The first draft of the much anticipated Corporate Insolvency and Governance Bill, which we have written about previously from the perspective of the UK High Street, has been published and it is expected to be passed in early June.

The UK government on 20 May set out its hotly anticipated Corporate Insolvency and Governance Bill, which, once enacted, will bring into force previously announced insolvency reforms.

We summarise below the main provisions of the bill as it currently stands. Please look out for further LawFlashes on this legislation as it develops over the next few weeks.

Moratorium

This case update from our Property, Chancery & Commercial team looks at the issues raised in the recent cases of Dhillion v Barclays Bank, Peter Singh Sangha v Amicus Finance, O v O and Others, and Duval v 11-13 Randolph Crescent.

When will the court refuse to grant rectification of the Land Register for mistake?

The U.K. Government has published the U.K. Corporate Governance and Insolvency Bill. The Bill amends aspects of insolvency and company law to assist firms struggling to cope with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The measures include: 

Our note provides a high-level guide to securitisation transactions under English law. Written in partnership with Chambers and Partners, it forms the UK-focused section of the Chambers and Partners Global Practice Guide: Securitisation 2020.

This general guide discusses a broad range of topics to provide a helpful overview to those that are looking at a first time securitisation. It also provides guidance on a number of more detailed points to assist with those more experienced in securitisations, including recently regulatory development.

In our recent update on AGMs, we mentioned that the Government is due to pass legislation giving companies increased flexibility for holding Annual General Meetings, amongst other measures to help businesses through the COVID-19 situation.

Following the Government's announcement in March that the hotly anticipated changes to the UK's insolvency regime would be rushed through Parliament with further, temporary, provisions to mitigate the impact of COVID-19, insolvency practitioners and business professionals alike have been awaiting further clarity on what the Business Secretary's comments mean for businesses both in the current climate and more generally.

On Wednesday 20 May, the Government published the highly anticipated Corporate Insolvency and Governance Bill (the “CIGB”). It legislates for the landmark changes to the UK’s corporate insolvency regime and the temporary suspension of the statutory provisions on wrongful trading announced by the Business Secretary on 28 March 2020 (see Weil’s European Restructuring Watch update of 30 March 2020).

As the business world starts to count the cost of the COVID-19 pandemic and the government measures taken to contain it, attention is turning to the tools available to help companies that have been financially impacted.

Many companies are deferring payments to conserve liquidity, raising difficult questions around directors’ duties and leading to an immediate focus on how to protect the business from resulting creditor action.

The Corporate Insolvency and Governance Bill (the “Bill”) has been laid before the UK Parliament today, Wednesday 20 May 2020.

The Bill, if passed, will implement some significant changes to UK insolvency law and at the same time effect a range of temporary measures to assist with corporate governance during the Covid-19 situation.

Moratorium for protection from creditors