By ALEX VEIGA, Associated Press

Two of the nation’s biggest real estate services companies are combining in a deal that will bring Century 21, Compass and several other major brokerage brands under the same umbrella.

New York-based Compass has agreed to acquire rival Anywhere Real Estate in an all-stock transaction that will create a combined company with a total value of roughly $10 billion, including debt, the companies said Monday.

Shares in Anywhere Real Estate soared more than 45% in afternoon trading Monday. Compass shares slid about 16%.

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Compass runs a platform for use by real estate agents in customer relationship management, marketing and other tasks. It also operates its namesake real estate brokerage and Christie’s International Real Estate.

Anywhere Real Estate is home to several major real estate brokerage brands: Century 21, Better Homes and Gardens, Coldwell Banker, Corcoran, ERA and Sotheby’s International Realty. The Madison, New Jersey-based company also operates relocation, title and settlement businesses.

The merger, which has the approval of each companies’ board of directors, will boost Compass’ network of real estate agents around the globe from about 40,000 to about 340,000, Compass said. The company also expects to add over $1 billion in revenue from Anywhere’s escrow, title and other businesses, and expects the deal to help lower costs and increase its cash flow.

By sharply increasing the number of real estate agents in its network, Compass will also be able to potentially broaden the use of its platform to market home listings on a limited basis before they hit the broader marketplace, That practice is known as a pocket listing or office exclusive and is currently at the center of a legal tussle between Compass and home listing portal Zillow.

“By bringing together two of the best companies in our industry, while preserving the unique independence of Anywhere’s leading brands, we now have the resources to build a place where real estate professionals can thrive for decades to come,” Robert Reffkin, Compass’ CEO and founder said in a statement.

Under the terms of the deal, Anywhere shareholders will receive about 1.4 shares in Compass, which values Anywhere’s shares at $13.01 each. That translates to a total of $1.45 billion, going by the number of outstanding shares of Anywhere, according to FactSet, and represents a roughly 84% premium over Anywhere’s closing stock price Friday.

The deal is the latest example of consolidation in the residential real estate sector, which has been grappling with a multiyear U.S. housing slump deepened by elevated mortgage rates and rising home prices that have kept many buyers frozen out of the market.

In March, mortgage company Rocket Cos. agreed to acquire competitor Mr. Cooper in an all-stock deal valued at $9.4 billion, just weeks after acquiring real estate listing company Redfin in an all-stock deal valued at $1.75 billion.

By Anna Claire Vollers, Stateline.org

A bipartisan group of Pennsylvania state legislators recently hatched a plan to regulate the use of artificial intelligence in health care.

Four Pennsylvania House Democrats and one House Republican plan to introduce legislation that would require insurers, hospitals and other providers to follow certain rules when using AI for patient care, billing and coding, claims processing and other health-related services.

“As the only physician in the [Pennsylvania] General Assembly, I have seen the rapid growth of AI usage in health care in real time,” said Democratic Pennsylvania state Rep. Arvind Venkat in a statement announcing the legislation. Venkat is an emergency medicine physician in Pittsburgh.

Venkat said that while AI has increased efficiency in administrative tasks for physicians like himself, he’s concerned about its growing use in decision-making about patient care and whether health services are covered by insurance.

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This year alone, more than a dozen states have passed laws regulating AI in health care, according to Manatt Health, a national health services firm.

Arizona, Maryland, Nebraska and Texas now ban insurance companies from using AI as the sole decision-maker in prior authorization or medical necessity denials. Nevada and Oregon prohibit AI from representing itself as a health care provider, while several other states — including Utah and New York— have regulated the use of AI-enabled chat bots in mental health.

State AI legislation has been sponsored by both Democrats and Republicans and has been approved with bipartisan support, a reflection of broad concerns over its expanding use in health care.

The Pennsylvania lawmakers say their proposed legislation would force insurers and health care providers to be transparent about how they use AI; require a human to make the final decision any time AI is used: and mandate that insurers and providers to show evidence of minimizing bias in their use of AI.

“As AI use has grown in the health care industry, we have already seen evidence that AI usage can reinforce bias and discrimination,” Venkat said in a statement. “This will allow us to ensure that insurers, clinicians and hospitals use AI effectively and do not use it to perpetuate potentially harmful biases in the medical field.”

More than half of American patients say AI in health needs more oversight, according to an August poll from the United States of Care, a nonprofit focused on affordable and accessible health care. Meanwhile, more than two-thirds of physicians have reported an increase in AI use for administrative tasks like recording and managing patient information, and nearly half reported using AI more frequently in patient care and clinical decision-making.

National groups including the American Medical Association have also called for more oversight of AI. Last year, physician use of AI more than doubled, according to the latest data from the association.

Stateline reporter Anna Claire Vollers can be reached at avollers@stateline.org

©2025 States Newsroom. Visit at stateline.org. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

By MARCIA DUNN, Associated Press

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — NASA introduced its newest astronauts Monday, 10 scientists, engineers and test pilots chosen from more than 8,000 applicants to help explore the moon and possibly Mars.

