the presence of carcinogenetic soot is sufficient to support the verdict that a fire on the property caused "direct physical loss of or damage to" unburned sections.
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August 29, 2025
Dems Urge FHFA Director To Focus On Housing Costs
Democratic senators on Friday urged Federal Housing Finance Agency Director William Pulte to focus on measures to bring housing costs down — including by forestalling any privatization of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac — while lambasting Pulte for his role in the firing of Federal Reserve Gov. Lisa Cook.
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August 29, 2025
Emigrant Seeks High Court Review Of 'Reverse Redlining' Suit
Emigrant Mortgage Co. has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review a Second Circuit decision upholding a jury verdict that found the company engaged in "reverse redlining" by targeting Black and Latino homeowners with predatory loans, arguing the appeals court broke with other circuits and made it too easy for borrowers to sue and prove disparate impact.
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August 29, 2025
Colo. Man Has Extra Time To Redeem Property, Court Says
A Colorado man whose property was subject to a tax auction is allowed to redeem the property outside the three-year statute of limitations, a state appeals court said, finding he had a disability that qualified him for an extended, nine-year time period.
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August 29, 2025
NY Tenants Claim Cos. Hiked Rents, Abused Tax Exemption
A multifamily real estate company and a property owner were accused by a proposed class in New York state court of illegally raising rents for Long Island City residential tenants by taking advantage of the state's 421-a tax-exemption program.
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August 28, 2025
Katrina's Insurance Lessons Ever Relevant 20 Years Later
Hurricane Katrina's landfall in New Orleans 20 years ago was an unprecedented catastrophe that resulted in financial consequences and insurance lessons that are more relevant today than ever, as fossil fuel-induced climate change promises more intense storms, experts say.
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August 28, 2025
Attys, Judge Mull Next Steps In 'Ugly House' Trademark Trial
A Delaware federal judge took a stab on Thursday at focusing post-trial briefing after three days of testimony on home-selling franchise HomeVestors of America Inc.'s claims that Warner Bros. Discovery's "Ugliest House In America" series has infringed its trademarks and confused customers.
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August 28, 2025
Texas House OKs Lower Voter-Approval Property Tax Rate
Texas would lower its maximum property tax rate permitted by law without voter approval for larger taxing jurisdictions under a bill passed by the state House of Representatives.
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August 28, 2025
Federal Reserve Gov. Lisa Cook Sues Trump To Block Firing
Federal Reserve Gov. Lisa Cook filed suit in federal court in Washington, D.C., on Thursday challenging President Donald Trump's "unprecedented and illegal attempt" to remove her from her position.
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August 27, 2025
Citizens Say FinCEN's Real Estate Transfer Rule Unlawful
Two citizens asked a Texas federal judge to throw out FinCEN's rule requiring disclosure of residential real estate transfers to corporate entities and trusts even when no money changes hands, saying the rule runs afoul of the Constitution.
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August 27, 2025
Amenity Wars, Conversions Steer Student Housing Strategies
Attorneys advising on student housing deals say the sector's momentum has not been dampened by pressures on higher education, as colleges and universities across the country look to build, convert or lease more student housing and compete on amenities.
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August 27, 2025
Colorado Sues Mobile Home Park Over Unsafe Drinking Water
Colorado health officials told a state judge on Wednesday that a local mobile home park's drinking water tested positive for potentially dangerous bacteria, and the mobile home park is violating state law by ignoring mandated further testing and refusing to notify residents of the test results.
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August 27, 2025
Fla. Appeals Court Affirms FDOT's Win In Easement Spat
A Florida appeals court on Wednesday found that a Miami property owner failed to show proof of an easement that would grant her access to a parcel of land owned by the Florida Department of Transportation, affirming a win for the agency.
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August 27, 2025
Ga. Justices Back Income Approach For Low-Income Housing
County tax assessors in Georgia may use a method known as the income approach to determine the fair market value of properties that qualify for federal low-income housing tax credits, the state Supreme Court ruled, reversing an appeals court finding.
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August 27, 2025
Widow Wasn't Forced Into Sewage Settlement, 4th Circ. Told
The city of Charlotte, North Carolina, told the Fourth Circuit it did not pressure a widow to settle her property damage claims stemming from a sewage backup in her home, saying she was represented by a lawyer and was in good mental and physical health when she accepted the deal.
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August 27, 2025
Attys Navigate Tangle Of Transit-Oriented Zoning In Miami
The Miami City Commission's recent approval of a new category of transit-oriented zoning has added another layer to a rapidly changing, increasingly complex web of regulations and incentives that real estate attorneys must consider when guiding development projects in the city.
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August 27, 2025
Howard & Howard Hires Condo Law Pro
Howard & Howard has announced the firm added a real estate transactional and litigation expert, who is joining its Chicago office from a two-partner practice.
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August 27, 2025
NJ Panel Backs Co.'s Single-Family Subdivision Project
A New Jersey appellate court on Wednesday backed a lower court order that vacated a township planning board's rejection of an application for a subdivision project with nine single-family lots.
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August 27, 2025
Contractors Looking To AI To Navigate Construction Tariffs
Construction contractors are increasingly leveraging the power of artificial intelligence and technology to navigate the headwinds and uncertainty that have come with President Donald Trump's trade war, a technology executive recently told Law360 Real Estate Authority.
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.