Residential
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October 23, 2024
CFPB, Chicago-Area Lender Say Redlining Suit Deal Is 'Likely'
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and a Chicago-area mortgage lender have said in a filing that they could be close to settling claims that the lender illegally disparaged majority-Black neighborhoods.
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October 23, 2024
Investor Tied To Texas AG Seeks Investigation Info From Feds
Real estate investor Nate Paul is looking to get more information from federal prosecutors about their investigation into federal fraud charges he's facing — topics that featured prominently during the failed impeachment of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton — according to court filings from U.S. Attorney's Office employees.
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October 23, 2024
9th Circ. Judge Suggests Equity Pact Counts As Wash. Loan
A Ninth Circuit judge said Wednesday he was "struggling with" a company's stance that its equity-sharing agreement with two homeowners in Washington state doesn't amount to a loan covered by state laws regulating reverse mortgages, saying the arrangement appears to check the boxes of the statutory definition.
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October 23, 2024
NJ City Permitted Bigger Project To End Suit, Opponent Says
A property owner's nonprofit has brought a new lawsuit claiming that the city of Hoboken, New Jersey, gave a developer more than $50 million in project benefits in a settlement that could nearly double the scope of a pair of mixed-use developments along the scenic Palisades cliffs.
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October 23, 2024
Securities Claim Cut From Fraud Suit Against Calif. Developer
A California federal judge trimmed a securities claim from a Sonoma resident's suit against a real estate company embroiled in a fraud scandal and recommended that the rest of the claims be brought in state court.
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October 23, 2024
Hunton Real Estate Leader Eyes Deal Volume Uptick In 2025
Real estate investors are closely monitoring the Federal Reserve's next moves, and with the belief that more rate cuts are coming, deal volume will likely pick up next year, one of Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP's real estate leaders told Law360 in a recent interview.
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October 23, 2024
Where Harris, Trump Stand On Housing, Wall Street Landlords
In the run-up to the November presidential election, Kamala Harris has made housing one of the keystones of her campaign platform as she seeks to take on Wall Street landlords and tackle a nationwide housing affordability crisis, while Donald Trump believes illegal immigration is largely to blame for rising home prices.
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October 23, 2024
Jones Day Brings Back RE Ace In Dallas From Winstead
Jones Day announced Wednesday that it is boosting its real estate offerings in Dallas with a returning attorney whose regional knowledge and industry experience will be a "real asset" to clients and who previously practiced in the area with Winstead PC.
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October 23, 2024
Ga. Firm Owner Denies SEC Ponzi Scheme Allegations
The owner of an Atlanta-area firm accused of running a multimillion-dollar "classic Ponzi scheme" has denied all wrongdoing, telling a Georgia federal judge he merely acted in reasonable reliance on others' advice and experience.
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October 23, 2024
Gibson Dunn, Seyfarth Guide $235M Brooklyn Condo Deal
An entity connected to Jenel Real Estate sold a Brooklyn condominium building to an entity affiliated with a KKR & Co. and Dalan Real Estate joint venture in a $235.4 million deal guided by Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP and Seyfarth Shaw LLP, according to official property records.
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October 23, 2024
2nd Circ. Backs Early Wells Fargo Win In $100M RMBS Case
The Second Circuit on Wednesday approved an early win for Wells Fargo in a lawsuit brought by Commerzbank AG alleging it lost $100 million investing in residential mortgage-backed securities, saying the German lender didn't have standing to sue.
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October 23, 2024
MVPs: Wachtell's Adam Emmerich & Robin Panovka
Adam Emmerich and Robin Panovka of Wachtell Lipton Rosen & Katz's real estate practice group guided Spirit Realty Capital Inc. in its $9.3 billion all-stock acquisition by Realty Income Corp., one of a string of multibillion-dollar acquisitions that earned the practice group leaders a spot as one of the 2024 Law360 Real Estate MVPs.
