Pennsylvania: Court Rules that Construction Loans may be Subordinate to Mechanics Liens

In the Pennsylvania Superior Court case (Commerce Bank v. Kessler), the court held that an open-end mortgage recorded after commencement of construction on the mortgaged property does not have statutory priority over a subsequently recorded mechanic’s lien unless all of the proceeds of the loan are used to pay the costs of completing erection, construction, […]

Minnesota: What contractors need to know about the Contractor Registration Pilot Project

The following article was written by Michael B. Lapicola and Hanna L. Terhaar of Faegre Baker Daniels. Beginning in July, 2012 and before September 15, 2012, most contractors and subcontractors in the building construction industry will be required to register with the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry in the Contractor Registration Pilot Project (“Pilot Project”). It […]

Supreme Court Avoids Ruling on RESPA Case

In an anti-climactic conclusion to a closely-watched case, the Supreme Court has dismissed the appeal in First American Financial Corp. v. Edwards. In a one-sentence per curiam order, the Court simply stated that “the writ of certiorari is dismissed as improvidently granted.” Before the Supreme Court this term, the First American Financial matter related to the “standing […]