Residential

  • June 06, 2024

    Calif. Justices OK UC Berkeley People's Park Housing Plan

    The University of California, Berkeley, can move ahead with its plans to build a housing project in the historic People's Park, the California Supreme Court ruled Thursday, saying a new state law wipes out opponents' claims that the university's environmental impact study failed to look at potential student noise pollution.

  • June 06, 2024

    Insurers' Climate Exposure Poses Risk To US Housing Market

    Climate risks to already strained insurance markets could significantly disrupt the U.S. housing market and the broader financial system, according to insurance, banking and housing experts, as well as a growing body of academic research leveraging new risk data.

  • June 06, 2024

    Fintech Lender Ran 'Bait & Switch' With Borrowers, Suit Says

    Fintech company Figure Lending LLC faces a proposed class action alleging its home equity lines of credit are actually intentionally mislabeled home equity loans with higher interest rates and fees.

  • June 06, 2024

    NYC Passes Economic Opportunity Rezoning, With Tweaks

    The New York City Council voted June 6 to approve a slate of zoning reforms intended to promote small business growth and update decades-old regulations, after making several tweaks to the plan in response to community concerns.

  • June 06, 2024

    Colorado To Study Simplification Of Local Lodging Taxes

    Colorado will expand the scope of a task force responsible for simplifying the state's sales and use tax regime to improve the local lodging tax system as part of a bill signed into law by Democratic Gov. Jared Polis.

  • June 06, 2024

    Jeffrey Zwick Advises On $147M NYC Portfolio Refinancing

    A Namdar Realty Group affiliate has closed on a $147.1 million refinancing of a group of 18 New York City apartment buildings and commercial properties in a transaction advised by Jeffrey Zwick & Associates.

  • June 06, 2024

    Mass. AG Asks State High Court To Affirm Housing Law

    Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell told the state's highest court this week that her office has the authority to seek enforcement of what she says is a mandatory state housing initiative requiring more than half the state's communities to allow multifamily housing development.

  • June 06, 2024

    Hinshaw Adds Financial Services Partner In NY

    Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP has added a consumer financial services partner in its New York City office from creditors rights firm LOGS Legal Group.

  • June 06, 2024

    Ex-Real Estate Firm GC Joins Federman Steifman As Partner

    Federman Steifman LLP hired the former general counsel of real estate investment and development firm SomeraRoad as a partner for its New York City office, the law firm announced.

  • June 06, 2024

    Bell Nunnally Adds Ex-Munsch Hardt Real Estate Ace In Dallas

    Bell Nunnally & Martin LLP has strengthened its real estate practice with a partner in Dallas who came aboard from Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr PC.

  • June 05, 2024

    Property Plays: WP Carey, Tribeca, Tower Capital

    W.P. Carey inked $258 million worth of investments, largely in industrials; a total of $21.5 million was loaned for the acquisition and conversion of an eight-story Tribeca building; Tower Capital lined up $47.4 million for a build-to-rent community in Texas.

  • June 05, 2024

    CohnReznick Scores Quick Exit In Tax Scheme Suit

    A New York federal judge agreed to toss a housing partnership's suit accusing accounting firm CohnReznick LLP of professional negligence and fraud, finding that the district court doesn't have jurisdiction over the dispute.

  • June 05, 2024

    Denver Landlord Sued Over Allegedly Unlawful Late Fees

    A Denver landlord and its property manager were accused in a proposed class action of charging tenants with unlawfully excessive late fees for owed rent and launching eviction proceedings against them for not paying the late fees and owed rent.

  • June 05, 2024

    Miami Developer Maintains Pioneering Touch In Latest Moves

    Miami-area developer Masoud Shojaee spoke with Law360 Real Estate Authority about his project strategy and how it has led to longevity for his firm Shoma Group and given him confidence in helping to address a housing crisis and various challenges in the market.

  • June 05, 2024

    PennyMac Sued Over 'Release Costs' For Payoff Docs

    PennyMac Loan Services LLC violated federal and Florida law by wrongfully charging "release costs" for its mortgage payoff statements that showed how much borrowers still owed, according to a proposed consumer class action filed in Florida federal court.

  • June 05, 2024

    Colo. To Exempt Modular Homes From Sales Tax

    Colorado will exempt new modular home sales from state tax under a bill signed into law by Gov. Jared Polis.

  • June 05, 2024

    'Le Penthouse' Owner Files For Ch. 11 With $66M In Debt

    The owner of "Le Penthouse," known as one of the most expensive New York City condominiums, filed for Chapter 11 protection in Manhattan bankruptcy court with $66.5 million in debt and a plan to sell off its properties including the penthouse.

  • June 04, 2024

    Judge Frets Nursing Home Co. LaVie $20M DIP Too Low

    A Georgia bankruptcy judge on Tuesday gave interim approval to customary first-day motions and a $20 million debtor-in-possession loan for bankrupt nursing home operator LaVie Care Centers LLC.

  • June 04, 2024

    Miami Board Opposes Tower Amid Land Use Law Concerns

    The design review committee for Miami's Wynwood neighborhood voted Tuesday against a 48-story mixed-use development proposed in the area, pushing back on the application, which makes use of a sweeping new Florida land use law for workforce housing.

  • June 04, 2024

    HUD Kicks Off Manufactured Housing Financing Program

    The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development launched a federally insured financing option for buying, revitalizing and refinancing manufactured housing communities in order to provide an alternative that doesn't involve private equity funds purchasing those communities, HUD announced Tuesday.

