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Federal Trade Commission

Lawmakers urge FTC to probe real estate referral practices

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Two federal lawmakers are urging Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chairman Andrew Ferguson to investigate the referral practices of online real estate platforms.  In a letter sent to Chairman Ferguson last Friday, Representatives Jennifer McClellan and Donald Beyer, both Democrats from Virginia, claimed that “certain deceptive or insufficiently transparent internet advertising and solicitation practices may be […]

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New York AG probes Compass-Anywhere acquisition

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Compass International Holdings appears to be under investigation by the office of New York state Attorney General Letitia James.  Leaders at other real estate brokerages in New York City have confirmed to HousingWire that James’s office has reached out to request information as part of an inquiry into Compass. The news was first reported by

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FTC wins court order to shut down alleged mortgage relief scheme

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The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) on Wednesday announced that it secured a court order to shut down an alleged mortgage relief scheme. The regulator says the scheme referenced federal homeowner assistance programs to collect upfront fees from financially distressed borrowers while failing to deliver promised loan modifications. A judge for the U.S. District Court for

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Mortgage Connect noncompete ruled unenforceable in PA

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The lawsuit that prompted Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chairman Andrew N. Ferguson to issue a warning letter to Mortgage Connect last week has dealt the company a significant legal blow. As the FTC scrutinizes Mortgage Connect for deploying “unjustifiable noncompetes,” a Pennsylvania judge ruled that the company’s contract was so “sweeping” and “overbroad” that it’s

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Washington just banned noncompete agreements. Will other states follow suit?

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Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson signed a bill into effect earlier this week that bans noncompete agreements across the state. The move marks a significant shift in employment law that will take effect on June 30, 2027. The measure prohibits contracts that restrict workers from joining or starting competing businesses after leaving a job. Noncompete agreements

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Zillow and Redfin ordered to produce documents in $100M rental syndication antitrust case

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Zillow and Redfin must turn over documents related to their $100 million rental syndication agreement, according to a court order issued on Thursday in the antitrust lawsuit filed by state and federal regulators.  On Thursday, Judge William Porter ruled that the defendants must comply with the document production requests issued by the Federal Trade Commission

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WSJ: DOJ leadership halted antitrust review of Compass–Anywhere deal

Anywhere, Brokerage, Compass, Department of Justice, Elizabeth Warren, Federal Trade Commission, HWmember, Real Estate, Regulatory, Robert Reffkin /

News that the proposed merger between Compass and Anywhere would close this week came as a surprise to many in the industry, especially those who were anticipating a robust antitrust review of the deal. Several news outlets are reporting that antitrust regulators were blocked from a deeper investigation into the deal by officials higher up in

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Compass-Anywhere deal may exceed DOJ market-share limits in some cities

Anywhere, Brokerage, Compass, Department of Justice, Elizabeth Warren, Federal Trade Commission, HWmember, Mergers and Acquisitions, Real Estate, Regulatory, Robert Reffkin /

Compass’s proposed acquisition of Anywhere Real Estate may give the firm some eyebrow-raising market share levels in certain markets across the country, according to analysis of RealTrends Verified data published by The Capitol Forum earlier this week. This includes more than 80% market share in both Newport Beach, California and Manhattan. According to the publication’s

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Biggest stories of 2025: Zillow’s terrible, horrible, no good, very bad legal storm

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From lawsuits to mergers and acquisitions at a scale never seen before in real estate and everything in between, 2025 was full of twists, turns and surprises for the housing industry. HousingWire is rewinding and breaking down the biggest storylines in the real estate industry from this past year.  Despite strong revenue growth and a

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FTC issues warnings to rental software firms on price transparency

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A week after settling a lawsuit with rental property management company Greystar, it appears the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) involvement in the rental property management space is not waning.  On Tuesday, the government regulator announced that it had sent letters to 13 property management software providers nationwide warning them that they may be violating the

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