The government recently published its response to its earlier consultation on the Hague Convention of 2 July 2019 on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Judgments in Civil or Commercial Matters (Hague 2019 or the convention).
In the current difficult business environment, lenders will be weighing up their options in respect of defaulting borrowers – for some lenders that might include attempting to own the underlying business through a credit bid. Where debt is trading at a discount, a credit bid can also be a cost-efficient opportunity for an opportunistic buyer to acquire assets. So, what is a credit bid and what issues might such parties need to consider in using one?
What is a credit bid?
In this article we explore the key trends which are currently shaping the landscape of private wealth disputes, including mental capacity as a central theme in private wealth disputes, trust insolvency and disputes relating to trustee investments.
Mental capacity
Mental capacity is increasingly a central theme on the landscape of private wealth disputes. Why? The starting point is that there is, more so than at any point previously, a wider recognition of the seismic consequences of establishing mental incapacity on the part of the relevant decision maker.
The Grand Court of the Cayman Islands has provided further guidance on the new restructuring officer (RO) regime under section 91B of the Companies Act (2023 Revision) (the Act), which came into force on 31 August 2022.
In Re Aubit International (Unreported, 4 October 2023), the Grand Court dismissed a petition to appoint restructuring officers and found that it did not have jurisdiction to grant the relief requested on the basis that there was no credible evidence of a rational restructuring proposal with reasonable prospects of success.
The court has the power to challenge any decision of the officeholder in an insolvency process on application by a dissatisfied party. The ambit of that power depends upon the nature of the insolvency process but, broadly, the following categories of people will be entitled to apply:
The Insolvency Service released the quarterly insolvency statistics for July - September 2023 on 31 October, painting a picture of growing corporate distress. This period saw a total of 6,208 company insolvencies, which together with Q2 2023 marks the highest number of quarterly insolvencies since the midst of the financial crisis in 2009.
Although a comparison with Q2 figures shows a slight reduction of 2% in overall insolvencies, the figures for Q3 showed a marked rise in both compulsory liquidations (14% up on Q2) and administrations (11% higher than Q2).
Summary
In this High Court case ICC Judge Barber ordered a disqualified director to compensate creditors for losses under s15A of the Company Directors' Disqualification Act 1986 (CDDA) as a result of negligent conduct in trading a company illegally.
Facts
As can often be the way, August was a disappointing month for many, with the dull and dreary weather casting a shadow over plans made for the school holidays. So too, it seems, was August a bad month for the business community – perhaps in some cases linked to the weather, with poorer performance by seasonal businesses reliant on fair weather custom.
The Privy Council has considered the question of whether an agreement to settle disputes arising out of a shareholders' agreement by arbitration prevents a party to the agreement pursuing a petition to wind up the company on just and equitable grounds.
Background
The recent ex-tempore judgment of Kawaley J in Atom Holdings1 in the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands serves as a timely reminder to practitioners and industry participants alike that obtaining an adjournment of a winding-up petition2 requires cogent evidence demonstrating good reason(s) for delaying what is otherwise the collective right of creditors to seek relief via court intervention.