Tag Archives: restructuring

I have the power – UK court confirms the ability of sole directors to make decisions

Following the decisions in Fore Fitness and Active Wear – where the court examined the validity of decisions made by a sole director of a company that operated wholly or partly under the Model Articles[1]– the position was not entirely settled. In the context of administration appointments where the validity of an appointment rests on … Continue Reading

UKCloud – An Addition to the ‘Avanti’ and ‘Spectrum’ Trilogy on Fixed and Floating Charges

Earlier this year ICC Judge Baister handed down judgment in the case of UKCloud Ltd, building on the decision in Avanti[1] by providing further analysis around the distinction between fixed and floating charges – following a dearth of caselaw on the point since Spectrum.[2] This blog pulls together some of the key messages and practical … Continue Reading

Use and Abuse (?) of Restructuring Proceedings in Poland – How can Creditors Protect their Rights?

The statistics are clear that the number of restructuring proceedings in Poland is on rise. Among all types of restructuring proceedings available in Poland, the procedure which is of most interest is the approval of an arrangement, primarily because it is the least formal and it offers special protection against enforcement. However, with the increase … Continue Reading

Reflections on The UK Pensions Regulator’s (TPR) Powers that could see Insolvency Practitioners facing £1million fines

There is a tension between UK insolvency and pensions laws. Put simply, this is because insolvency laws look to protect all of the company’s creditors, but pension laws seek to protect the interests of the pension creditors alone. When new offences and criminal sanctions were introduced in 2021 enabling TPR to issue fines of up … Continue Reading

(UK) Should we all be a bit more relaxed about procedural hiccups in notices appointing administrators?

As practitioners we pour over notices of intention to appoint (NOIA) and notices of appointment of administrators (NOA) to make sure every detail is accurate.  Why? Because no one wants to risk an invalid appointment because there was a minor mistake or error that was overlooked.  Understandably errors occur, particularly when the appointment of administrators … Continue Reading

(UK) The Court Considers the Question of Whether Secured Creditor Consent is Required to an Administration Extension Again. “Too Good” to be True?

No, it isn’t.  We now have two cases where the Court has decided that the consent of paid secured creditors is not required when extending an administration under para. 78 of Schedule B1 of the Insolvency Act 1986 (the “Act”). In Boughey & Anor v Toogood International Transport and Agricultural Services Ltd [2024] EWHC 1425 … Continue Reading

A Committee May Survive Dismissal of a Debtor’s Chapter 11 Case (US)

This author—whose practice is heavily weighted toward representation of official committees in large chapter 11 cases—has previously penned articles relating to questions surrounding the permanency of an official committee.  First, in an article entitled Does a Bankruptcy Court Have Authority to Disband an Official Committee?,[1] two then high-profile bankruptcy cases were examined—In re City of … Continue Reading

(UK) What practical changes can IPs expect from the proposed amendments to FCA guidance?

The UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA has issued a consultation about proposed changes to its Guidance for Insolvency Practitioners.  The aim is to clarify existing guidance and provide more information to insolvency practitioners (IPs) on how to deal with regulated firms. The proposed amendments (shown as track changes in this document) intend to update the … Continue Reading

Subchapter V Debt Limit: Don’t Get Caught Assuming Congress Will Act (It Probably Will…But Still) (US)

In my most recent blog post, I provided some tips for creditors who find themselves in the Subchapter V arena. This is somewhat of a follow-up to that one. There is a general consensus that Subchapter V has been successful for debtors in smaller cases. The American Bankruptcy Institute recently commented that Subchapter V bankruptcies … Continue Reading

UK Litigation Funding post PACCAR – Tying up Loose Ends

Last year we discussed the impact of funding insolvency litigation following the Supreme Court decision in PACCAR where the court found that litigation funding agreements (LFAs) were damaged based agreements.  This meant that unless LFAs complied with the Damages Based Agreements Regulations 2013 (DBA Regulations), they were unenforceable.  Although concluding that the outcome of the … Continue Reading

Update for Insolvency Practitioners on UK Companies House Filings

Following our previous alert, in which we highlighted an issue with entries relating to registered security maintained at Companies House being incorrectly updated to indicate that they had in fact been discharged without the awareness of the relevant company or security holder, it appears that some (potentially all) unauthorised filings have been – or are in … Continue Reading

Quick Guide to Administration (UK)

For those unfamilar with the various insolvency processes it is not always easy to differentiate between them. In our latest insight we have produced a quick guide to administration that explains the procedure, benefits and effect of administration on third parties, including employees, suppliers and landlords. Our quick guide also explains the administrator’s role and … Continue Reading

Members Voluntary Liquidations (MVL) – Update

In recent months, there have been a few changes regarding MVLs which we have set out in this insight as a helpful reminder to practitioners.  Our insight considers the changes to filing statements of solvency, comments on the practice of remote swearing those statements and highlights the change in policy regarding clearance letters from HMRC.… Continue Reading

Additional Caution Required for Insolvency Practitioners Relying on Companies House Filings (UK)

Over the past week, reports have emerged about filings that have been made at Companies House marking a charge as satisfied, without the company’s or relevant lender’s knowledge. There were rumours last week, which were simply that, because Companies House had not publicly announced any issue, but, as we have seen over the weekend and … Continue Reading

The Restructuring Outlook in Australia, Asia Pacific and the US in 2024

In our latest insight we look back at the key restructuring cases and events from last year in the United States, Asia-Pacific, and Australia and consider the outlook in 2024 for restructuring transactions as a whole.   This insight provides an overview of the US banking crisis involving Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank, the … Continue Reading

Aggregate’s UK Restructuring Plan Sanction Hearing: Adler in Action

On 7th February 2024, Mr Justice Richards heard closing submissions in the English High Court for a contested sanction hearing for Aggregate Group’s Part 26A restructuring plan. This hearing presented one of the first opportunities to analyse how the Adler decision will affect restructuring plans going forward.… Continue Reading

Changes to the UK Water Special Administration Regime – Do Pension Trustees of Water Industry Schemes Need to Care?

Changes are afoot to the statutory regime governing special administrations for regulated water companies (the SAR) following the publication of a suite of new legislation. Impact of the changes on pension trustees Further details of the changes are set out below, but perhaps the most significant change for creditors generally, and pension trustees in particular, … Continue Reading

Sri Lanka’s Restructuring Plan Is Here to Stay (US)

In March 2022, the International Monetary Fund (the “IMF”) assessed Sri Lanka’s public debt to be unsustainable after the country entered the pandemic with thin reserve buffers, high debt levels, and no fiscal space. The IMF’s determination prompted Sri Lanka to begin restructuring its debt the following month. As part of that process, Sri Lanka … Continue Reading

(UK) Timing, disclosure and fairness: lessons from the Adler judgment

On 23 January 2024, the Court of Appeal handed down its much anticipated judgment[1] on the appeal of the Adler restructuring plan pursuant to Part 26A of the Companies Act 2006 (“RP”), which was sanctioned by the High Court on 12 April 2023[2], with judgment setting out the reasoning for that decision handed down on … Continue Reading
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