Vermont became the fourth state to pass a comprehensive data privacy law this year when Gov. Phil Scott signed the Vermont Data Privacy and Online Surveillance Act, which goes into effect in 2028.

A bipartisan bill was passed by Congress on June 23 which would direct the U.S. General Accountability Office to evaluate federal cybersecurity assistance to small businesses and mandate a study to find shortcomings in current preventative and mitigating measures.

Commissioner James Brown announced on June 24 that, due to settlements reached with entities that failed to properly file required notices, approximately $60,000 has been added to Montana’s Securities Fraud Restitution Assistance Fund for 2026.

The Pung family of Michigan sought to prove that fair market value of a property is the true measure of just compensation in a tax foreclosure sale in their case against Isabella County. The Supreme Court disagreed on multiple points, but the procedural battle isn’t over yet. The Legal Description talked to a senior attorney with the Pacific Legal Foundation and the executive director of the National Tax Lien Association about what happens next.

In a landmark excess equity case concerning tax foreclosure sales, the Supreme Court determined that former owners of seized properties are owed foreclosure sale proceeds minus tax debts based on the home’s auction price, not fair market value.

During the 2026 National Settlement Services Summit (NS3) in Kansas City, Mo., panelists discussed recent legal struggles centering on property rights, excess equity theft and burdensome federal regulation.

One portion of a long-standing lawsuit over fraud and negligence in a real estate closing, which began in 2004, has been settled by the Supreme Court, Appellate Division, Second Department, of New York.

A group of cyberattackers has claimed responsibility for a targeted breach of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, which has reportedly compromised more than 105,000 sensitive files.

Lawmakers in Michigan have introduced a bill that would, if enacted, amend the state’s Insurance Code of 1956 to exclude title insurance transactions and the entities facilitating those transactions from a section of code involving risk.