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Washington's real estate antitrust scrutiny

2025–2026
A timeline of congressional letters and inquiries into consolidation, private listings and vertical integration across brokerage, mortgage and MLS data.
Source: Public congressional letters and committee correspondence Compiled by: Inman News
Congressional action
Non-congressional (consumer groups)
June 3, 2025
Sen. Elizabeth Warren + Sens. Cory Booker, Mazie Hirono, Bernie Sanders and Tina Smith
DOJ and FTC / Rocket Companies
The senators questioned regulators' decision not to challenge Rocket's acquisition of Redfin and urged scrutiny of Rocket's planned acquisition of Mr. Cooper.
FOCUS
Vertical integration Steering Consumer data Affiliated mortgage and brokerage products
Read the letter →
Dec. 16, 2025
Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ron Wyden
DOJ and FTC / Compass-Anywhere
Warren and Wyden urged regulators to closely scrutinize Compass' proposed $1.6 billion acquisition of Anywhere Real Estate.
FOCUS
Brokerage concentration Private listings Barriers to competition Control over listing inventory
Read the letter →
Feb. 19, 2026
Sen. Elizabeth Warren + 17 other members of Congress
Attorney General Pam Bondi / DOJ review of Compass-Anywhere
Lawmakers sought information about how DOJ cleared the Compass-Anywhere merger after reports that senior Justice Department officials curtailed a deeper antitrust review.
FOCUS
Merger review Antitrust enforcement Political interference
Read the letter →
July 1, 2026
Not a congressional action
Consumer Federation of America-led coalition (8 groups)
DOJ and FTC / Compass-MRED
Consumer advocates asked federal regulators to investigate the Compass-MRED private listing network partnership, citing fair housing concerns tied to prior research on unequal marketing patterns between majority-white and majority non-white neighborhoods in metro Chicago.
FOCUS
Competition Private listings Consumer access Fair housing
Read the letter →
July 22, 2026
Rep. Scott Fitzgerald, chair of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Administrative State, Regulatory Reform and Antitrust
Compass and Midwest Real Estate Data
Fitzgerald sent separate letters to Compass CEO Robert Reffkin and MRED CEO Rebecca Jensen seeking briefings on their private listing network partnership.
FOCUS
Private listing networks Fragmented inventory Price competition Dual agency Consumer access
Letter to Reffkin →  ·  Letter to Jensen →
Aug. 6, 2026
Sen. Elizabeth Warren
Compass and Midwest Real Estate Data
Warren requested detailed information about the Compass-MRED private listing network partnership, including whether the companies had conducted antitrust analyses and how they address competition and fair housing concerns.
FOCUS
Listing access Consolidation Competition Fair housing
Read the letter →