Residential
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September 19, 2025
Ex-Construction Co. General Counsel Joins Bilzin Sumberg
Miami-based Bilzin Sumberg Baena Price & Axelrod LLP announced that the former general counsel of contractor Coastal Construction has joined the firm as a partner.
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September 19, 2025
Blackstone Names Real Estate Leader After NYC Shooting
Blackstone said Sept. 19 that it has appointed a new leader for its real estate business following the death of an executive during a mass shooting at a Midtown Manhattan office building in July.
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September 19, 2025
Fired Public Housing CEO Sues NC City, Alleging Racial Bias
The former CEO of a North Carolina city's public housing authority has hit the city and authority board with a race discrimination and breach of contract suit, alleging in North Carolina federal court that the defendants violated her work contract because she's an African American woman.
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September 18, 2025
Fire Risk Modelers See Promise In Advancing Calif. Bill
A recently approved California bill supporting the development of a public fire risk model could help boost transparency around methods insurers use to make coverage decisions, while advancing a complicated field of study full of uncertainties, experts say.
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September 18, 2025
Homeowner Policies At Center Of Ga. Insurance Changes
As the Georgia House of Representatives continues to study the state's insurance rate-setting practices, profit margins and claims processing, insurance attorneys in the state evaluate the areas in which homeowners should be watching closely, including cosmetic exclusion triggers, third-party adjusters and the changes to come under April's tort reform legislation.
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September 18, 2025
Microsoft Whistleblower Suit Can Proceed, Judge Says
A former Microsoft worker can keep pursuing his federal whistleblower claim in his suit accusing the company of firing him for flagging compliance issues and misconduct, a Texas federal court ruled in its order determining the employee's alleged failure to utilize administrative proceedings does not bar him from bringing the claims.
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September 18, 2025
Feds Launch 'First Wave' Of Housing Fraud Cases In Minn.
Eight Minnesota residents ran separate wire fraud schemes that involved taking advantage of the state's Housing Stability Services Program in order to steal millions of dollars, federal prosecutors alleged on September 18 in what they described as the "first wave" of such cases.
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September 18, 2025
Fla. Resi Developer Taps New GC
Greenpointe Holdings has selected Maryann Farhat to step in as the Florida developer's general counsel, noting that she will provide legal oversight and strategic guidance across the company's real estate development operations.
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September 18, 2025
2 Firms Guide Kennedy Wilson's $347M Apt. Platform Buy
Real estate Investment company Kennedy Wilson announced Thursday that it will buy Toll Brothers Inc.'s multifamily development platform, significantly expanding Kennedy Wilson's presence along the East Coast and in Texas, in a $347 million deal guided by Latham & Watkins LLP and Fried Frank Harris Shriver & Jacobson LLP.
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September 18, 2025
Fox Rothschild Hires Rosenberg Atty As Real Estate Partner
Fox Rothschild LLP has hired a former Rosenberg & Estis PC counsel as its new real estate department partner in its New York City office, the firm announced.
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September 18, 2025
Trump Asks High Court To Let Him Remove Fed's Cook
President Donald Trump asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday to allow him to move forward with firing Federal Reserve Gov. Lisa Cook, escalating a fight over presidential removal power that will test the boundaries of the central bank's traditional independence.
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September 17, 2025
Real Estate Pros React To Federal Interest Rate Cut
The Federal Reserve's long-awaited announcement Wednesday that it is cutting its benchmark interest rate by 0.25% drew measured reactions from real estate attorneys and professionals, who said the move definitely provides reason for optimism but had already largely been factored into markets and does not represent the major step some sought.
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September 17, 2025
9th Circ. Judge Hints At Upholding Seattle Housing Ordinance
A Ninth Circuit judge suggested on Wednesday that a waiver provision written into a Seattle affordable housing policy is enough to "save" the ordinance from a homeowner's constitutional claim that it kept her from realizing her property's full value by adding townhomes. Â
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September 17, 2025
4 Firms Guide $220M Financing Deal For Miami Resi Project
North Development has obtained $220 million worth of commercial property assessed clean energy and mortgage construction financing for its 35-story, 579-unit Miami residential project, in a deal advised by Goodkind & Florio PA, Rosenberg & Estis PC, Reed Smith LLP and Shutts & Bowen LLP, the developer said on Wednesday.
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September 17, 2025
Security Holdings Nabs $400M Seattle Apartment Portfolio
Holland & Knight LLP-advised Security Properties acquired a Seattle portfolio of multifamily properties from Washington Holdings, in a $400.8 million deal, one of the largest multifamily transactions in the area this year, the buyer announced on Wednesday.
