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  • August 26, 2025

    Ohio House Bills Seek To End Or Limit Property Taxes

    Three bills introduced in the Ohio House of Representatives would eliminate property taxes by 2030, allow voters to introduce ballot initiatives to lower property taxes and increase the approval threshold for passage of certain property taxes.

  • August 26, 2025

    NYC Real Estate Week In Review

    Fried Frank, Davis Polk and Seyfarth guided a Manhattan real estate deal north of $1 billion, the first 10-figure New York City deed that's hit records this year and one of three large trades that became public last week.

  • August 26, 2025

    Calif. Senate OKs New Tax Default Property Sales Rules

    California county boards of supervisors would be required to take new steps before approving the sale of a tax-defaulted property under a bill passed by the state Senate. 

  • August 26, 2025

    1st Circ. Says Insurer Owes No Defense In Eviction Suits

    A Liberty Mutual unit has no duty to defend a commercial real estate loan provider in underlying suits over the eviction of residents from a Massachusetts senior care facility, the First Circuit ruled, finding the insurer's denial of coverage to be reasonable.

  • August 26, 2025

    Fed's Lisa Cook Preps Lawsuit Over Trump Firing

    Federal Reserve Gov. Lisa Cook is preparing to file a lawsuit over President Donald Trump's announcement that she has been terminated from her position, allegedly for committing mortgage fraud, her lawyer said Tuesday.

  • August 26, 2025

    Buchalter Adds Ex-Carlton Fields Attys To LA Office

    Buchalter has hired two former Carlton Fields attorneys as shareholders for its corporate team in Los Angeles, and one of the announced hires is returning to the firm after almost 30 years.

  • August 25, 2025

    Nationstar Loan Payoff Statement Fees OK'd By Wash. Judge

    A Washington federal judge has sided with Nationstar in a proposed class action alleging illegal fees, recognizing the home loan servicer is allowed to charge a "reasonable fee" for expedited delivery of a loan payoff statement upon request.

  • August 25, 2025

    Washington Judge OKs Tenant Class Challenging Lease Terms

    A Washington federal judge certified a class of Washington tenants accusing a landlord for more than 700 U.S. residential properties of having lease provisions, such as service fees, that violate state law.

  • August 25, 2025

    Warner Bros. Denies 'Ugly House' Infringement At Del. Trial

    An attorney for Warner Bros. Discovery Inc. told a Delaware federal judge on Monday its popular "Ugliest House in America" show had "nothing to do" with HomeVestors of America Inc.'s "Ugly House" competition, kicking off an infringement trial where the latter company is seeking millions in disgorgement.

  • August 25, 2025

    Trump Fires Fed's Lisa Cook Over Mortgage Fraud Allegation

    President Donald Trump on Monday evening fired Federal Reserve Gov. Lisa Cook over his administration's allegation that she committed mortgage fraud, thrusting the White House into uncharted territory in its campaign to exert control over the central bank. 

  • August 25, 2025

    Trustee For NJ House Flipper Cos. Seeks OK For Oct. Auction

    The Chapter 11 trustee for companies tied to celebrity house flippers accused of a Ponzi-like scheme Monday asked a New Jersey bankruptcy judge to approve procedures for the sale of the companies' assets.

  • August 25, 2025

    Mich. Judge Backs 125% Recovery In Tax Foreclosure Deal

    A Michigan federal judge has given the initial approval to a settlement between a proposed class of former property owners and two counties over allegations that the counties unlawfully kept surplus proceeds from the sales of their tax-foreclosed properties, a deal similar to one the same judge OK'd last week.

  • August 25, 2025

    Jury Awards Ex-Housing Worker $2.3M In Hostile Workplace Suit

    A federal jury on Monday awarded a former homeownership coordinator at the public housing authority in Charlotte, North Carolina, more than $2 million in damages in her suit claiming she was subject to a hostile work environment after she reported concerns that the agency was discriminating against elderly and disabled veterans and other housing applicants.

  • August 25, 2025

    Vornado To Buy NYC Office Tower, Scraps Residential Plan

    Vornado Realty Trust will pay $218 million to acquire and redevelop a 36-story office condominium into a new office property, canceling the seller's previous plan to convert the property into a residential building, the real estate investment trust announced Monday.