  • June 04, 2024

    Meet The Attorneys Guiding Nursing Home Co. LaVie's Ch. 11

    A team of attorneys from McDermott Will & Emery LLP is guiding nursing home operator LaVie Care Centers LLC through its Chapter 11 case in Georgia.

  • June 04, 2024

    Albany Passes Good Cause Eviction, Again

    The Albany Common Council has voted to opt New York's capital city in to the state's good cause eviction law, after the city's earlier attempt was struck down by a state judge.

  • June 04, 2024

    LA Landfill Owner Faces Suits Over Foul Fumes, Runoff

    Some 800 people near a waste dump in Los Angeles County sued its operator for damages, alleging the company is liable for a smoldering underground fire at the site — the county's second-largest landfill — that has spewed toxic gas into the air for the last year, as well as geyser-like eruptions of polluted water from the ground.

  • June 04, 2024

    CFPB Cautions Firms Against Contractual 'Fine Print Tactic'

    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau on Tuesday warned banks and other financial services firms against trying to "trick" consumers with unenforceable waivers in their customer contracts, saying their use of certain contractual terms and conditions can open them up to supervisory or enforcement action.

  • June 04, 2024

    Property Company Must Face Ex-Manager's Race Bias Suit

    A Pennsylvania federal judge denied a real estate firm's effort to take an early win over a discrimination and retaliation suit brought by one of its Black former property managers, ruling that there are still too many open questions about the worker's treatment as she oversaw a problem-ridden Ohio apartment complex.

Expert Analysis

  • Using Synthetic Securitization In Residential Mortgage Loans

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    In light of a recent Federal Reserve report emphasizing the importance of maintaining sufficient capital positions, banking organizations should consider using synthetic securitization to help mitigate capital charge associated with residential mortgage loan portfolios, say attorneys at Mayer Brown.

  • Tips For In-House Legal Leaders In A Challenging Economy

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    Amid today's economic and geopolitical uncertainty, in-house legal teams are running lean and facing increased scrutiny and unique issues, but can step up and find innovative ways to manage outcomes and capitalize on good business opportunities, says Tim Parilla at LinkSquares.

  • How Cities Can Tackle Post-Pandemic Budgeting Dilemmas

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    Due to increasing office vacancies around the country, cities may consider politically unpopular actions to avoid bankruptcy, but they could also look to the capital markets to ride out the current real estate crisis and achieve debt service savings to help balance their budgets, say attorneys at Cadwalader.

  • What Associates Need To Know Before Switching Law Firms

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
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    The days of staying at the same firm for the duration of one's career are mostly a thing of the past as lateral moves by lawyers are commonplace, but there are several obstacles that associates should consider before making a move, say attorneys at HWG.

  • FHFA Plans Forecast The Year Ahead In Affordable Housing

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    This year attorneys in the affordable housing sector can expect to see developers utilizing the financing tools included in Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae's updated equitable housing finance plans, including various sponsor-elected programs and Freddie's forward commitment initiative, say Evan Blau and Beth Budnick at Cassin & Cassin.

  • A Case For Sharing Mediation Statements With Counterparties

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    In light of a potential growing mediation trend of only submitting statements to the mediator, litigants should think critically about the pros and cons of exchanging statements with opposing parties as it could boost the chances of reaching a settlement, says Arthur Eidelhoch at Eidelhoch Mediation.

  • How To Determine Best Format For Annual Building Meetings

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    As hundreds of New York City co-ops and condominiums conduct their annual meetings over the next few weeks, they should keep both legal and practical considerations in mind when deciding between virtual and in-person formats, says Robert Braverman at Braverman Greenspun.

  • EB-5 Reform Continues To Weigh Heavily On Participants

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    Recent U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services guidance helps clarify aspects of the 2022 EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act, which increased oversight of EB-5 regional centers, but does not end the industry's continuing state of uncertainty, says Robert Divine at Baker Donelson.

  • Colo. Bankruptcy Ruling Clarifies Debt Collection Rules

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    The Colorado Supreme Court’s recent ruling in U.S. Bank v. Silvernagel provides necessary clarification on the state's debt collection statute of limitations commencement rules and gives lenders breathing room to pursue foreclosure after their borrowers receive a bankruptcy discharge, say Erin Edwards and Justin Balser at Troutman Pepper.

  • Preparing For Legal Scrutiny Of Data Retention Policies

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    Two recent cases involving Google and Meta should serve as a call to action for companies to ensure their data retention policies are updated and properly implemented to the degree of being able to withstand judicial scrutiny, especially as more data is generated by emerging technologies, say Jack Kallus and Labeed Choudhry at Kaufman Dolowich.

  • Echoes Of '80s Thrift Crisis Are Present In Today's Bank Woes

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    The current distress in the banking industry bears an uncanny resemblance to the thrift industry crisis of the 1980s, and while that collapse was a worst-case scenario, it provides lessons for understanding the fundamental economic forces at work today, says Alan Frankel at Coherent Economics.

  • Attorneys Should Have An Ethical Duty To Advance DEI

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    National and state bar associations are encouraging attorneys to apply diversity, equity and inclusion practices in the legal profession and beyond, and these associations should take it one step further by formally recognizing ethical duties for attorneys to promote DEI, which could better the legal profession and society, says Elena Mitchell at Moore & Van Allen.

  • Data-Driven Insights Are Key To Attracting Today's Clients

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    As law firm growth slows and competition for clients increases, modern firms must rely on robust data analytics to develop the sector-based expertise and industry insights that clients increasingly prioritize in relationships with counsel, says Lavinia Calvert at Intapp.