Residential

  • May 29, 2024

    Ex-Freddie Mac Appraisal Chief Talks Bias And Sizing-Up Risk

    As regulators tackle bias in single-family housing, Martin Skolnik, who served as chief appraiser for Freddie Mac multifamily for 13 years, suggests applying the same scrutiny to multifamily appraisals.

  • May 29, 2024

    Greenberg Traurig Gets 30-Year Tax Break From Saudi Arabia

    Greenberg Traurig LLP is among the first law firms to get licensed as a regional headquarters, or RHQ, company in Saudi Arabia, allowing the firm to take advantage of a major tax break, the firm announced Tuesday.

  • May 28, 2024

    Goldman Family Battles Over Evidence In Property Biz Suit

    Relatives of Jane Goldman, an heiress of Sol Goldman's New York City property empire, argued that a contract she has said establishes her authority over the family's real estate business is of "dubious origin."

  • May 28, 2024

    Pittsburgh Agency Sues Over Utility Acces On $100M Complex

    The Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority sued a developer and other city officials to maintain its ability to service a water and sewer main underneath a $100 million apartment complex after a city attorney's decision wiped out the agency's objection to a building permit for the project.

  • May 28, 2024

    Jones Day, King & Spalding Rep Blackstone, Bank's $1B Deal

    Blackstone has bought a $1 billion senior mortgage loan portfolio from Deutsche Pfandbriefbank after the German bank revealed plans to offload it, with the all-cash transaction shaped by Jones Day and King & Spalding LLP. 

  • May 28, 2024

    First Citizens Bank Lends $74M For Brooklyn Apartments

    First Citizens Bank has provided a $74 million secured senior loan to real estate investor and developer Lonicera Partners for a 23-story, 160-unit multifamily apartment building in Brooklyn, New York, the bank announced Tuesday.

  • May 28, 2024

    Ex-Florida Atty Accused Of Failing To Deliver Condo Proceeds

    A disbarred attorney was sued in Florida state court by a client who alleged fraud and breach of fiduciary duty in a Miami Beach condominium foreclosure action, saying he misappropriated more than $68,000 in proceeds.

  • May 28, 2024

    High Court Urged To Review NY Rent Law Challenge

    Four interested third parties have urged the U.S. Supreme Court to review a suit challenging two 2019 changes to New York rental laws, arguing that high court intervention is needed to protect property rights across the country.

  • May 28, 2024

    High Court Won't Hear Pilot HOA's Rail Easement Case

    The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to hear a request from an Alaska homeowners association made up of pilots to review a Ninth Circuit decision giving a railroad control of an easement cutting into an airstrip for an airplane-centric subdivision.

  • May 24, 2024

    Conn., Property Owners Say Town Is Wrong On Housing Law

    Connecticut's Department of Housing and several property owners in New Canaan are taking issue with the town's arguments in a bid to pause its lawsuit challenging the state's denial of affordable housing credits, saying the town is misinterpreting a recently passed bill.

  • May 24, 2024

    Realtors Want Case Over 'Cooperation' Rule To Stay Dismissed

    The National Association of Realtors urged a California federal court not to reconsider dismissing a case targeting rules that prevent real estate agents from listing properties outside their affiliated networks, after the case took a trip to the Ninth Circuit.

  • May 24, 2024

    Software-Aided Price Fixing Under Antitrust Assault

    Claims that companies in the same industry are using software middlemen to fix prices are percolating in federal courts around the country, with cases targeting major operators in residential real estate, hospitality and health insurance, among other areas.

  • May 24, 2024

    Insurer's Coverage Suit Premature, Ga. Apt. Complex Says

    An apartment complex facing negligence claims over a shooting told a Georgia federal court that its insurer's suit seeking to avoid coverage must be tossed, arguing that without any factual findings in the underlying state court action, any finding on the insurer's duty to indemnify would be premature.

  • May 24, 2024

    Wells Fargo Opposes Class Cert. In Race Lending Bias Suit

    Wells Fargo urged a California federal judge to reject a class certification request from a group of plaintiffs claiming the bank offered non-white borrowers loans with higher interest rates and worse terms, while also applying more scrutiny to their applications.

  • May 24, 2024

    NYC Apartment Hotel May Qualify For Tax Break, Dept. Says

    A planned 150-unit apartment hotel building in New York City catering to a nearby hospital's patients and staff and to university students could be eligible for an industrial and commercial abatement program, the city Department of Finance said in a letter ruling.

  • May 24, 2024

    CFPB Seeks $20M Penalty For Inaccurate Loan Data

    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has urged a Florida federal court to hit Freedom Mortgage with a $20 million civil penalty for allegedly submitting error-filled government mortgage loan data.

  • May 23, 2024

    Colliers Seeks Buyer For Fla. Land Near Transit Station

    Colliers is looking for a buyer for 2.03 acres of Hialeah, Florida, land near a transit station on behalf of the South Florida Regional Transportation Authority, the commercial real estate services company announced.

  • May 23, 2024

    JV Inks $48.5M Ft. Lauderdale Shopping Center Buy

    BH Group, PEBB Enterprises and Related Group have snapped up a mixed-use waterfront shopping center in Fort Lauderdale, Florida's Harbordale neighborhood for $48.5 million through a joint venture, with plans to further develop the property.

  • May 23, 2024

    Ohio Bill Seeks Refundable Credit For Property Taxes, Rent

    Households in Ohio with $60,000 or less in annual income would be able to claim a refundable income tax credit for the cost of their property taxes or for 15% of their rent under a bill introduced in the Senate.

  • May 23, 2024

    Houston Law Firm Wants To DQ Creditors' Counsel In Ch. 11

    Troubled MMA Law Firm PLLC is seeking to stop another firm from representing its bankruptcy creditors, arguing that MMA's principal had previously spoken with the other firm as a prospective client and had shared confidential information that now could be used against his firm.

