Realogy continues to maintain that the partnerships were legal but agreed to a settlement "to avoid the continuing legal expense and potential business disruption of these lawsuits," Panus said, adding that Realogy will treat natural hazard disclosure reports as settlement services governed by RESPA "on a going-forward basis." Under the proposed settlement of the class-action lawsuit, Realogy — parent company of Coldwell Banker, Century 21 and ERA Real Estate — will pay up to $27 million to reimburse clients who purchased Property I.D. natural hazard disclosure reports between July 31, 1996 and June 30, 2006. Pickford Real Estate Inc., the owner of Prudential California Realty offices in Southern California that participated in the affiliated business arrangements, will pay up to $4.34 million to reimburse home sellers who bought the reports from July 14, 2000 through Aug. 16, 2005.