Residential
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August 25, 2025
Texas Bill Would OK Low-Population Voter-Approval Tax Rates
The Texas voter-approval property tax rate, the maximum rate a local government can adopt without voter approval, would be reduced for smaller taxing authorities under a bill passed in the state Senate and a House committee.
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August 22, 2025
Housing Supervisor Rebuts Ex-Employee's Retaliation Claim
A former supervisor at the public housing authority in Charlotte, North Carolina, facing accusations of retaliation and creating a hostile work environment told jurors Friday that she never singled out a coordinator for punishment or had any inkling of discrimination within the organization that would rise to the level of violating federal housing laws.
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August 22, 2025
$16M Loan Docs Looked Legit To Pullman & Comley, Letter Says
Pullman & Comely LLC said in a 2022 letter to New York-based lender Titan Capital ID LLC that it had no knowledge of any inaccuracies or issues in a $16 million loan to the development arm of a Connecticut municipal housing authority, according to exhibits recently filed in a suit over the allegedly botched transaction.
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August 22, 2025
Hometap Can't Escape Mass. AG's Consumer Protection Suit
A Massachusetts judge has rejected arguments from financial startup Hometap that existing consumer protection and debt collection laws do not apply to its "novel" home equity product, denying the company's motion to dismiss a suit brought by the state's attorney general.
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August 22, 2025
Michigan Judge Gives Initial OK To Tax Foreclosure Deal
A Michigan federal judge has granted preliminary approval to a settlement that would allow former property owners to receive the surplus profits they allege county treasurers made selling their tax-delinquent properties.
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August 21, 2025
Appeals Court Says Dallas Must Release Discrimination Records
A Texas appeals court ruled Thursday that the city of Dallas has to turn over records on a federal housing discrimination investigation to The Dallas Morning News, saying the information was not exempt from public disclosure.
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August 21, 2025
Property Owners Say SF Vacancy Tax Violates Rights
A San Francisco levy on vacant residential units is not a tax, but a penalty, and violates property owners' constitutional rights to keep their private property from being taken for public use without just compensation, the owners told a California appellate court.
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August 21, 2025
Q&A: Lawmaker Takes Aim At High Property Insurance Costs
Finding ways to make property insurance more affordable in New York is the intended outcome of a New York State Senate investigation into a crisis that's threatening to price people out of their communities, said the chair of the senate's insurance committee.
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August 21, 2025
AmeriFirst's Global Creditor Settlement Approved In Ch. 11
Bankrupt mortgage lending company AmeriFirst Financial Inc. received court approval on Thursday in Delaware for a global settlement with creditors that resolves two years of legal disputes among the parties and opens a path for a Chapter 11 plan to be proposed by the debtor.
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August 21, 2025
NJ Court Halts Tower Linked To Menendez Co-Conspirator
A New Jersey state court judge ordered a developer to halt construction on a mixed-use project formerly headed by a businessman convicted alongside former U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez, finding the buildings' height is "clearly exceeding" plans approved in 2018.
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August 21, 2025
NYC Real Estate Week In Review
HSF Kramer and Walsh & Gilad are among the law firms that picked up work on the largest New York City real estate deals that hit public records last week, with a nine-figure Manhattan trade topping the list.
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August 21, 2025
2 Firms Work On $810M NYC Luxury Rentals Purchase
Two Fried Frank Harris Shriver & Jacobson LLP partners and a Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP partner guided the $810 million purchase and financing of a luxury rental building in Manhattan.
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August 21, 2025
Texas Resolution Seeks Vote On Broader Property Tax Limit
Texas would ask voters to decide if the state should amend its constitution to apply an existing limit on the appraised value of residence homesteads to other types of property under legislation filed in the state House of Representatives.
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August 21, 2025
5 Firms Guide Canadian Resi REIT's $354M Sale
Dream Residential REIT announced Aug. 21 that the Canadian company's board has reviewed and signed off on its $354 million, all-cash sale to Morgan Properties, a deal shaped by five different firms.
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August 20, 2025
401(k) Order Lifts Real Estate Spirits
After years of distress, first driven by remote working, then by soaring interest rates and rising costs, excitement has now taken hold in the real estate sector as the Trump administration spurs 401(k) plans to include more private assets.
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August 20, 2025
Mortgage Firm Settles Harassment, Retaliation Lawsuit
CrossCountry Mortgage LLC and a branch manager have reached a settlement with a former employee in a sexual harassment and retaliation suit, the parties recently announced.
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August 20, 2025
La. Biz Groups Oppose Changes To Assessment Appeal Rules
Revisions that the Louisiana Assessors' Association has proposed to regulations that govern appeals and assessments could hamper businesses' ability to present information that establishes fair market value of their properties, industry representatives said Wednesday.
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August 20, 2025
What To Watch In Florida Real Estate In 2025's Second Half
Florida real estate is less impervious to challenges confronting the industry and broader economy than in recent years, but local attorneys and real estate professionals say they expect the market will continue to attract people, business and investment in the second half of 2025 and beyond.
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August 20, 2025
Property Manager Settles With Mass. AG Over Data Breaches
One of the largest property management firms in Massachusetts will pay $795,000 to settle allegations by the state attorney general's office that it failed to prevent or address a series of five data breaches between 2019 and 2021.
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August 20, 2025
Texas House Bill Seeks To Bar Property Taxes Starting In 2031
Texas would bar the imposition of property taxes starting in 2031, contingent on voter approval of an amendment to the state constitution, under a bill introduced in the state House of Representatives.
