A new electronic database of bankruptcy and liquidation petitions, open to any company, is being set up by the National Judicial Office.

This will enable any company to obtain a certificate showing whether it has had a bankruptcy or liquidation petition filed or liquidation proceedings initiated against it (but in each case not yet finally decided).

The introduction of the database and certificate system into the Bankruptcy Code is the result of concerted lobbying by the American Chamber of Commerce in Hungary and CMS Budapest Office.

Shareholders who fail to intervene to stem the losses in a company they control may be held personally liable for the company’s debts if it is subsequently liquidated, according to the Supreme Court.

Under Hungarian law, a shareholder’s liability (in a limited liability company) is usually limited to their capital contribution. The corporate ‘veil’ can only be pierced (making the shareholder personally liable for the company’s debts) in special circumstances.

Potential liability for wrongful trading

In Hungary the Act no. XLIX of 1991 on the insolvency and compulsory winding up procedure (hereinafter referred to as “Insolvency Act”) established the term “wrongful trading”. Under section 33/A of the Insolvency Act a manager of a company shall be personally liable if after the occurrence of threatening insolvency (i.e. when the company is unable to settle its liabilities when due) the director’s duties have not been fulfilled based on the priority of the company’s creditors’ interest.

Under Hungarian insolvency law, creditors secured by mortgages or pledges are entitled to privileged satisfaction of their claim, meaning concretely that they are entitled to receive the whole proceeds reached in the course of the realization of the pledged property after deduction of the (i) cost of keeping the property in good repair and of maintenance, and costs of selling the pledged property; and (ii) the liquidator’s fee up to 5% of the net purchase price.

Kajtár Takács Hegymegi-Barakonyi Baker & McKenzie Ügyvédi Iroda is a member of Baker & McKenzie International, a Swiss Verein. Futhat a bank a pénze után? Nem várt kockázatot rejt a pénzügyi szolgáltatók számára a Csődtörvény a refinanszírozás szempontjából. A hitelezőkkel megeshet, hogy a már kiegyenlítettnek hitt követelésüket a felszámoló az adós nevében visszakövetelheti a törvény egyik rendelkezése értelmében.

The new Act CV of 2015 on debt settlement procedure for private individuals provides an opportunity for debt settlement both outside and within the scope of a court procedure.

Major parties to the procedure:

Changes to Hungarian bankruptcy law mean that priority will be given to creditors who pledge property as security or collateral. Minor changes to Hungarian corporate legislation require companies to list specific court registration information on their official correspondence and websites.

Introduction

Hungarian insolvency law already knows the concept of avoidance actions. Allowing creditors and liquidators to challenge certain transactions aims to protect the value of the insolvency estate. Although the principles of Hungarian insolvency law are the same as those outlined in the European Commission's proposal for a Directive (i.e. Proposed Directive), there are some aspects which would need to be carefully thought through before they are harmonised.

The Hungarian Supreme Court has ruled that in a lawsuit initiated by an insolvent debtor, a creditor’s claim arising after the commencement date of the liquidation cannot be enforced as a set-off claim against the debtor.

Background

The success of the recently introduced pre-pack-like rules in Hungary will help determined how the EU Directive on pre-pack sales will be implemented in this country.

Existing pre-pack-like rules