The memorandum has been prepared on the basis of the law and practice in Guernsey as at 1 April 2010.
Introduction
Zone of insolvency - directors in the firing line
Happy New Year?
2018 saw a number of high profile insolvencies around the world, including in Guernsey. The climate for many sectors remains extremely challenging with the UK further hindered by continuing uncertainty around Brexit. EY's Profit Warning Stress Index hit its joint highest level for two years in the third quarter of 2018 with 68 UK quoted companies issuing profit warnings.
Not for a long time has the importance of understanding and managing a director’s duties in times of financial distress been so overwhelming. Here, Carey Olsen partner David Jones and associate Tim Molton examine those duties in greater detail, particularly in relation to Guernsey’s company law.
This briefing note provides an outline of the different processes of voluntary winding up and striking off under the Companies (Guernsey) Law, 2008 (as amended) (the “Law”). It does not cover compulsory winding up or the specific provisions on winding up of protected cell companies and incorporated cell companies. Further information on the effect of the Law on the winding up of these company structures can be found in our separate briefing notes on those subjects.
Voluntary Winding Up
What is the Guernsey solvency test?
The solvency test, found in section 527 of the Companies (Guernsey) Law 2008 as amended ("the Law"), is used to determine whether a Guernsey company is solvent. For non-regulated companies, it is a two-part test. For regulated companies there is a third part to the test[1] which concerns compliance with the solvency requirements imposed by their specific regulatory regimes. The test is cumulative, meaning that a company is insolvent if it fails any applicable part of the test.
Cash flow solvency
Introduction
On 24 October 2014, the Commerce & Employment department published its consultation paper on various options for reforming Guernsey's insolvency regime, both for personal and corporate insolvency. Responses to the consultation are due by 31 December 2014. The consultation paper proposes some fairly wide-ranging reforms and seeks responses from industry to a number of questions which, by and large, seek to augment, develop and regularise the insolvency regime in the Island.
Introduction
Under the Companies (Guernsey) Law, 2008 (the “Companies Law”) there are two procedures available for the voluntary dissolution of a Guernsey company. A Guernsey company may be dissolved either by way of a “voluntary striking off” or a “voluntary winding up”. We set out below the details of each procedure.
This article focuses on the judgments delivered in June and October 2014 by the Guernsey Court of Appeal in the long-running Tchenguiz litigation [Investec Trust (Guernsey) Limited and Another v Glenalla Properties Limited and Others]. The litigation concerned the liabilities of a trustee to creditors in circumstances where the creditor claims far outweighed the value of the trust fund.
Introduction