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September 17, 2025
REIT Attys Say New Guidelines Improve On 'Patchwork'
State securities regulators at their annual confab in Arizona this month approved changes to their guidance for states reviewing securities issued by public nonlisted real estate investment trusts. Attorneys advising REITs said a uniform standard is better than the current system, even if REITs would prefer no concentration limits.
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September 17, 2025
NC Loan Servicer Can't Escape Default Warning Letter Suit
Housing loan servicer Selene Finance LP must face most of a putative class action accusing it of sending false and deceptive notices regarding loan defaults, with a North Carolina court finding that the plaintiffs have shown various elements of deception.
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September 17, 2025
NRP Group Joins Japanese Co. On $133M Las Vegas Build
Multifamily developer NRP Group on Wednesday announced the financial closing and groundbreaking of a $133 million, 390-unit project in Las Vegas that the company is developing in partnership with an affiliate of Japan's largest condominium builder.
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September 17, 2025
Judge Won't Let Denver Slip Suit Over Bans On Gas Appliances
A Colorado federal judge partially granted environmentalist group Sierra Club's bid to dismiss a suit filed by a coalition of industry trade groups suing Denver over the city's restrictions on certain natural gas appliances.
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September 17, 2025
Calif. Residents Look To Block Tribe's Recognition, Casino
A group of residents and a nonprofit are seeking an expedited order that would block a decision by the Interior Department to give federal recognition to California's Ione Band of Miwok Indians, arguing the federal government is delaying the case to make sure construction of the tribe's casino is completed.
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September 17, 2025
Del. High Court Probes Reviving Gellert Seitz Malpractice Case
A Delaware justice took aim at an argument she seemed to suggest wasn't fleshed out enough in appellate filings as a homebuilder's attorney urged the state Supreme Court on Wednesday to undo Gellert Seitz Busenkell & Brown LLC's win in a legal malpractice case.
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September 17, 2025
5 Firms Ink $520M Financing For Tampa Hotel, Resi Project
Five firms guided a $290 million commercial-property assessed clean energy financing and a $230 million senior loan for Two Roads Development's construction of a mixed-use hotel and residential project underway in Tampa, Florida.
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September 17, 2025
San Francisco Comes Up For Air
A few years ago, many in the real estate world said San Francisco was doomed, but thanks to the artificial intelligence boom and the city's shift toward more business-friendly politics, investors are betting on the Bay Area hub yet again.
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September 17, 2025
CORRECTED: NYC Construction Co. Prez Gets 4 Years For Contract Fraud
The 65-year-old president of a New York City construction company has been sentenced to 48 months in prison after pleading guilty in New York federal court to being part of a fraud scheme involving NYC homeless shelter contracts worth $12 million, the New York City Department of Investigation announced.
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September 17, 2025
These Banks Hold The Most Construction Debt On The Books
Eleven U.S. banks had more than $5 billion in construction debt on their books at the end of the year's first half, and one institution among the group is much more heavily weighted toward construction debt than the other 10.
Expert Analysis
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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 sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½'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.
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Illinois EV Charging Act Sparks Developer Concerns
A recent state law in Illinois requiring multifamily housing to provide facilities for electric vehicle charging raises significant concerns for developers over existing infrastructure that isn't up to the task, says Max Kanter at Much Shelist.
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What NAR Settlement Means For Agent Commission Rates
If approved, a joint settlement agreement between the National Association of Realtors and a class of home sellers will likely take the onus off home sellers to compensate buyers' agents, affecting considerations for all parties to real estate transactions, say attorneys at Jones Foster.
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Calif. Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q1
The first quarter of the year brought the usual onslaught of new regulatory developments in California — including a crackdown on junk fees imposed by small business lenders, a big step forward for online notarizations and a ban on predatory listing agreements, says Alex Grigorians at Hanson Bridgett.
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2nd Circ. Ruling Clarifies When Demand Letters Are Claims
The Second Circuit’s decision last week in Pine Management v. Colony Insurance, affirming that an insurer had no obligation to defend an insured for claims made before the policy period, provides clarity on when presuit demands for relief constitute claims — an important issue that may be dispositive of coverage, says Bonnie Thompson at Lavin Rindner.
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Preparing For Possible Calif. Criminal Antitrust Enforcement
Though a recent announcement that the California Attorney General's Office will resume criminal prosecutions in support of its antitrust enforcement may be mere saber-rattling, companies and their counsel should nevertheless be prepared for interactions with the California AG's Antitrust Section that are not limited to civil liability issues, say Dylan Ballard and Lillian Sun at V&E.