Investors may, for reasons outside of their control, find themselves with a financially distressed company in their portfolio and possibly in unfamiliar territory. Consequently, it is not just those investors who actively seek out opportunities within the distressed space who should be mindful of the implications of insolvency processes (most commonly administration which can often also be used as part of a wider restructuring).

Key points

• Failure to comply with sections 333 and 363 of the Insolvency Act constitutes contempt of court for which a committal order may be obtained.

• A trustee in bankruptcy should not usually require permission to apply for a committal order.

• Correct procedure for application confirmed by the court.

Key points

• Information obtained by compulsion can be shared between officeholders of connected estates (parent/subsidiary)

• There must, however, be a possibility that there will be a surplus in the subsidiary estate

• The prospect must be real as opposed to fanciful

The facts

Key points

• Court reiterated circumstances in which it will sanction a proposed course of action by administrators

• Requirement that the course of action be “particularly momentous”

• Court sanctioned proposed settlement in the circumstances

The Facts

Dead Horses

When is a dead horse really a dead horse? Given that ‘insolvency’ opens the door to various procedures for creditors and others, it should (in theory) be fairly easy to define. In practice, however, it is not.

Key Points

Key Points

• Floating charge is valid even where there are no unencumbered assets at the time it is taken
• Crystallisation of prior ranking floating charge does not impact enforceability of second ranking floating charge

The Facts

What can the UK and South Africa learn from each other by comparing the business rescue regime with administration?

South Africa’s relatively recent business rescue regime (introduced in 2011) has exploded into a popular process for “affected persons” facing a company in financial distress. It shares some aspects with the administration procedure in England and Wales (UK). Lessons can be drawn from both the similarities and the differences between the two procedures that may benefit restructuring and insolvency practitioners both in the UK and South Africa.

Key points

Key Points 

• Directors cannot file a notice of intention to appoint (NoI) without a ‘settled intention’ to appoint an administrator

• NoIs cannot be used where there is no qualifying floating charge holder (QFCH)

• The judgment has implications for validity of appointments where requirements not met

The Facts