Expert Analysis

• What Ex-CFPB Head's Calif. Role May Foretell For Oversight

  

  California Gov. Gavin Newsom's selection of former Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Rohit Chopra to lead a new consumer agency signals tougher state financial services oversight, especially for fintechs, as well as heightened enforcement activity and larger penalties, say attorneys at WilmerHale.

• New Colo. Retainage Bonds Shift Construction Power Balance

  

  A new Colorado law that can force property owners and developers to accept bonds from contractors in lieu of traditional cash retainage means owners’ practical leverage now derives from administering a risk-transfer mechanism, not from controlling cash, but key questions remain about who may assert a claim and how enforcing a bond actually works, say attorneys at Akerman.

• 8 Ways 2026's Market Divide Is Rewriting Real Estate Risk

  

  As construction activity increasingly concentrates in data centers, healthcare and other resilient sectors, real estate developers and their counsel in the second half of 2026 should consider earlier risk allocation and more protective contract terms, and expect greater pressure on labor, pricing and infrastructure, say attorneys at Cozen O'Connor.

• A Calif. Law May Aid Homeowner Recovery After LA Fires

  

  Reconstruction bottlenecks following the January 2025 Los Angeles wildfires mean that certain homeowners insurance gaps are only now emerging, and for counsel aiding policyholders in recovery, a regulation regarding insurers' replacement cost estimates may be critical to obtaining coverage, say attorneys at Reed Smith.

• Tracking The Rare 'Quick Look' Win In FTC's Zillow-Redfin Suit

  

  The Federal Trade Commission’s suit claiming that Zillow illegally paid Redfin to exit the apartment rental market is one to watch because its early success under the less rigorous “quick look” standard of antitrust review could turn into a rare case won under the doctrine, say attorneys at Axinn.

• How Reserve Studies Fit Into Condo Association Compliance

  

  In the five years since the Surfside condominium collapse and as states like New Jersey establish related safety mandates, reserve planning has emerged as a central compliance concern for community associations, acting as a practical tool for responsible disclosure and managing long-term capital obligations, say attorneys at Dilworth Paxson.

• Fannie, Freddie AI Rules Raise Stakes For Mortgage Lenders

  

  Artificial intelligence governance frameworks recently released by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac impose monitoring and vendor oversight standards on mortgage lenders, potentially reshaping secondary-market eligibility, fair lending reviews and risk management as compliance deadlines approach, says Brendan Palfreyman at Harris Beach.

• Lessons For Banks From Recent FCA Enforcement Trends

  

  While government relief programs rely on financial institutions in times of economic uncertainty, recent enforcement shows that a government partnership may not protect banks from liability involving False Claims Act missteps, say attorneys at O'Melveny.

• NY's Tax On 2nd Homes Compounds Residency Tax Risks

  

  New York’s recently enacted surcharge on high-value second homes reflects a nationwide legislative trend of using the residency tax framework more aggressively, which brings new considerations for business owners who maintain a residence while asserting domicile elsewhere, says Mark Parthemer at Glenmede.

• Justices Widen Path For Confiscated Cuban Property Claims

  

  For Americans holding claims to confiscated Cuban property, the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision in Havana Docks v. Royal Caribbean Cruises means that the expiration of their property interest is no longer a bar and that any company using such property is now a potential defendant, say attorneys at Bracewell.

• 'Operation Hard Money' Marks New Phase In Synthetic ID Fraud

  

  A recent California mortgage fraud case dubbed "Operation Hard Money" shows synthetic identities are increasingly key to mortgage and money laundering schemes, so lenders would be wise to integrate verification and behavioral monitoring as fraud powered by artificial intelligence creates larger losses and recovery challenges, says Neal Levin at Rimon.

• Mortgage Co. Ruling Shows Risks Of Broad Noncompetes

  

  The Federal Trade Commission and a Pennsylvania state court recently took actions against Mortgage Connect that demonstrate that overbroad noncompetes may not be worth the regulatory trouble they invite, especially amid heightened federal scrutiny, proliferating state restrictions and increasingly skeptical courts, say attorneys at A&O Shearman.

• 2nd Circ.'s Cantero Redo Complicates Mortgage Escrow Issue

  

  The Second Circuit's recent decision in Cantero v. Bank of America reflects the absence of definitiveness in mortgage escrow preemption jurisprudence, leaving lenders to navigate conflicting state rules and pricing challenges amid a deepening circuit split, say attorneys at Sullivan & Cromwell.