  • August 25, 2025

    NJ Court Upholds Most Claims In Judicial Privacy Suits

    Lawsuits filed by a data privacy group representing judges, prosecutors and law enforcement officials may continue against companies and groups that published their home addresses and unlisted phone numbers after a New Jersey federal judge on Monday denied the defendants' motions to dismiss.

  • August 25, 2025

    Construction Supplies Co. Hires Ex-Fannie Mae Atty As GC

    White Cap has hired a former Fannie Mae deputy general counsel as its new general counsel in its Atlanta headquarters, the construction supplies and safety products company announced Monday.

  • 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. 

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

Expert Analysis

  • A View Of The Shifting Insurance Regulatory Landscape

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    Attorneys at Eversheds Sutherland explore how the Federal Insurance Office's climate report, the new presidential administration and the California wildfires might affect the insurance regulatory landscape.

  • The Tides Are Changing For Fair Access Banking Laws

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    The landscape of fair access banking laws, which seek to prevent banks from denying services based on individuals' ideological beliefs, has shifted in the last few years, but a new presidential administration provides renewed momentum for advancing such legislation against the backdrop of state efforts, say attorneys at Latham.

  • How Congress Can Stem Consumer Finance Law Uncertainty

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    In the face of rising uncertainty about consumer finance laws that are based largely on fluctuating administrative rules, Congress should cement certain existing laws into statute and clarify federal agencies' delegations of authority, say attorneys at Bradley Arant.

  • Illuminating The Trend Of Florida's Unpaid Hurricane Claims

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    The sheer number of insurance claims closed without payment for damage caused by Hurricanes Milton and Helene reveals a systemic problem within Florida's insurance industry exacerbated by complex issues, including climate change and state regulators' resource limitations, say attorneys at Farah & Farah.

  • Insurance Considerations For LA Wildfire Recovery

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    Businesses and homeowners affected by the destructive Southern California wildfires must act swiftly and strategically to navigate the complexities of the insurance recovery process, including by identifying all applicable policies, documenting damage thoroughly and keeping abreast of relevant state law, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • LA Wildfires' Effect On Calif. Insurer Of Last Resort

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    Attorneys at Willkie discuss the background of California's insurer of last resort — known as the Fair Access to Insurance Requirements Plan — and examine the process of assessing member insurers and relevant recent property insurance market developments in light of the destruction from the ongoing Los Angeles wildfires.

  • Algorithm Price-Fixing Ruling May Lower Antitrust Claims Bar

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    A Washington federal court's refusal to dismiss Duffy v. Yardi Systems, an antitrust case over rent prices allegedly inflated by revenue management software, creates an apparent split in the lower courts over how to assess such claims, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • California's New Homeowner Law Could Hamper Foreclosures

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    While A.B. 2424, which took effect this month in California, gives homeowners in default additional protections, it also provides loopholes that can be used to delay foreclosure auctions, and the cost of these delays will likely be passed on to the borrower, says Stephen Britt at Severson & Werson.

  • Small Biz Caught In Corporate Transparency Act Crossfire

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    Despite compliance being put on hold due to a nationwide preliminary injunction, small businesses have been caught in the middle of the legal battle over the Corporate Transparency Act — and confusion over the law's requirements could result in major penalties, say attorneys at Snell & Wilmer.

  • What's Ahead As Transparency Act Comes To A Crossroads

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    Synthesizing the contrasting federal district and appellate court rulings on the Corporate Transparency Act’s validity reveals several main areas of debate that will likely remain at issue as challenges to the law continue winding through the courts, say attorneys at Farella Braun.

  • Ohio Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q4

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    Ohio's banking and financial services sector saw several significant developments in the fourth quarter of 2024, including a landmark Uniform Commercial Code ruling, adjustments to the state's Homebuyer Plus Program and the launch of the state's first women-led bank, says attorney Alex Durst.

  • In The ÃÛÌÒÊÓÆµ Playbook: A Sprint To The Finish Line

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    The fourth quarter of 2024 was an impressive demonstration of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's ability to regulate, enforce and supervise, even on borrowed time following the election results, and we should expect the current bureau to run nonstop until Jan. 20, say attorneys at Covington.

  • The 6 Most Significant FCRA Litigation Developments Of 2024

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    From a key sovereign immunity decision at the U.S. Supreme Court to a ruling on creditworthiness out of the Seventh Circuit, several important Fair Credit Reporting Act cases wound their way through the courts in 2024, each offering takeaways for both plaintiffs and defendants, say attorneys at Shipkevich.