  • May 23, 2024

    Oakland Coliseum Sold To Black-Led Biz Group For $105M

    The City of Oakland has agreed to sell its share of the Oakland Coliseum to a group of Black community, business and investment leaders for a minimum of $105 million in a deal that the city said will pave the way for affordable housing units, outdoor space and future developments.

  • May 22, 2024

    Zillow Trade Practices Case Meets Skeptical Conn. Judge

    A federal judge in Connecticut on Wednesday seemed skeptical of a real estate sales associate's proposed class action complaint against Zillow Inc., suggesting that the website's "Zestimates" of home values are protected by the First Amendment during a summary judgment hearing on the sole remaining claim in the dispute.

  • May 22, 2024

    NY High Court Tosses Suit Over Howard Hughes NYC Tower

    The New York Court of Appeals has rejected an appeal filed by a New York City-based group challenging the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission's decision to approve a certificate that will allow the construction of a 27-story, 400-unit, mixed-use tower project in downtown Manhattan's South Street Seaport Historic District.

  • May 22, 2024

    Developer Had No Duty To Verify Flood Model, Court Hears

    A Houston-area developer indicated before a state appeals court Wednesday that the consequences of entering a judgment in favor of more than 400 homeowners whose properties flooded during Hurricane Harvey would be catastrophic, as their claims boil down to the developer's alleged failure to double-check modeling conducted by an outside consultant.

  • May 22, 2024

    FDIC Eyes 'Weak' Office, Mall Assets In Risk Assessment

    The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. deemed office and retail mall asset classes 2023's "weak" points among the otherwise resilient commercial real estate property types, in a Wednesday report summarizing risks facing FDIC-insured institutions.

Expert Analysis

  • Fla. Banking Brief: All The Notable Compliance Updates In Q2

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    Florida financial institutions must now navigate minimum interest rates for attorney trust accounts, restrictions on property sales to prohibited foreigners, and a ban on weighing environmental, social and governance factors to determine a customer's creditworthiness — changes that will add to banks' compliance pressures, says Patricia Hernandez at Avila Rodriguez.

  • NY Court Sends Mixed Signals On Contested Foreclosure Law

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    Although New York's Appellate Division, Second Department, has avoided addressing the constitutionality and retroactive application of the Foreclosure Abuse Prevention Act, its conflicting pattern of applying FAPA to existing cases is creating confusion regarding the future of the law, say Christopher Gorman and John Muldoon at Abrams Fensterman and litigation support analyst Robert Marx.

  • Expect CFPB Scrutiny On AI In Lending

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    As the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau prioritizes regulatory oversight of the financial services industry's use of automated systems and artificial technology, it will need to balance regulation and innovation, and companies should prepare to mitigate any potential for bias or unfair, deceptive or abusive acts and practices, say attorneys at Goodwin.

  • Level Up Lawyers' Business Development With Gamification

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    With employee engagement at a 10-year low in the U.S., there are several gamification techniques marketing and business development teams at law firms can use to make generating new clients and matters more appealing to lawyers, says Heather McCullough at Society 54.

  • Texas Construction Statute Of Repose Leaves Open Questions

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    Texas' new significantly shorter statute of repose barring certain suits against construction contractors contains some ambiguous wording that will likely raise questions to be decided by courts, says Mason Hester at Munsch Hardt.

  • 5 Ways Firms Can Rethink Office Design In A Hybrid World

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    As workplaces across the country adapt to flexible work, law firms must prioritize individuality, amenities and technology in office design, says Kristin Cerutti at Nelson Worldwide.

  • In The CFPB Playbook: Abuse Policy, PACE, Payment Apps

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    From defining "abusive" conduct to implementing green energy financing to policing payment apps, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau was busy last quarter. Akerman's Nora Rigby discusses all this and more in the first installment of bureau activity recaps by former CFPB personnel.

  • How To Avoid Flopping When Flipping Fla. Real Estate

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    As land prices rise, Florida real estate developers are increasingly contracting to flip property to other purchasers for a profit, and they should carefully consider the unique risks and issues associated with the different forms that the process can take, says Gary Kaleita at Lowndes.

  • Ghosting In BigLaw: How To Come Back From Lack Of Feedback

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    Junior associates can feel powerless when senior colleagues cut off contact instead of providing useful feedback, but young attorneys can get back on track by focusing on practical professional development and reexamining their career priorities, says Rachel Patterson at Orrick.

  • States Must Fight Predatory Real Estate Listing Agreements

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    As momentum against long-term real estate listing agreements continues to grow, states should take action to render existing agreements unenforceable and discourage future unfair and deceptive trade practices in real estate, says Elizabeth Blosser at the American Land Title Association.

  • Steps To Success For Senior Associates

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
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    Adriana Paris at Rissman Barrett discusses the increased responsibilities and opportunities that becoming a senior associate brings and what attorneys in this role should prioritize to flourish in this stressful but rewarding next level in their careers.

  • Legal Profession Must Do More For Lawyers With Disabilities

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    At the start of Disability Pride month, Rosalyn Richter at Arnold & Porter looks at why lawyers with disabilities are significantly underrepresented in private practice, asserting that law firms and other employers must do more to conquer the implicit bias that deters attorneys from seeking accommodations.

  • Ohio Tax Talk: Building On Federal Affordable Housing Credit

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    Ohio's soon-to-be-implemented low-income housing tax credit could significantly affect the state's affordable housing landscape and influence tax-credit deal financing for these projects, though Senate changes may have dampened the new credit's immense potential, say Raghav Agnihotri and Rachael Chamberlain at Frost Brown.