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October 22, 2024
NY Judge Trims HOA's Nuisance Suit Against Queens Stadium
A New York state court judge has pared a Forest Hills, Queens, homeowners association's nuisance suit against a local stadium owner accused of disturbing the neighborhood with lots of noise, traffic and crowds.
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October 22, 2024
Blank Rome, Goodwin Law Guide $105M NYC Apartment Deal
PGIM Real Estate has sold a New York City apartment building for $104.5 million, a notable loss clocking in at nearly $20 million below PGIM's original 2015 purchase price, per county property records.
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October 22, 2024
Building Permits, Construction Starts Dip In September
The number of building permits issued and construction starts fell in September, even as the total number of housing units completed nationwide continues to rise, a delayed marker of previous months' stronger permitting activity, per data compiled by the U.S. Census Bureau.
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October 22, 2024
Housing Biz Engaged In 'Rent-To-Own' Fraud, Renters Say
A proposed class of renters has accused homeownership company Landis Technologies Inc., its affiliates and multiple investment firms in Pennsylvania federal court of running a fraudulent rent-to-own scheme.
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October 22, 2024
The 2024 Prestige Leaders
Check out our Prestige Leaders ranking, analysis and interactive graphics to see which firms stand out for their financial performance, attractiveness to attorneys and law students, ability to secure accolades and positive legal news media representation.
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October 22, 2024
How Law Firms Get And Keep Elite Status
For decades, a handful of New York-based law firms thoroughly dominated the national consciousness when it came to power, profitability and prestige. But in today's legal market, increased movement of partners and clients from one firm to the next has begun to shake things up and create opportunities for go-getters to ascend the ranks.
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October 21, 2024
Rocket Mortgage Faces DOJ Suit Alleging Refi Race Bias
The U.S. Department of Justice on Monday sued Rocket Mortgage and two appraisal companies in Colorado federal court for allegedly undervaluing a woman's Denver home because she was Black, asserting that the mortgage company then canceled her refinancing application when she reported the alleged discrimination.
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October 21, 2024
Colo. Tenants Facing Eviction Are Entitled To Jury Trials
The Colorado Supreme Court ruled Monday that tenants in the state have a right to jury trials in eviction actions filed by their landlords if factual disputes exist in the case.
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October 21, 2024
US, Land Donor Settle Fight Over $1.9M Cut To Deduction
The federal government settled a suit brought by a Louisiana partnership that accused the IRS of using a flawed appraisal to drive down its tax deduction for a land donation by nearly $1.9 million, according to Louisiana federal court filings.
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October 21, 2024
Baha Mar Developer Wins $1.6B Verdict Over Delays
A New York state judge has handed the developer of the Bahamian resort Baha Mar a $1.6 billion verdict against a Chinese state-owned construction firm that was accused of concealing its massive delays in building the project and then sabotaging the development entirely when it realized catching up was hopeless.
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October 21, 2024
NYC Real Estate Week In Review
Greenberg Traurig and Fried Frank were among the law firms that handled the largest New York City real estate deals that hit public records last week, a period headlined by a nearly $160 million Manhattan deal.
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October 21, 2024
North Carolina Hits Vacation Rental Co. With Robocall Lawsuit
North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein filed suit against timeshare company Club Exploria LLC in North Carolina federal court, accusing the company of illegally spamming residents across the state with robocalls that sought to sell timeshares and vacation rentals.
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October 21, 2024
Judge Upholds Ginnie Mae's Authority To Vacate Bank's Lien
A Texas federal judge ruled that the Government National Mortgage Association didn't overstep its authority when it vacated a bank's lien on a loan worth tens of millions of dollars, rejecting Texas Capital Bank's bid for partial summary judgment.
Expert Analysis
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Justices' Minn. Takings Ruling May Have Broad Impact
The U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Tyler v. Hennepin County that a Minnesota tax foreclosure violated the U.S. Constitution's takings clause may, beyond resolving a circuit split, influence well-established foreclosure laws across the U.S., say Emily Ladd and Gregory Nowak at Miller Canfield.
