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loanDepot challenges class-action suit tied to LO comp rules, steering

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loanDepot has filed a motion to dismiss a class-action lawsuit in Maryland alleging violations of loan officer (LO) compensation rules and borrower steering, arguing the plaintiffs failed to show they suffered a “concrete injury.” The lawsuit, filed in July by five borrowers who obtained mortgages from 2019 to 2021, claims loanDepot engaged in a “sophisticated, […]

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NAR faces new Whittman antitrust suit over membership structure

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The National Association of Realtors (NAR) may have been dismissed from two lawsuits related to its three-way membership agreement, but that didn’t stop William Whittman from filing his own suit on Friday. Whittman, who is a licensed broker in Maryland, D.C. and Virginia, is suing NAR, Virginia Realtors, Northern Virginia Association of Realtors, Maryland Realtors

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Katie Sweeney, AIME lawsuit escalates as broker group files counterclaims

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Katie Sweeney, the former top dog at the Association of Independent Mortgage Experts (AIME) and the current executive vice president of strategy and broker advocacy at Rocket Pro, is denying claims by AIME that she misrepresented her role, concealed conflicts and awarded herself payments she wasn’t entitled to. Sweeney is suing the trade group for

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Legal experts say RESPA suit against Zillow is ‘going nowhere fast’

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Zillow’s legal workload became even heavier on Friday when homebuyer Alucard Taylor filed a class action lawsuit against the real estate behemoth over its Premier Agent and Flex programs.  The lawsuit, which was filed in U.S. District Court in Seattle, alleges both the Washington Consumer Protection Act and the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA)

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HUD rolls back Fair Housing enforcement, internal records show

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Internal documents and interviews reviewed by The New York Times reveal that Trump administration officials at the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) have sharply limited enforcement of the Fair Housing Act — a cornerstone civil rights law designed to prevent discrimination in housing. Emails, memos and testimony from current and former employees obtained

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Zillow faces class-action suit over Premier Agent, Flex commissions

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Zillow is facing yet another lawsuit. Filed on Friday in U.S. District Court in Seattle, the lawsuit alleges that the portal tricks consumers into using agents affiliated with Zillow through its Flex and Premier Agent programs, resulting in inflated home purchase prices.  The suit was filed by Alucard Taylor, who purchased a home in Portland, Oregon,

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Virginia insurance commissioner issues warning regarding AOLs

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Scott White, Virginia’s commissioner of insurance, has issued a warning to both title insurance companies and consumers in his state about attorney opinion letters (AOLs). In a letter sent Tuesday addressed to all title insurance companies, agents and entities in the state of Virginia, and obtained by HousingWire, White explains the applicable law, differences between

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Federal judge blocks Trump’s attempt to fire Lisa Cook

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A federal judge blocked President Donald Trump’s effort to fire Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, granting Cook’s request for a preliminary injunction on Tuesday evening. In her ruling, Judge Jia Cobb said that Trump’s reasons for removing Cook did not meet the standard for sufficient cause, noting the alleged conduct occurred before her tenure as

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Compass taps former NAR settlement attorney Ethan Glass as chief legal officer

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Compass has appointed Ethan Glass as its new chief legal officer. Glass — a veteran antitrust lawyer — previously led the global antitrust and competition practice at Cooley LLP and directed U.S. Department of Justice teams that investigated and sued multiple listing service (MLS) organizations over anticompetitive conduct. “I’m honored to join Compass, a company

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Zillow removes photos at center of CoStar suit from site

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Zillow has begun removing the images at the center of CoStar’s copyright infringement lawsuit from its site this week.  A Zillow spokesperson confirmed that the listing portal giant is only removing images that are of issue in the lawsuit and that it is notifying partners of the removals. Additionally, the spokesperson noted that actions like

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