The ability to "surcharge" a secured creditor's collateral in bankruptcy is an important resource available to a bankruptcy trustee or chapter 11 debtor in possession ("DIP"), particularly in cases where there is little or no equity in the estate to pay administrative costs, such as the fees and expenses of estate-retained professionals. However, as demonstrated by a ruling handed down by the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, the circumstances under which collateral may be surcharged are narrow. In In re Towne, Inc., 2013 BL 232068 (3d Cir. Aug.

Section 506(a) of the Bankruptcy Code contemplates bifurcation of a debtor's obligation to a secured creditor into secured and unsecured claims, depending on the value of the collateral securing the debt. The term "value," however, is not defined in the Bankruptcy Code, and bankruptcy courts vary in their approaches to the meaning of the term. In In re Heritage Highgate, Inc., 679 F.3d 132 (3d Cir.

On 16 December 2011 the special administrators of MF Global UK Limited ("MFG UK") published their proposals for achieving the purpose of the special administration.

Purpose of the proposals

The special administration of MFG has three statutory objectives:

On October 31, 2011 (the “Petition Date”), MF Global, which up to that point had been one of the world’s largest broker/dealer firms, was plunged into insolvency on both sides of the pond. On the Petition Date, MF Global Holdings, Ltd. and MF Global Finance USA, Inc. (the “US Debtors”) each filed voluntary bankruptcy petitions under chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code in the Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York. Contemporaneously with the U.S. bankruptcy filings, the Securities Investor Protection Corporation initiated the liquidation of MF Global, Inc., the U.S.

We are starting to see signs of movement from the special administrators in relation to clients and creditors who have exposure to MF Global UK Limited ("MF Global UK").

The first day hearings in the Chapter 11 cases of MF Global Holdings Ltd and MF Global Finance USA Inc (together the "Debtors") were held on 1 November 2011 before Judge Martin Glenn in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York (the "Bankruptcy Court").

The ability to sell an asset in bankruptcy free and clear of liens and any other competing “interest” is a well-recognized tool available to a trustee or chapter 11 debtor in possession (“DIP”). Whether the category of “interests” encompassed by that power extends to potential successor liability claims, however, has been the subject of considerable debate in the courts. A New York bankruptcy court recently addressed this controversial issue in Olson v. Frederico (In re Grumman Olson Indus., Inc.), 445 B.R. 243(Bankr. S.D.N.Y. 2011).