Treasury makes banking insolvency rules: Treasury has made insolvency and administration rules covering building societies in England and Scotland and amended the English rules on banks in insolvency and administration and the Scottish rules on banking insolvencies. The English rules, among other changes, provide for the statement of proposals to be sent to FSA and FSCS and for the disapplication of set-off for protected deposits up to FSCS's statutory limit. The Scottish instruments apply to insolvencies of banks and building societies under the Banking Act 2009.

Following proposals Treasury made at the end of 2009, it has now published for consultation draft regulations setting up a special resolution regime for investment banks. The regime will apply to firms that meet all of the following three conditions:

OFT is monitoring the lending and broking of secured loans to consumers where the loan's purpose is to annul a recent bankruptcy. It is asking for comments by 30 October from any consumers who have taken this type of loan.

The Investment Banking Insolvency Panel of the FMLC has responded to Treasury’s consultation on developing effective resolution arrangements for investment banks. The response is wide-ranging and looks at clarity, transparency and access before setting out views on client assets and insolvency processes.

Treasury has amended the Financial Markets and Insolvency (Settlement Finality)(Amendment) Regulations 2009 to make the Regulations reflect changes to insolvency and company law that followed the original regulations. The changes take effect on 1 October 2009.

ISDA has written to Treasury on its plans to make insolvency regulations in relation to investment banks. It supports Treasury's plan to take legislative steps only if market practice and regulatory approaches do not work. It endorses the view that sophisticated counterparties should have as much flexibility as possible. It notes the interaction of any regime for investment banks with existing regimes must be clear but does not currently see a compelling case for changes to the current regime.

Treasury has made a new set of Financial Markets and Insolvency Regulations that change the insolvency regime that applies to RIEs and RCHs. The Regulations amend several existing pieces of legislation including Part VII Companies Act 1989 and the 1991 Regulations. The changes include:  

Summary

FSA is consulting on the need for certain financial services firms to prepare and maintain Recovery and Resolution Plans (RRPs) and in addition for some of these firms, and others, to make further preparations for their investment client money and custody assets (CMA) holdings.

Why now?

The Commission is consulting on the application of the current Community guidelines on State aid for rescuing and restructuring firms in difficulty. It has provided Member States and other interested parties with a questionnaire, on which it asks for responses by 2 February 2011.