Residential
-
February 06, 2025
Conn. Gov. Pitches $350M Corporate Tax Boost In Budget
Connecticut would make changes to its corporate taxes that would raise nearly $350 million over two years under the governor's budget proposal, which would also provide property tax relief for residential owners.
-
February 06, 2025
Mortgage Co. Strikes Deal To End Loan Officers' OT Suit
A mortgage company reached an agreement with a collective of loan officers to resolve their suit accusing the firm of unlawfully classifying them as exempt from earning overtime wages, a filing in California federal court said.
-
February 05, 2025
Dems Want Probe Of RealPage Role In Military Rent Hikes
Senate Democrats are calling on the Department of Defense to open an investigation into property management software company RealPage, saying the company may be driving rent hikes for military families.
-
February 05, 2025
RealPage Says Missing Market Power Dooms Antitrust Suit
RealPage Inc. is making another effort to dodge antitrust allegations after the government expanded its case to rope in half a dozen residential landlords, arguing the amended pleading still falls short of showing the property management software company has enough market power to influence rent prices.
-
February 05, 2025
'Pay-To-Pay' Fees Are Unfair Debt Practice, 11th Circ. Rules
The Eleventh Circuit said a mortgage servicing company illegally charged borrowers fees for online and phone payments, upholding a Florida federal court's decision that it improperly collected so-called pay-to-pay convenience fees that were not expressly allowed by underlying loan agreements.
-
February 05, 2025
LA City Atty Says Rental Startup Price-Gouged During Fires
The Los Angeles City Attorney's Office on Tuesday accused furnished rental startup Blueground of illegally profiting from the destructive wildfires that broke out in Los Angeles last month, saying in a complaint filed in state court that Blueground jacked up rental prices, including in evacuation zones.
-
February 05, 2025
Apartment REIT Sees Growing Demand From LA Fires
Equity Residential executives said they're seeing increased demand for larger apartments in select Los Angeles neighborhoods due to the now fully contained wildfires, but an eviction moratorium and other policy responses being floated could do more harm than good, they said.
-
February 05, 2025
Essex Avoids Fire Damage, Leans On Bay Area Supply Crunch
Executives with Essex Property Trust said on Wednesday that the company escaped damage from the wildfires that visited Los Angeles last month as it expects to compete for acquisitions next year in markets where supply remains even more strained, such as the Bay Area.
-
February 05, 2025
Insurers Sued Over $8M In Water Damage At Wash. Condos
Farmers and Western National have allegedly breached their property insurance policies by refusing to cover nearly $8 million in hidden water damage at two Seattle-area condominium complexes, according to separate complaints filed by the condo owners associations.
-
February 05, 2025
Apply Presuit Notice Law Retroactively, Insurer Tells Fla. Court
Universal Property and Casualty Insurance Co. on Wednesday urged the Florida Supreme Court to reverse a decision declining to apply a state law requiring presuit notice against a property insurance carrier to a policy purchased before the law's effective date.
-
February 05, 2025
Real Estate Group Of The Year: Gibson Dunn
Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP advised on deals including Signature Bank's loan sale, two mega multifamily portfolio sales and the rise of an ultra-luxury tower in New York City in 2024, placing the firm among the 2024 Law360 Real Estate Groups of the Year.
-
February 05, 2025
Construction Group Of The Year: Orrick
Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP guided New York City's Department of Design and Construction as lead counsel on the development of the agency's design-build program, which includes a $13 billion project to replace Rikers Island with community-based jails by using a novel project delivery method for the city, earning the firm a spot among the 2024 Law360 Construction Groups of the Year.
-
February 05, 2025
Modern CRE Finance Asks More Of Real Estate Practices
Dramatic shifts are happening in the way commercial real estate is financed. Transactions have gotten “faster, larger and more complicated,” in the words of one attorney, and real estate practices have had to adapt to an evolving sector.
-
February 05, 2025
Brokerage Lines Up $166M Financing For Va. Community Buy
Marcus & Millichap arranged $165.9 million in financing for a multifamily real estate investment firm's acquisition of an Alexandria, Virginia, apartment and townhome community, the brokerage announced.
