Senior members of the Senate Finance, Banking, and Homeland Security Committees recently requested a Government Accounting Office (GAO) investigation of how the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. (CFIUS) examines U.S. real estate transactions involving foreign investors.
This follows two recent proposed real estate transactions involving the Chinese company Anbang that did not close.
Senators say they are concerned about use of real estate deals to ‘launder’ illicit finances, among other national security concerns.
In short, the scope of CFIUS national security concerns, and the focus from the Hill, is expanding and real estate deals are a focus.