Wyden, Warren Press Trump Administration Over Compass-Anywhere Real Estate Merger, Sound Alarm on Impact to Housing Costs

Wyden, Warren Press Trump Administration Over Compass-Anywhere Real Estate Merger, Sound Alarm on Impact to Housing Costs

As Americans face a housing affordability crisis, key Democratic Senators warn that merger could increase housing costs

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., today sent a series of letters to the Trump administration, pressing the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to closely scrutinize the proposed $1.6 billion merger between real estate brokerage giants Compass, Inc. ("Compass") and Anywhere Real Estate, Inc. ("Anywhere"), over concerns the merger could drive up housing costs.

"The Compass-Anywhere merger threatens to stifle consumer choice and fair industry competition while entrenching existing antitrust and price manipulation concerns that have been at the center of mounting litigation. These risks demand close scrutiny under federal antitrust laws," the lawmakers wrote to Department of Justice Assistant Attorney General Abigail Slater and Federal Trade Commission Chairman Andrew Ferguson.

The senators also highlighted housing discrimination concerns. Compass has driven an industry shift towards private listing practices, also known as pocket listings, that are not made available to every agent or consumer. Experts find that pocket listings may perpetuate housing discrimination prohibited under the federal Civil Rights Act of 1866 and the Fair Housing Act of 1968, and make potential discrimination harder to detect. These practices also hurt homeowners by limiting the pool of potential buyers and diminishing their earnings on home equity.

"Allowing Compass and Anywhere to merge is likely to significantly expand the use of these private exclusives, posing both antitrust and civil rights concerns," the lawmakers continued. "[I]t is clear that a Compass-Anywhere merger, which comes on the coattails of the Rocket-Redfin merger announcement, will only perpetuate the industry's race to the bottom and further consolidate market control that weakens consumers' fair and open access to real estate listings."

Additionally, the merger could weaken smaller firms and new entrants' ability to compete on equal footing, placing pressure on mom-and-pop agents and independent brokerages that play a vital role in serving local communities and offering lower-cost, consumer-friendly alternatives.

"The Compass-Anywhere merger threatens to stifle consumer choice and fair industry competition while entrenching existing antitrust and price manipulation concerns that have been at the center of mounting litigation," the senators concluded. "These risks demand close scrutiny under federal antitrust laws."

Wyden has been a champion for driving down housing costs and ending housing discrimination. In 2023, Wyden introduced the Algorithmic Accountability Act to create new protections for people affected by AI systems that are already impacting decisions affecting housing, credit, education and other high-impact uses. In February, Wyden introduced the Preventing Algorithmic Collusion Act which would prevent companies from using algorithms to collude to set higher prices. In November, Wyden reintroduced the End Rent Fixing Act of 2025 to crack down on companies that would help landlords increase rents in already high-priced markets.

The full letter is here.