Item 3. Legal Proceedings.

We are party to various claims and lawsuits which arise in the ordinary course of business, but we do not consider the volume of our claims and lawsuits unusual given the number of homes we deliver and the fact that the lawsuits often relate to homes delivered several years before the lawsuits are commenced. Although the specific allegations in the lawsuits differ, they most commonly involve claims that we failed to construct homes in particular communities in accordance with plans and specifications or applicable construction codes and seek reimbursement for sums allegedly needed to remedy the alleged deficiencies, assert contract issues or relate to personal injuries. Lawsuits of these types are common within the homebuilding industry. We are a plaintiff in a number of cases in which we seek contribution from our subcontractors for home repair costs. The costs incurred by us in construction defect lawsuits may be offset by warranty reserves, our third-party insurers, subcontractor insurers or indemnity contributions from subcontractors. We are also a party to various lawsuits involving purchases and sales of real property. These lawsuits include claims regarding representations and warranties made in connection with the transfer of the property and disputes regarding the obligation to purchase or sell the property. From time-to-time, we also receive notices from environmental agencies or other regulators regarding alleged violations of environmental or other laws. We typically settle these matters before they reach litigation for amounts that are not material to us. In addition, we are a defendant in several lawsuits by entities to which we sold pools of mortgages we originated, alleging breaches of warranties in the sale documents.

In August 2019, a subsidiary of ours was notified by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection of the subsidiary’s non-compliance with the Massachusetts Contingency Plan regulations related to the clean-up of certain materials at a development formerly owned by that subsidiary in Hingham, MA. We expect to pay a monetary settlement to resolve this matter, which we do not currently expect will be material.

We do not believe that the ultimate resolution of these claims or lawsuits will have a material adverse effect on our business or financial position. However, the financial effect of litigation concerning purchases and sales of property may depend upon the value of the subject property, which may have changed from the time the agreement for purchase or sale was entered into.