Compass-Anywhere brokerage deal would hurt homebuyers, US Senators say

U.S. antitrust enforcers should consider blocking a bid by Compass, the nation's largest residential real estate broker, to acquire rival Anywhere Real Estate, amid a housing shortage, two Democratic U.S. Senators said.

Senators Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Ron Wyden of Oregon said in a letter to antitrust officials at the Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission on Wednesday that the deal could contribute to high broker fees and limit access to home listings, hurting homebuyers who already face high costs.

Warren, the top Democrat on the Senate Banking Committee, and Wyden, the ranking Democrat on the Finance Committee, sent the letter as President Donald Trump faces pressure to address concerns about affordability, an issue he has repeatedly referred to as a Democratic hoax.

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