For the first time, there were more women than men in a NASA astronaut class. They included a geologist who worked on NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover, a SpaceX engineer who flew on a billionaire-sponsored spaceflight that featured the world’s first private spacewalk and a former SpaceX launch director.

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The group will undergo two years of training before becoming eligible for spaceflight. Acting Administrator Sean Duffy said one of them could become the first person to step on Mars.

It is the 24th astronaut class for NASA since the original Mercury Seven made their debut in 1959. The previous class was in 2021.

Only 370 people have been selected by NASA as astronauts, making it an extraordinarily small and elite group composed mostly of men. The latest additions — revealed during a ceremony at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston — will join 41 active U.S. astronauts currently serving in the corps.

NASA’s flight operations director Norm Knight said competition was stiff and called the newcomers “distinguished” and “exceptional.”

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

City Limits rounds up the latest housing and land use-related events, public hearings and affordable housing lotteries that are ending soon.

Homes along Ridgewood Avenue and Cleveland Street in Brooklyn. (Adi Talwar/City Limits)

Welcome to City Limits’ NYC Housing Calendar, a weekly feature where we round up the latest housing and land use-related events and hearings, as well as upcoming affordable housing lotteries that are ending soon.

Know of an event we should include in next week’s calendar? Email us.

Upcoming Housing and Land Use-Related Events:

Thursday, Sept. 25 at 10:15 a.m.: The NYC Council’s Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises will meet regarding the following land use applications: Former Whitney Museum of American Art (Landmark), 350 Park Avenue rezoning, JFK Conduit Logistics Center Demapping, Broadway Junction Station City Map Amendment, El Caldero Restaurant and Sport Bar, Lava Rock Kitchen, and Green Pavilion Restaurant & Sports Lounge. More here.

Thursday, Sept. 25 at 10:30 a.m.: The NYC Council’s Committee on Land Use will meet regarding the following land use applications: Former Whitney Museum of American Art (Landmark), 350 Park Avenue rezoning, JFK Conduit Logistics Center Demapping, Broadway Junction Station City Map Amendment, El Caldero Restaurant and Sport Bar, Lava Rock Kitchen, and Green Pavilion Restaurant & Sports Lounge. More here.

Thursday, Sept. 25 at 11 a.m.: The NYC Council’s Committee on Environmental Protection, Resiliency and Waterfronts will meet regarding a bill that would streamline the stormwater permitting process for developers. More here.

Thursday, Sept. 25 at 11 a.m.: The NYC Council’s Committee on Housing and Buildings will meet regarding bills that would expand the city’s definition of tenant harassment to include unlawful evictions, and another related to notifications for tenants who get senior citizen and disability rent increase exemptions. More here.

Thursday, Sept. 25 at 6 p.m.: NHS Brooklyn will host “Homeowners & Tenants: Building an Effective Relationship” a free workshop at the Brooklyn Public Library’s Rugby Branch at 1000 Utica Ave. More here.

Thursday, Sept. 25 at 6 p.m.: St. Nicks Alliance will host a workshop on tenant harassment at the Brooklyn Public Library’s Williamsburgh branch at 240 Division Ave. More here.

Friday, Sept. 26 at 11 a.m.: The NYC Council’s Committee on Fire and Emergency Management will hold a hearing on the approval process for energy storage facilities. More here.

Monday, Sept. 29 at 10 a.m.: The NYC Council’s Committee on Civil Service and Labor and Committee on Housing and Buildings will meet regarding bills related to building construction requirements, including one that would allow the occupancy of cellars in certain one- and two-family dwellings. More here.

Monday, Sept. 29 at 1 p.m.: The NYC Council’s Committee on Public Housing will hold an oversight hearing on the Section 8 program and emergency housing vouchers. More here.

NYC Affordable Housing Lotteries Ending Soon: The New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) are closing lotteries on the following subsidized buildings over the next week.

1440 Amsterdam Avenue Apartments, Manhattan, for households earning between $104,949 – $227,500 (last day to apply is 9/22)

Serén, Brooklyn for households earning between $35,040 – $227,500 (last day to apply is 9/22)

22 Frost Street Apartments, Brooklyn, for households earning between $126,858 – $227,500 (last day to apply is 9/23)

Wakefield Yards, Bronx, for households earning between $19,235 – $160,720 (last day to apply is 9/23)

2033 East 17th Street Apartments, Brooklyn, for households earning between $119,829 – $227,500 (last day to apply is 9/24)

229 Beach 14th Street Apartments, Queens, for households earning between $96,000 – $227,500 (last day to apply is 9/25)

39-20 214th Place Apartment, Queens, for households earning between $87,018 – $227,500 (last day to apply is 9/29)

558 Sackett Street Apartments, Brooklyn, for households earning between $37,612 – $227,500 (last day to apply is 9/29)

The post NYC Housing Calendar, Sept. 23-29 appeared first on City Limits.