Real Estate Brokerage

Consumers benefit when companies compete for their business. The banking industry supports a federal regulatory proposal that would allow banks to engage in real estate brokerage services. The added competition would increase choice for America's homeowners and home buyers. Some real estate interests, however, support legislation to keep banks out of real estate permanently. The banking industry is asking members of Congress not to support this anticompetitive and protective legislation (H.R. 111 & S. 413).

LETTERS

• ABA Letter to House Appropriations Committee 6/8/07 (PDF)
• ABA Memo to House on OCC Letter Rulings 5/16/06 (PDF)
• OCC Letter to Hon. Richard Shelby on Real Estate Brokerage 1/31/06 (PDF)
• OCC Letter to NAR on Real Estate Brokerage 1/31/06 (PDF)

TESTIMONY

• Testimony of Elizabeth A. Duke on Protecting Consumers and Promoting Competition in Real Estate Services before the Committee on Financial Services  6/15/05 (PDF)
• Archived Real Estate Testimony

LEGISLATIVE/REGULATORY INFORMATION

• Summary of H.R. 111 and S. 413
• Legislative History of Real Estate in Financial Modernization 
• Conference of State Bank Supervisors State Powers chart
• Federal Reserve/Treasury Proposal 1/3/01 
• ABA Petition on Real Estate Brokerage/Management 7/25/00 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• GAO report: Real Estate Brokerage - Factors that May Affect Price Competition 2005 (PDF)
• ABA ad on real estate issue (PDF)
•  ABA lobbying booklet: Open the Door to Real Estate Competition (PDF)
• ABA paper: Banks + Respa + Real Estate = No Change 
• Results of ABA-commisioned consumer survey on real estate brokerage 2001
• Press backgrounder: The Truth About Real Estate Brokerage 2001

Questions?  Please contact the GR Regulatory and Trust Affairs Staff for more information.