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August 20, 2025
Trump Says Fed's Cook 'Must Resign' Amid Loan Fraud Claim
President Donald Trump's Federal Housing Finance Agency chief on Wednesday accused Federal Reserve Gov. Lisa Cook of potential mortgage fraud and said he has referred the matter to federal prosecutors, prompting Trump to call for Cook's immediate resignation — a call she has rejected.
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August 19, 2025
Expert Chides Charlotte Housing Authority Over Missing Docs
An expert witness turned the tables on the attorney questioning her Tuesday during a former public housing authority coordinator's hostile work environment and retaliation trial in North Carolina after defense counsel questioned how she could accurately opine on the authority's operations without having seen key documents, saying it wasn't because she didn't ask for them.
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August 19, 2025
9th Circ. Backs Approval Of LoanDepot Investor Settlement
The Ninth Circuit has dismissed a challenge brought by a LoanDepot shareholder to a $3.5 million settlement ending a lawsuit that accused the company of misleading investors ahead of its initial public offering, saying the district court applied proper scrutiny when approving the settlement last year.
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August 19, 2025
HUD Compliance Pro Joins Spencer Fane Real Estate Group
Spencer Fane LLP announced Tuesday that the firm has added a compliance pro to the firm's real estate group who comes to private practice after more than a decade at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
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August 19, 2025
Seyfarth Adds CRE Loan Pro To NY Office
Seyfarth Shaw LLP added a commercial real estate finance pro to its real estate group from Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP, two months after expanding its offices with a 22-person transactional team from Morris Manning & Martin LLP.
Expert Analysis
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Do Not Overstate Fla. Condo Termination Ruling's Impact
A close look at the unique language at issue in Avila v. Biscayne, in which a Florida appellate court deemed a condo termination to be invalid, shows that the case is unlikely to significantly affect other potential terminations, say Barry Lapides and Edward Baker at Berger Singerman.
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Takeaways From FDIC's Spring Supervisory Highlights
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.'s spring 2024 consumer compliance supervisory report found that relatively few institutions had significant consumer compliance issues last year, but the common thread among those that did were inadequacies or failures in disclosures to consumers, says Matthew Hanaghan at Nutter.
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What Calif. Eviction Ruling Means For Defaulting Borrowers
A California appellate court's recent decision in Homeward Opportunities v. Taptelis found that a defaulting borrower could not delay foreclosure with an improperly served notice of pendency of action, but leaves open a possibility for borrowers to delay eviction proceedings merely by filing lawsuits, say Anne Beehler and Krystal Anderson at Holland & Knight.
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How 3D Printing And Prefab Are Changing Construction
The growing popularity of trends like 3D printing technology and prefabrication in the construction industry have positive ramifications ranging from reducing risks at project sites to streamlining construction schedules, say Josephine Bahn and Jeffery Mullen at Cozen O'Connor.
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Wave Of Final Rules Reflects Race Against CRA Deadline
The flurry of final rules now leaping off the Federal Register press — some of which will affect entire industries and millions of Americans — shows President Joe Biden's determination to protect his regulatory legacy from reversal by the next Congress, given the impending statutory look-back period under the Congressional Review Act, say attorneys at Jenner & Block.
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A Deep Dive Into High Court's Permit Fee Ruling
David Robinson and Daniel Golub at Holland & Knight explore the U.S. Supreme Court's recent ruling that a local traffic impact fee charged to a California property owner may be a Fifth Amendment taking — and where it leaves localities and real estate developers.
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The Case For Overturning Florida Foreclosure Ruling
A Florida appellate court's recent decision in Desbrunes v. U.S. Bank National Association will potentially put foreclosure cases across the state in jeopardy, and unless it is reconsidered, foreclosing plaintiffs will need to choose between frustrating and uncertain options in the new legal landscape, say Sara Accardi and Paige Knight at Bradley.
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Bracing For The CFPB's War On Mortgage Fees
As the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau homes in on the legality of certain residential mortgage fees, the industry should consult the bureau's steady stream of consumer lending guidance for hints on its priorities, say Nanci Weissgold and Melissa Malpass at Alston & Bird.
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DOJ Consent Orders Chart Road Map For Lending Compliance
Two recent consent orders issued by the U.S. Department of Justice as part of its efforts to fight mortgage lending discrimination highlight issues that pose fair lending compliance risks, and should be carefully studied by banks to avoid enforcement actions, says Memrie Fortenberry at Jones Walker.
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Reverse Veil-Piercing Ruling Will Help Judgment Creditors
A New York federal court’s recent decision in Citibank v. Aralpa Holdings, finding two corporate entities liable for a judgment issued against a Mexican businessman, shows the value of reverse veil piercing as a remedy for judgment creditors to go after sophisticated debtors who squirrel away assets, says Gabe Bluestone at Omni Bridgeway.
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Calif. Housing Overhaul May Increase Pressure On Landlords
Two recently enacted California laws signal new protections and legal benefits for tenants, but also elevate landlords' financial exposure at a time when they are already facing multiple other hardships, says Laya Dogmetchi at Much Shelist.
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New Proposal Signals Sharper Enforcement Focus At CFIUS
Last week's proposed rule aimed at broadening the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States' enforcement authority over foreign investments and increasing penalties for violations signals that CFIUS intends to continue expanding its aggressive monitoring of national security issues, say attorneys at Kirkland.
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Climate Disclosure Mandates Demand A Big-Picture Approach
As carbon emissions disclosure requirements from the European Union, California and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission take effect, the best practice for companies is not targeted compliance with a given reporting regime, but rather a comprehensive approach to systems assessment and management, says David Smith at Manatt.