Tax Witch Hunt Against Private Equity?
Keep your eyes on the Congressional proposal to increase taxes on partnerships commonly used by private-equity and hedge-fund firms. Legislators are positioning...
SOX Auditing Rules Eased
REITs may find complying with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) easier since the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission voted unanimously May 23 to ease some of its more restrictive requirements....
Mold Issue Under the Microscope
Two events have put the issue of mold right back in the spotlight again. The first was the January publication of an article calling into question two scientific studies heavily relied on by defendants in mold cases. The second is the expected introduction of new mold legislation in Congress....
Voters Trump Court on Eminent Domain
The November elections shook Washington, D.C. because they caused the first power shift in more than a decade. Less noticed but equally seismic was the fact that voters in state after state rejected laissez-faire federal rules on the use of government power to seize private property for development....
Living With Sarbanes-Oxley
Since the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) was signed into law in 2002, publicly traded companies, including REITs, have had to adjust to tougher reporting requirements....
HUD Raises Hackles on the Hill
New rules slated to take effect on Oct. 1 will effectively reduce borrowers' leverage on most multifamily and health care loans backed by the Federal Housing Administration....
Finding the Middle Ground
A construction industry already struggling with rising materials costs could lose as much as 11% of its workforce under immigration legislation currently...
Louisiana Purchase Stuck in Maelstrom
A plan to bail out property owners in flood-ravaged sections of Louisiana has drawn fire from the White House, but the bill's proponents continue to seek...
Capital Hill Rallies To Extend TRIA
A week after suicide bombers killed 57 people at U.S.-branded hotels in Amman, Jordan on Nov. 9, leaders in both the House and Senate introduced legislation...
Sarbanes-Oxley Alters the Playing Field
The Sarbanes-Oxley Act, signed into law in 2002 in response to a wave of corporate scandals, has stirred considerable public debate. Many in the business...
