In a statement to the House of Commons on 27 April 2020, the UK Chancellor of the Exchequer announced another loan scheme designed to support business to ‘bridge’ the economic disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. Sitting alongside the CCFF, CLBILS and CBIL, the new scheme is targeted at the very smallest businesses that have … Continue Reading
Crown prerogative dates back to the Magna Carta entitling the monarch to absolute priority for revenue related debt. Come 6 April 2020 will we really be heading back to feudal times and 1215? The proposal to reinstate Crown preference was announced as part of the Autumn Budget last year and came as a surprise to … Continue Reading
Paul Muscutt, London restructuring partner at law firm Squire Patton Boggs, talks to Andrew Tate, former R3 President, Chair of R3’s Policy Group and Partner at accountancy firm Kreston Reeves LLP, about conflicts of interest in the restructuring and insolvency profession*.… Continue Reading
On 26 August, the Government announced that it will be making changes to UK insolvency legislation. The changes are intended to support distressed companies and address issues highlighted by major company failures and include: the ability for all companies to apply for a moratorium a new insolvency process – the “restructuring plan”, enabling companies to cram … Continue Reading
The FCA Chief Executive Andrew Bailey announced 0n 27 July 2017 that market participants should not rely on the London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) being available long term. The announcement made it clear that the long-standing benchmark used both in the UK and the US is to be replaced. The speech presented by the FCA’s … Continue Reading
Investors in Australia, represented by Squire Patton Boggs in Sydney, have made history again with another big win over Standard & Poor’s (S&P). They were granted leave to pursue a “tort of deceit” claim, alleging that S&P intentionally altered its ratings methodology to achieve higher ratings in order to serve its business objectives. This is the … Continue Reading
In the context of German restructuring, bridge loans (Überbrückungskredite) are loans that are granted to financially distressed companies until a restructuring plan is formulated in order to avoid the company’s insolvency. In most cases, such loans are granted for a limited timeframe. After the restructuring plan has been finalized, renegotiations are usually required, in particular between the … Continue Reading
The recent Court of Appeal decision in Saw (SW) 2010 Ltd and another v Wilson and others (as joint administrators of Property Edge Lettings Ltd) is the first case to address the effect of automatic crystallisation of an earlier floating charge upon a later floating charge. In order for a floating charge to be a … Continue Reading
The German Federal Supreme Court for Civil Matters (Bundesgerichtshof – BGH) held in two cases on 4 July 2017 that provisions contained in the standard contracts of banks providing for the payment of management or loan administration fees (Bearbeitungsentgelt) by the borrower is invalid under German law, irrespective of whether the borrower is a consumer … Continue Reading
A recent decision in the High Court provided guidance with respect to the apparent conflict between freezing orders that have been granted over assets that are subject to an existing security. Generally speaking, a freezing order should only catch the unsecured elements of assets. The question facing the court in Taylor v Van Dutch Marine … Continue Reading
The English courts have recently wrestled with the Cross Border Insolvency Regulations 2006 (“CBIR”) in a case about the lifting of the automatic stay on proceedings against Korean company STX Offshore & Shipbuilding Co Ltd In the present case (Re International Bank of Azerbaijan OJSC) the English High Court found itself dealing with the application … Continue Reading
The Insolvency Rules (England and Wales) 2016 (“IR2016”) came into force on 6 April 2016 applying to most corporate and personal insolvency regimes in England and Wales. However, there is still unfinished business for the Government and further regulation is expected to be introduced later this year to ensure the changes apply uniformly in all areas.… Continue Reading
The wait is almost over! As reported in our recent blog Rules of Engagement for Creditors, the Insolvency Rules (England and Wales) 2016 (“IR2016”) are about to arrive heralding procedural reforms effective (subject to transitional provisions) on 6th April 2017. Whilst most people’s attention will be on the changes introduced by IR2016, it should be … Continue Reading
The Slovak personal insolvency regime will change on March 1, 2017. The new system is aimed at opening personal insolvency to a wider debtor audience, while keeping it simple and cost effective. Today, only those individuals with assets over EUR 1,659.70 could seek a declaration of bankruptcy. Otherwise, the proceedings would be stopped and the doors … Continue Reading
With the UK festive season now merrily in swing, credit cards maxed out on Black Friday and Cyber Monday bargains and Christmas shopping well under way, will the lure of the Christmas spirit be enough to tip some people over the edge into unmanageable debt? For many the holiday season is a time to adopt … Continue Reading
It is widely accepted that there has been an increase in the number of class actions in Australia; however there have not been many examples of unmeritorious actions. The litigation funders are not in the business of losing money, and it would be unlikely for them to be funding any claims that in their view … Continue Reading
On September 9, 2016, Citibank’s London Branch filed a claim as collateral agent for the bondholders of New World Resources (NWR) with the High Court in Ostrava in the insolvency proceedings of OKD. OKD owns seven coal mines in the Czech Republic, employing over 13000 people. The low cost of coal and the refusal of … Continue Reading
Multiple class actions have been commenced in the Australian Federal Court in relation to losses suffered by investors in synthetic collateralised debt obligations and other financial products, some of which were distributed or sold by Lehman Brothers Australia Ltd (in liquidation) and by certain major Australian banks, and were assigned credit ratings by Standard and Poor’s. … Continue Reading
The European Central Bank (ECB) has launched a public consultation on its guidance to banks on handling non-performing loans (NPLs), which is open until 15 November 2016. The ECB has also published the first stocktake of national supervisory practices and legal frameworks concerning NPLs. The draft NPL guidance to banks, which is available on the ECB … Continue Reading
When we review security for financiers, we always consider what enhancements they might implement to strengthen their security net. As part of this approach, we obtain a proprietor search from the Land Registry to see if there is any uncharged property in the name of the borrower. Often, any property identified is a short to … Continue Reading
Unfortunately that is not the question for many young (and even not so young) aspiring UK homeowners who are struggling to get their feet on the property ladder and buy their own home in the current market. It seems that the UK as a nation is obsessed with home ownership and that first rung on … Continue Reading
Theoretically, a Russian debtor is able to reorganize. In practice, the law currently does not encourage voluntary restructuring of debt in a way designed to preserve the continued operation of business and jobs. The interests of debtors and creditors are not appropriately balanced at present to achieve the best results. Creditors currently have a strong … Continue Reading
A ruling by the Supreme Court in Spain says Spanish banks that held deposits for property that was never built are to be held to account. Around 100,000 people in the UK are thought to have paid big sums towards such properties in Spain but these were lost when several developers went bust in the wake … Continue Reading
There has been a significant increase in insolvencies in the construction, real estate, retail and wholesale sectors of the Russian economy, according to the statistics in the Competition Development Bulletin “Concentration on the Russian Markets: Trends in the Period of Recession” published in December 2015 by the Analytical Centre of the Government of the Russian Federation. … Continue Reading