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Challenging Standing In Antitrust Class Actions: Rule 23
A recent Sixth Circuit decision in Fox v. Saginaw County that rejected the common attempt to use Rule 23 to sidestep Article III's standing limitations shows antitrust defendants' success in challenging standing will rest on happenstance without more clarity from the Supreme Court — which no litigant should be comfortable with, say Michael Hamburger and Holly Tao at White & Case.
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Key Limited Partnership Provisions During Market Downturns
With a recession potentially on the horizon, fund managers should carefully examine their funds' limited partnership agreements for items that may be affected by economic downturns, and assess whether modifications may be appropriate, says Matthew Posthuma at Ropes & Gray.
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Fla. Foreign Real Estate Law Brings Broad Investment Risks
Last month, Florida became the latest state to enact legislation prohibiting Chinese investors from acquiring certain interests in real property, introducing significant legal uncertainty and consequences for real estate stakeholders and the private equity industry, say attorneys at Simpson Thacher.
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Banking Tips For Lending To Calif. Homeowners Associations
With current financial markets and recent changes to California law putting a brighter spotlight on lending, banks should understand the special considerations involved in lending to homeowners associations and the various possible remedies in the event of a default, says Alex Grigorians at Hanson Bridgett.
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How Rent Proposals May Affect Most Populous Md. County
Of the various legislative changes concerning rent controls and property taxes that are being considered in Montgomery County, Maryland, comparatively milder controls are likely to prevail, but even these lenient measures may make it more difficult for the county to fulfill its needs for new housing, says Michael Murray at Greysteel.
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Texas Justices' PNC Opinion Clarifies Subrogation Questions
Thanks to the sorely needed clarification provided by the Texas Supreme Court in PNC Mortgage v. Howard, a home equity lender now has a better understanding of what it can do when its own lien is constitutionally invalid but is either equitably or contractually subrogated to a prior lien, say Daron Janis and Dave Foster at Locke Lord.
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Assessing The Reach Of 9th Circuit's Natural Gas Ruling
The Ninth Circuit's recent decision in California Restaurant Association v. Berkeley, affirming that the Energy Policy and Conservation Act preempts certain state and local natural gas bans, may chill other efforts to limit usage of natural gas and raises important questions for utility companies, natural gas consumers and policymakers to consider, say attorneys at Greenberg Traurig.
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Ch. 13 Ruling Issues Warning To Mortgage Servicers
The Ninth Circuit Bankruptcy Appellate Panel’s recent ruling in Orlansky, which held that the mortgage servicer violated the automatic stay in its post-petition communication to debtors, suggests that circuit bankruptcy courts may more closely scrutinize how certain fees are presented in monthly statements, say Justin Paget and Jennifer Wuebker at Hunton.
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Using Synthetic Securitization In Residential Mortgage Loans
In light of a recent Federal Reserve report emphasizing the importance of maintaining sufficient capital positions, banking organizations should consider using synthetic securitization to help mitigate capital charge associated with residential mortgage loan portfolios, say attorneys at Mayer Brown.
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How Cities Can Tackle Post-Pandemic Budgeting Dilemmas
Due to increasing office vacancies around the country, cities may consider politically unpopular actions to avoid bankruptcy, but they could also look to the capital markets to ride out the current real estate crisis and achieve debt service savings to help balance their budgets, say attorneys at Cadwalader.
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What Associates Need To Know Before Switching Law Firms
Excerpt from Practical Guidance
The days of staying at the same firm for the duration of one's career are mostly a thing of the past as lateral moves by lawyers are commonplace, but there are several obstacles that associates should consider before making a move, say attorneys at HWG.
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FHFA Plans Forecast The Year Ahead In Affordable Housing
This year attorneys in the affordable housing sector can expect to see developers utilizing the financing tools included in Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae's updated equitable housing finance plans, including various sponsor-elected programs and Freddie's forward commitment initiative, say Evan Blau and Beth Budnick at Cassin & Cassin.