New York AG probes Compass-Anywhere acquisition

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 The Real Deal.

The attorney general’s office declined to comment on the alleged investigation and a spokesperson for Compass International Holdings said the firm had no comment at this time. 

According to The Real Deal, the probe is related to Compass’s blockbuster $1.6 billion acquisition of Anywhere Real Estate, which closed in early January 2026.

The deal, which was announced in September 2025, was initially expected to close during the second half of 2026. But it was approved for an early closure after clearing its Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements (HSR) Act of 1976 waiting period without any action from the Department of Justice (DOJ) or the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

In February, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Rep. Becca Balint (D-Vt.), along with with 16 other Democrats as co-signers, sent a letter to the DOJ that pressed Attorney General Pam Bondi for details about the DOJ’s antitrust review of the Compass-Anywhere merger.

The lawmakers say the letter comes after reports that Gail Slater, the DOJ’s former assistant attorney general for antitrust, wanted to undertake an extended review of the merger to consider any potential anticompetitive impacts.

But reports claimed that Compass and its attorneys appealed to Slater’s superiors, including deputy attorney general Todd Blanche, telling his office that any antitrust concerns could be addressed without a full-scale investigation.

In a separate letter sent in December 2025, Warren and Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) argued that the acquisition could harm homebuyers by contributing to higher broker fees and limiting access to property listings. 

Central to these concerns is the eyebrow-raising market share levels the combined Compass-Anywhere entity has in certain metro areas.

An analysis of RealTrends Verified data published by The Capitol Forum in mid-December found that the proposed acquisition could create market share concentrations “well above presumptively illegal thresholds” in at least a dozen states. This includes more than 80% market share in Newport Beach, California, and Manhattan. The analysis included Anywhere’s owned and franchise businesses.