-
February 04, 2025
Wells Fargo Clears 2 More Consent Orders Amid Rehab Efforts
The Federal Reserve said Tuesday that Wells Fargo & Co. has exited a pair of mortgage-related consent orders from more than a decade ago, another step forward in the banking giant's regulatory rehabilitation efforts.
-
February 04, 2025
Norfolk Southern Hit With 'Toxic Nightmare' Derailment Suit
Hundreds of Ohio and Pennsylvania residents affected by the fallout of the Feb. 3, 2023, Norfolk Southern train derailment have accused the rail company, government agencies and several businesses of downplaying the ongoing harm of the incident, marking one of the latest lawsuits filed on or near the two-year milestone.
-
February 04, 2025
State Farm Seeks Emergency Rate Hike After Calif. Fires
State Farm asked the California Department of Insurance to approve an emergency rate hike, including a 22% average increase for homeowners across the state, citing the company's worsening financial condition following the fires in Los Angeles.
-
February 04, 2025
Real Estate PE Firm Closes $125M Sunbelt-Focused Fund
Tioga Capital LLC collected $125 million worth of capital commitments for a fund that aims to invest in real estate in the Sun Belt, the Atlanta-based real estate investment firm announced Tuesday.
-
February 04, 2025
Ecovie Brings Water Recycling Tech To Real Estate
With building developers and operators increasingly having to pay attention to water management, the property technology firm Ecovie is looking to do its part to help the situation, property by property.
-
February 04, 2025
Late Developer's Atty Asks For Help To Determine Privilege
The attorney of Sergio Pino, the late founder and CEO of Century Homebuilders Group LLC, asked a Florida judge Tuesday to appoint a special master to review privileged documents requested by Pino's estate regarding entities the attorneys helped Pino set up and asset transfers he worked on.
-
February 04, 2025
Real Estate Lawyers On The Move
Morgan Lewis, Holland & Hart and Bryan Cave are among the law firms that have made recent real estate or construction hires.
-
February 03, 2025
4th Circ. Won't Block SC Mixed-Use Housing Project
The Fourth Circuit refused to temporarily block the development of a nearly 4,000-acre mixed-use Charleston, South Carolina, development project, ruling that the conservationists challenging the project failed to show that the federal government violated federal law after issuing a Clean Water Act permit for the project.
-
February 03, 2025
Climate Group Says Insurance Hikes Threaten Housing Market
The U.S. housing market could sustain a $1.4 trillion loss in value over the next 30 years as insurance costs surge and consumer demand shifts due to climate change, according to a report Monday from climate analytics company First Street.
-
February 03, 2025
McGuireWoods Nabs Chicago CRE Partner From Ice Miller
McGuireWoods LLP announced Monday that the firm has added a commercial real estate lawyer from Ice Miller LLP, adding that the lateral partner hire has been tapped to lead the firm's real estate initiatives in Chicago and across the Midwest.
-
February 03, 2025
KKR Provides $155M Loan To Build NJ Multifamily Project
KKR & Co. Inc., through insurance accounts that the private equity firm manages, has loaned $155 million to a developer to build a 27-story residential tower in Hoboken, New Jersey, according to a Monday announcement by borrower-side broker JLL.
Expert Analysis
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
Portland's Gross Receipts Tax Oversteps City's Authority
Recent measures by Portland, Oregon, that expand the voter-approved scope of the Clean Energy Surcharge on certain retail sales eviscerate the common meaning of the word "retail" and exceed the city's chartered authority to levy tax, say Nikki Dobay at Greenberg Traurig and Jeff Newgard at Peak Policy.
-
The Bank Preemption Ripple Effects After Cantero, Flagstar
The importance of federal preemption for financial institutions will only increase as technology-driven innovations evolve, which is why the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision in Cantero v. Bank of America and vacatur of Kivett v. Flagstar Bank have real modern-day significance for national banks, say attorneys at WilmerHale.