I dagarna har konkursen i Componenta Främmestad AB avslutats. Bolaget försattes i konkurs under hösten 2019 varvid Jonas Premfors utsågs till konkursförvaltare.

Bolaget har haft en årsomsättning om ca 800 mkr och utgjort ett dotterbolag inom den finska börsnoterade Componenta-koncernen. Verksamheten har bestått i tillverkning av chassikomponenter till den tunga fordonsindustrin med kunder i ett antal europeiska länder samt i Australien och Sydamerika.

Över 8 200 företag försattes i konkurs under 2023, vilket innebär en ökning med 31 procent jämfört med föregående år, enligt statistik från Creditsafe. 2023 går till historien som det högsta konkursåret sedan Creditsafe började med sina mätningar 1999.

Konkursstormen som pågått i sjutton månader har drabbat både stora och små företag i alla län och branscher. Värst drabbat är sportsektorn, bilhandlare och bygg. Under året gick 1,08 procent av Sveriges aktiebolag i konkurs. Höga konkurstal kommer fortsätta prägla 2024.

The High Court decision in Re All Star Leisure (Group) Limited (2019), which confirmed the validity of an administration appointment by a qualified floating charge holder (QFCH) out of court hours by CE-Filing, will be welcomed.

The decision accepted that the rules did not currently provide for such an out of hours appointment to take place but it confirmed it was a defect capable of being cured and, perhaps more importantly, the court also stressed the need for an urgent review of the rules so that there is no doubt such an appointment could be made.

In certain circumstances, if a claim is proven, the defendant will be able to offset monies that are due to it from the claimant - this is known as set off.

Here, we cover the basics of set off, including the different types of set off and key points you need to know.

What is set off?

Where the right of set off arises, it can act as a defence to part or the whole of a claim.

In our update this month we take a look at some recent decisions that will be of interest to those involved in insolvency litigation. These include:

Creditor not obliged to take steps in foreign proceedings to preserve security

No duty of care owed for negligent bank reference to undisclosed principal

The Supreme Court has held that a bank which negligently provided a favourable credit reference for one of its customers did not owe a duty of care to an undisclosed principal who acted on that reference.

There has been a series of high profile tenant company voluntary arrangements (CVAs), particularly in the retail and casual dining sectors. Many landlords have been hit by closure of underperforming stores, and by rent cuts on those remaining open. Here we outline ten points for landlords on what CVAs are, how they are entered into and what landlords can do to protect themselves.

What is a CVA?

A CVA is a statutory process, supervised by an insolvency practitioner. It allows a company in financial difficulty to:

In our update this month we take a look at some of the recent cases that will be of interest to those involved in insolvency litigation. These include:

The Court of Appeal considers 'reasonable adjustment' in the context of possession proceedings

The first case in which the Equalities legislation has been raised as a defence to a mortgagee's claim for possession has recently been before the Court of Appeal.