Government and realtors group settle home listings suit

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department and National Association of Realtors agreed to settle a lawsuit over who has access to its listings of houses for sale, the department said on Tuesday.

Under the agreement, the National Association of Realtors must allow Internet-based real estate brokers access to its multiple listing services, the government said in a statement.

The Justice Department said the settlement would give consumers more choice and lower commission rates.

A lawsuit challenging the industry group's control of its multiple listing services was filed by the government in 2005.

(Reporting by Randy Mikklesen, Diane Bartz)