The Consumer Federation of America together with housing, consumer, and Civil Rights advocacy organizations, are urging the U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission to investigate the potential unlawfulness of Compass' recent deals, which threaten to reduce transparency, entrench market domination, and limit fair access to housing opportunities.

At a time of historical housing unaffordability, anti-competitive corporative practices and mega-mergers are further driving up housing costs for consumers and putting homeownership out of reach. One example is the rise of "pocket listings" -- private real estate listings where the seller's agents control which agents (and buyers) even know about these homes for sale. 

Our sign-on letter highlights the anti-consumer, anti-competitive, and Civil Rights implications of recent agreements between behemoth brokerage Compass Inc. and several Multiple Listing Services (MLSs) nationwide, allowing Compass to keep more listings exclusive within its brokerage network, and leaving both homebuyers and sellers worse off.